Minister for Local Government, Housing and Environment, Infrastructure and Transport, Parveen Bala has urged members of the Opposition to talk facts, talk figures, talk business, talk development and to talk statistics instead of making unsubstantiated claims.

And, he has urged them to move away from their obsession with race and to stop seeing race as a factor in everyday issues.

“I was hoping against hope and have come to the conclusion that there is no hope, for any constructive contributions from our dear members of the Opposition.”

In a fiery speech, he did not hold back on what he thought of the level of contribution which came from the Opposition.

“Madam Speaker, the calls for communalism and references to the bible and supremacy of one god over another is the work of mischief makers and false prophets. And we all know that the good book warns us against false prophets,” he said to which interjections erupted  from the Opposition side of the House.

He also voiced his disappointment about remarks made by Opposition leader Ro Teimumu Kepa regarding towns and cities.

“It is hard to work out, from exactly where and how the Honourable Leader of Opposition has got her information in the statements made and published in media on August 29, 2017. Maybe, it comes from her coconut wireless service based on the bilibili model for action on climate change,” he said.

He pointed out that his Ministry has earmarked major coastal erosion mitigation projects through municipal councils in Savusavu, Nasinu and Lami to combat the effects of climate change. He also briefed Parliament that they have begun construction of Fiji’s first climate change park in Tavua using reused and recycled materials with awareness and mitigation programmes that will include all segments of the local community.

Edited by Mohammed Ali

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