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Political leaders have failed to recognise and rectify poverty and ethnic tensions because they are sleeping on the job, says academic Dr Warden Narsey.
“They have been sleeping on the job and should be blamed,” University of the South Pacific based Dr Wardan Narsey said, while addressing a symposium on Fiji’s economy at the university’s Suva campus today.
“Our political leaders have not been able to focus on issues because our Indian politicians have kept on fighting about renewal of leases. Similarly, the Fijian politicians, instead of making the economy grow, have focused their attention on landowners and telling them that Indians will grab their land.
“So these are reality issues in Fiji but nothing has been done about it and we continue to suffer.”
He adds that study shows 37 per cent of Indo Fijians are poor compared to 34 per cent of indigenous Fijians.
“However the political parties continue to take advantage and ignore this,” he said.
