Viwa Island in Bau, Tailevu, will celebrate Christmas under lights for the first time after Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama switched on their electricity yesterday.
He said this was a promise he made during the last election campaign.
Fiji Sun gathered that most of the islanders voted for Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) during the election.
Mr Bainimarama said there had been a lot of false promises made by past governments, but the FijiFirst remained committed to what it promised voters.
“The FijiFirst Government delivers to all the people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Viwa Island had been connected to the national electricity grid.
“It marks the wave of progress and modernisation under my FijiFirst Government. My Government believes that all Fijians, irrespective of their location in Fiji, their economic or social status, should have access to all basic amenities such as road, water and electricity.”
He said it was rather sad that many parts of Fiji, including the island of Viwa, were not connected earlier to the national grid.
“Your connection today to the national grid is righting the wrongs of the past. It is of Government catching up with developments that past governments failed to do.”
Opportunities
Viwa Island children, he said, would be able to study under lights and access amenities like refrigerators and television.
However, he reminded the islanders to pay their electricity bills.
“We all have to play our part.”
From next year, he said, the islanders’ bills would be subsidised since Government would pay half of the tariff rate if their household’s annual income was $30,000 or less, and they used 95 kilowatt-hours or less of electricity a month.
This, he said, would be applicable from January 1, 2016.
The people of Viwa would need to fill application forms with Fiji Electricity Authority (FEA).
Also present at the commissioning were the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Environment, Parveen Kumar and the Minister for Youth and Sports, Laisenia Tuitubou.
The cost of the project was $601,000 and the people of Viwa contributed $9200 for the wiring of their homes.
Electricity is supplied to the island from Viti Levu through submarine cables.
Edited by Maikeli Seru
Feedback: maikab@fijisun.com.fj
