Social Democratic Liberal Party Leader Viliame Gavoka has labelled Government’s $100 unemployment assistance to the people of Vanua Levu a political freebie.

In a statement, Gavoka said the cash assistance is FijiFirst's desperate attempt to maintain power.

He said the assistance should have been given to the people of the North during the pandemic rather than them accessing their Fiji National Provident Fund savings.

 “It is desperate and demeaning and comes at the expense of a more debt-ridden future generation,” he said.

“This Government expects our people to surrender their senses and return them to power for only $100. What an insult.

“Price hikes for food, and fuel are external shocks that Government must absorb by subsidising the increases so that our people do not feel the effects .

“Government must introduce anti-inflation counter measures which it is not doing,” he said.

He said the $13 million that Government has allocated for this unemployment assistance could have been better utilised if it had funded an agricultural production project meant for export.

By Nacanieli Tuilevuka