Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama said nothing has been achieved by the previous government to help the plight and struggles of ordinary Fijians under the Fijian Affairs Ministry and the new direction the interim government is taking will bring more enhanced benefits to them.

In a statement this afternoon, Bainimarama said it was only the elite Fijians and those who had connections with high ranking officials in the Fijian Administration who benefited from various assistances available in the name of ordinary Fijians.

He said the renaming and reassignment of the ministry will do a lot of good for ordinary Fijians and for national development as a whole and its budget and resources in the 2008 budget remains unchanged.

On other issues, Bainimarama also defended the removal of income tax exemption for subscribers of Fijian Holdings Unit Trust saying such an exemption was only benefiting the elite Fijians who had initially deprived the provincial councils and ordinary Fijians the right to purchase shares in Fijian Holdings but instead had personally bought those shares.

He said the benefits of the Fijian Holdings shares have not really filtered down to the people to whom it was intended for and somehow has benefited only a few, particularly the large subscribes.

The Interim PM said the interim government is about to get a major investigation underway on how the elite Fijians had manipulated the system for their own benefit in this regard.

Earlier today, the Interim Minister of Provincial Development, Department of Indigenous Affairs and Multi Ethnic Affairs called on those people who are criticizing the move by the interim government to try and understand what is in store for the Fijian people in the 2008 budget.

Ratu Epeli said the allocation to assist the indigenous Fijians has increased for 2008.