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THE BEGGING QUESTION: Poverty Minister Akbar v Beggar Krishna Kumari - Akbar says don't give money but Kumari saves $19,000 from 'Begging Money' to buy two-bedroom home - what message to others?

26/3/2015

6 Comments

 
PictureKrishna Kumari is all smiles beside the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama in her new two-bedroom at the Lagilagi Housing flats during its official opening in Suva
Key to new home

Fiji Times
Thursday, March 26, 2015


A 60-YEAR-OLD beggar received the key to her fully-paid house at Lagilagi Housing at Jittu Estate in Suva yesterday.

After many years of begging, Krishna Kumari was excited to be given the key to her home by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

Ms Kumari was able to pay for her house with the assistance of the Government and People's Community Network (PCN).

PCN national director Semiti Qalowasa said Ms Kumari was the oldest recipient of the 44 new homeowners.

"When she came in she said 'I want a house'. I said how can you afford it? She said I can afford it," Mr Qalowasa said.

He said Ms Kumari had explained to them that she banked all the money she received from begging.

"When we looked at her bank deposit slip, it goes back to the late 1970s."

He said there was $19,000 in her bank account and they had to take $17,000 to pay for her two-bedroom home while PCN paid for the rest.

"The surprising thing was that if she can save that much, it is sending a good lesson to everyone to save."

Asked how she felt about her new home, she shyly said: "I'm happy."

The Lagilagi Housing has a total of 77 units with the construction of the second phase of 76 units already underway.

Mr Qalowasa said the three-bedroom units cost about $60,000 and $40,000 for a two-bedroom unit.

He said owners should pay half of the cost within 12 years and the remaining amount was subsidised by the Government and PCN collectively.

Interested homeowners, he said, should showcase to PCN that they would pay back and the only way they could gauge was for them to see some sort of saving scheme.

Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Rosy Akbar said the ministry would provide Ms Kumari her basic necessities such as bed to start off with in her new home.

The 1970s: One took to the street and one to the sea - four decades later, one is still on the street and the other turned treasonsit coupist to Prime Minister; one honestly declared she had $19,000 in her bank while the other claimed that he was owed $184,000 in back pay - going back to 1970s - VOTE FOR A BEGGAR OR VOTE FOR A SWINDLER?

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Refrain from giving money to beggars - Akbar

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The Minister of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation is calling on the public to refrain from giving money to the street beggars.

Rosy Akbar who is leading the National Taskforce on Beggars along with Fiji Police and the Municipal Councils says during a recent profiling exercise some beggars confessed that they are able to earn quite a lot more on the streets.

She added there are plans in place to look after the welfare of these beggars and they appeal to the public to cooperate with them.

Akbar Stressed they are closely monitoring the streets to ensure that children who are seen begging are taken off the streets and placed into residential care.

She highlights some people have been pushed out of their homes while others are used by their families to get money on the streets.

Akbar further added that the Minor Offences Act 10 of 1971 states that begging is illegal and the Taskforce is concerned about the welfare of the beggars who are sickly, elderly and disabled.

She highlights that some of these beggars are used by their families and they are dropped and picked up at the end of the day. 

She added their objective is to make every effort to help these people and not to victimize them at any stage of this process. Source: Fijivillage News, 16 January 2005

6 Comments
Dekho
26/3/2015 02:19:38 pm

Beggars have the same aspirations, the hope and wish for a better life for themselves and their children as other human beings. Remember they are also human beings! Our fellow human beings. But fate and circumstance have dealt them a bad card and they can't earn a living like a government minister, or lawyer or a cj Patel wallah. But beggars often show a lot more honesty and industry in the way they earn a living. Krishna Kumari is a living example of that. People who are prejudiced against beggars often confuse them with the conman. There are more conman in the mainstream population, some even holding respectable positions in government and business , then in the beggar community. Krishna Kumari and all other genuine beggars who make an honest living through begging deserve our respect. They probably deserve more respect than thug rulers in the country.

Reply
Quite Right
27/3/2015 02:22:07 am

You are quite right -we just have to look at CONMAN Bainimarama pictured there with beggar Kumari.This PM (paisa maro) has swindled $184K of our money - just like that - no shame, no remorse, no apology, no just CHORO.

Reply
Chiku
26/3/2015 02:27:05 pm

Remember the National Bank of Fiji scam when over $300 million of public money did the disappearing act from the bank? How many of the country's beggars took the money? And, how many government ministers, other senior state officials and military top dogs took that money unlawfully?

Reply
And
26/3/2015 03:00:10 pm

And we all know it is easy to go after the beggars, a powerless and voiceless lot.Hence the operation this and task force that involving police and social welfare personnel , time and resources to round up beggars and to " rehabilitate " them. The same time, energy, resources and enthusiasm should be given to round up the crooks who are responsible for the Rewa Dairy saga and all the other crooked corporate deals going on in the country since the Bainimarama military takeover. They are the ones harming the country. Not the beggars.

Reply
Yep
27/3/2015 01:26:54 am

The elderly beggar woman Krishna Kumari has clearly lived her life with human dignity notwithstanding her lowly social status in society. We can't say the same for the salusalu wearing man standing next to her notwithstanding his high status as the " democratically" elected PM.

Reply
All are Beggars
27/3/2015 02:33:36 am

Bainimarama is the biggest beggar - begging for your votes - so is the Akbar woman.

Reply

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