By Martha Taumata Faavae
The highly successful RSE Workers Scheme has become the target of trash talk and general election misinformation running rampant on social media.
The Minister of Commerce Industry and Labour [MCIL] responsible for the scheme, Lautafi Mr. Selafi Purcell is determined to untangle the many misleading issues created online.
His worry is how the people are being not only being deliberately misled but the harm they can cause.
“Many of the misinformation comments are traced to social media contributors hiding behind fake pages,” a disappointed Lautafi reacted.
“But the Ministry cannot allow the lies and made up stories to continue so the responsibility now is to correct and clarify false online statements that affect scheme workers.”
The Minister zoomed in on social media claims that RSE Workers were being pressured to vote for the Government HRPP in the general election before they are granted scheme contracts.
The fabrication also suggested that scheme workers were being made to vote first before they fly out of the country.
“The first scheduled flight for our RSE workers is on the 7th of April 2021 and that means they are allowed to pre-poll which starts of the 5th of April 2021 before they leave.
‘When we briefed this new group of workers, they were told they are eligible to vote before they leave.”
Lautafi said the workers were briefed as part of their re-departure preparation process and has nothing to do with any political party involvements.
“The Ministry’s only focus is to find new job contracts for our RSE workers not interrogate them on who they vote for.
“Besides, these work opportunities were set up long before that new political party FAST came into place.
“The workers who were successful with their selection have been in the waiting list for some time and they are now going through normal pre-departure process.
“All the requirements for them to follow are done without any political pressure from Government as it is being trash talked on fake social media pages.”
MCIL has also learned of RSE workers being told to hand in their passport to an agent who is organising their departure flights.
These workers are starting to make enquires to the Ministry for flight information on their departure.
Lautafi, however, made it clear that all the flights out for RSE workers are organized by Government based on approval of Cabinet on the advice of the border travel coordinating body NEOC.
“The Ministry has learned that these passport collecting agents are benefiting from the workers who gifted them food and other items of value to improve on their chances of getting a scheme contract.
“The advice to all who were misled into handing in their passport is to go and get your passports back.
“Your only doorway to the RSE Workers Scheme is through the Ministry and a public notice is being circulated to make people aware of the scams that these passport collecting agents are running on them.”
The Minister is irate at the bad publicity Government is getting from the lies and misleading information on social media by people preying on innocent applicants waiting on a chance to secure a contract under the scheme.
He strongly condemned the troubles the social media misinformation and lies are causing for the innocent who are being easily manipulated and misled.
His parting tip for scheme applicants is the location of the fake agent at Aleipata they handed in their passports to.
“Go out there and claim your passports.”