A young man from Ululoloa is asking the government to help with the cost of living.

Eric Ifopo, 26, said he is worried about the trend of the cost of living and he believes there is coming a time when people like him -- and many others -- will no longer be able to afford the cost of living.

“Money is a real issue these days,” he said.

“Truth be told, so many people are very poor. They hardly have any money which makes things extra hard because without money you cannot do much these days.

 “We may say that we have our plantations to support us in life but that’s not enough. We are living at a time where people should be living comfortably. They should be eating steak and those nice things.”

But this is not happening, he said.

Many people are living on the bare minimum and this worries Eric.

He believes the government should not only look at increasing wages, he reckons they should be working on ways to improve people’s ability to earn money.

Eric works hard. A taxi driver, he lives with his mother and wife. He admits that life is tough. He does his best but his family still struggles with money.

“For now, since it’s me and my wife who are responsible for taking care of my mother, we try our best to satisfy whatever needs my mother has,” he said.

“But it’s tough, I tell you.”

Eric said he has to try and stay positive through all this.

 “I know no matter how much we complain, nothing will change,” he said. “We’ve just got to do what we can to get by. “

Apart from all the hardships in life, Eric has other plans.

“I’m looking forward to the time when I will have children,” he said.

“For that though, I need to be prepared and work hard to make enough money.”

How? 

He said even when he is tired, he will continue to drive his taxi, hoping one day he might get a lucky break where he can earn lots more money.