Opposition Member of Parliament and former Minister for Labour, Jone Usamate, has welcomed the possibility of Fijian icons joining politics in the 2026 General Election. Mr Usamate made this comment after the Sevens rugby maestro, Waisele Serevi earlier indicated that he was considering entering the political arena. Mr Serevi, made his revelation exclusively to Sunsports a fortnight ago. Mr Usamate said Mr Serevi would be a great addition for any political party. “They might be good at getting votes which is good and they have a good understanding of sports and other things,” he said of Mr Serevi and Fijians, who have excelled in their fields and promoted Fiji globally. “There is always a place for people of that nature.” However, he called on such icons to have a thorough knowledge of government, governance and national policies. “All these characteristics of policy understanding, national backing needs to be taken into account.” Mr Usamate claimed there were former Members of Parliament who were not accustomed to the roles, policies and responsibilities of national leadership. “They need to know the policies and their implications.” Mr Usamate proposed a balance between fame support and competency at handling national issues. “It is not good to have everybody who are popular, but lack the ability to implement effective policies.” The MP said all spheres of people with various talents should be sought and appointed into the Fiji Parliament. “Each MP, once appointed, must have a clear idea of the best policies to move the nation forward”. The seasoned politician said each policy that would be implemented impacted people for many years and good policies left a lasting and positive effect. “If the policy is not good, it will be a generational impact, that’s why it is important to get the right mixture of people into Parliament,” Mr Usamate said. Feedback: sampras.anand@fijisun.com.fj