A war of words has erupted between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad and Fiji Labour Party Leader, Mahendra Chaudhry after Chaudhry raised the question on why the Prime Minister hosted the Cabinet Ministers and their spouses at the Grand Pacific Hotel and also made repeated allegations against Professor Prasad regarding last year’s Girmit celebration accounts.
Professor Prasad has called Chaudhry a crook for not declaring $2 million being kept in Australia.
He calls on Chaudhry to let the agencies come up with the results of the Girmit celebration accounts.
The Deputy Prime Minister adds there is a process that the government, the Ministry of Finance, and the Solicitor General's Office deal with.
Professor Prasad says they will also be seeing the FLP Leader in court for defamation.
When questioned on the statement released by Chaudhry regarding the lavish party the Prime Minister hosted at the Grand Pacific Hotel for his Cabinet ministers and their spouses on Tuesday and how it was funded, the Finance Minister directed all questions to the Prime Minister.
While responding to the comments made by Professor Prasad, Chaudhry says Professor Prasad should answer the criticism that he has made rather than attacking anyone who questions him.
He says the audited accounts of the Girmit celebrations are still not available even though we have had the second celebration this year.
Chaudhry adds there is no need for the Finance Minister to point fingers.
In a statement last night, Chaudhry asked Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka why he had the party at the Grand Pacific Hotel for his Cabinet ministers and their spouses when almost half of the people in the country are barely able to put one decent meal on the table for their families.
Chaudhry has asked who paid for this expensive extravaganza.
Chaudhry says it’s the first time in Fiji’s 54 years of independence that we have ever heard of a Prime Minister entertaining his Cabinet to a grand party to thank them for their “good work” as ministers.
Chaudhry asks isn’t this sickening evidence of a Coalition of ministers who are all about enriching themselves, throwing lavish parties to entertain themselves, and simply having a grand time laced with numerous overseas junkets.
Chaudhry asks where did the money come from as the nation cannot even afford to pay a minimum wage of $5 an hour to our lowest-paid workers.
According to Chaudhry, the government has failed to arrest the rising cost of living despite huge election promises to do so, in 20 months they have not been able to halt the decline in the sugar industry, in one whole year, the Minister for Employment failed to ensure justice to the victims of Suva’s Ferris wheel tragedy, a number of senior government ministers are facing investigation by FICAC following complaints filed by the Supervisor of Elections for failure to comply with the provisions of the Political Parties Act, he is still asking for the detailed accounts of the 2023 Girmit celebrations, the drug and sex scandal that hit the Cabinet earlier this year and both the ministers involved remain in Cabinet and over 80,000 people, mostly our frustrated and disgruntled young, have left our shores in search of a better future and job opportunities elsewhere.
We have sent questions to Rabuka. He is yet to respond.
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