Chand calls out Ro Filipe for not addressing issues of poor bus services

Member of Opposition Hem Chand has called out Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau for not addressing the issues of poor bus services which results in elderly and sick people having to spend more than $60 a week on taxi fares.

He highlighted this while responding to the President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu’s opening speech in Parliament.

Chand says this issue was brought to the Minister’s attention twice last year but nothing was done about it.

Chand asks Ro Filipe if this was the new way of punishing the elderly and sick people.

He says the President mentioned in his address that the government will prioritize better roads and jetties, and basic infrastructure including bridges, seawalls, electricity, water, drainage, transportation and communication.

He says the Coalition Government has been in office for more than two years, with just one and a half years before the election, and asks what have they done so far to improve road conditions and other services in rural and remote areas.

While raising a point of order, Ro Filipe says Chand’s speech is imputing that he and the Minister of Health Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu are directly responsible for these issues.

Speaker of Parliament Filimoni Jitoko told Chand that this is not the end-of-the-week statement, where he addresses everything that's under the sun.

He says if that was past practice, then it's not in accordance with the Westminster system.