Funds assigned for social scheme was used to pay Ministry’s staff overtime – Tabuya

Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Lynda Tabuya has revealed in parliament that the money assigned for rural pregnant mothers and pensions was diverted to pay for the Ministry’s staff overtime.

While responding to the President’s speech, Tabuya says this was some of the things they found while sifting through the mess, wastage and overspending that the previous government has left them with.

She says they found that a lot of the overtime had been accumulated in the months before the elections.

The Minister says what was frustrating to find was that money assigned for rural pregnant mothers and pensions were diverted to pay for this overtime and she has put a stop to this.

She adds the Social Pension Scheme had a shortfall of $3 million and these shortfalls carried on into bus fare programs which the short-sighted FijiFirst government had rushed to implement before elections without realising the disastrous impact automatic top-ups would have on the budget.

Tabuya says, for this reason, they have changed the system to a user-pay system and not accumulation based.

The Minister also highlighted the coalition government has had to appoint people in acting positions that they trust to carry out the work.

She says the government is well within its power to appoint these “acting” positions as they await the application and tender processes for those positions and do the job the public expects from them.

In regards to ensuring children a safe, nurtured, and empowered to reach their full potential, Tabuya says the ministry plans to establish a specialised Department of Children that is fully equipped and prepared to uphold the commitments outlined in our laws and regulations.

She says it is imperative that they work in partnership with government ministries and civil societies to ensure they raise the visibility of children and keep up with Fiji’s obligations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Minister also highlighted that Fiji is finally free of 16 years of fear, intimidation, victimisation, and unjust control.

She claims that the entire campaign of FijiFirst ran on sowing seeds of fear and hatred against their leader.

FijiFirst MP, Mosese Bulitavu today requested that some of Tabuya’s comments should be removed in relation to the sowing of seeds of division and rape of Indo Fijian women, as they are lies.

Speaker, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu says the minutes of the meeting is edited in 7 days as part of the process, and they will take note of Bulitavu’s comments.