SODELPA Leader, Viliame Gavoka says to hear that the Fiji Bureau of Statistics CEO, Kemueli Naiqama, was unceremoniously dismissed and escorted off premises for the poverty report in Fiji, says a lot about the type of democracy we have in Fiji.
Gavoka says SODELPA wants the Fiji Bureau of Statistics to have independence from any undue outside influence, especially from a government that has been hyping about a boom that many knew was not true.
He says the collection, compilation, analysis, abstraction and publishing of statistical information relating to the economic and general activities must be carried out without fear and SODELPA tells the Attorney General and the FijiFirst, ‘hands off’.
Gavoka says let the truth be told as we do not want to live under an illusion.
He says it is shameful hearing the report that the CEO of the Bureau of Statistics was escorted out of his office.
The SODELPA Leader says the Bureau of Statistics in democracies are responsible for promoting and safeguarding the production and publication of official statistics which serve the common good.
He says it is independent of ministers and instead report directly to Parliament.
