Former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says he stands by his comments that the Government should be concerned about the people that received the $360 unemployment cash assistance from taxpayers money and used it for non-essential items like alcohol.
Rabuka had questioned how much of the money given out ended up at liquor outlets and how many children remain undernourished or without diapers while cash grants were diverted to unwise expenses.
He also said that the Government should have worked with NGOs and the Social Welfare Department to ensure those people in dire need are assisted.
When asked on Rabuka’s comments, Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had said Rabuka is just trying to be relevant and his stupid comments were put in the front page.
Sayed-Khaiyum says in any type of social safety net provisioning, you will find that there is a small percentage of the people who will perhaps abuse it. He says that does not mean you victimise the rest of the 98 percent from getting the benefit of that particular social safety net.
Rabuka says he stands by his comments and he only responds to comments at the Prime Ministerial level.
Rabuka also told Legend FM News that as a former Prime Minister, how can his comments be stupid when it concerns the people who pay their taxes to support the unemployed and the traders, and the serious concern about people spending the cash assistance on non-essential items.
The Government has paid $104.2 million to 289,489 Fijians under the first round of unemployment assistance while a few dozen applications were still being processed over the weekend.
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says this accounts for about 84% of the total applications received which was 345,289.
A toll-free line has also been set for people who still have questions where they can call 158 or 249 9999.
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