Prime Minister and Acting Finance Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka says he is not in favour of the $360,000 budget allocated for the two day National Economic Summit, and people can also pay for their own food and kalavata.
When questioned by fijivillage News, Rabuka made his stand clear that the organizers need to cut costs, and he had not seen the budget as yet.
Rabuka also says that he has already made it clear to the ministers to ensure they cut down spending.
Rabuka reveals that the budget has not been approved and he will speak to the Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad.
Professor Prasad is currently in the US.
Meanwhile Unity Fiji Party Leader and former Governor of the Reserve of Bank of Fiji, Savenaca Narube has raised concerns about some of the costs he sees within the National Economic Summit budget that the government could have done without.
Narube says he is very concerned about the cost, not for the summit itself but some of the components of the cost that he sees there which reportedly include $15,000 on a cocktail and $18,700 on kalavata.
He says the government could have done without the cost of the kalavata and the cocktail.
Professor Prasad says the $360,000 allocated for the National Economic Summit is the total budgeted amount and that does not mean all will be spent.
We have asked Professor Prasad about the kalavata and cocktail. He is yet to respond.
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