Increase in RFMF budget includes allocation for peacekeeping - Prof. Prasad

Following questions raised about the increase in the budget for the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and what purpose it serves, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad has clarified that the allocation for RFMF in the 2024/2025 National Budget also includes peacekeeping so it is not an increase in $60 million as being claimed.

He highlighted this while responding to USP Professor Vijay Naidu during Dialogue Fiji’s Post Budget Forum where Professor Naidu says a good $60 million additional expenditure is being made to the RFMF, the same military that has caused disaster after disaster.

Professor Naidu asks what productivity gains the RFMF brings to the economy and society.

Professor Prasad had referred further questions regarding the specific budget allocation to Permanent Secretary for Finance, Shiri Gounder who says the increase in military budget is $10 million and not $60 million as being reported.

He says they have merged the peacekeeping component and the normal RFMF operations.

Gounder says from the $10 million, $5 million is allocated for the RFMF’s engineering department and the revenue from there is going to the government now.

He also says the other $5 million is for procurement of some of the contingent equipment for the peacekeepers where there were some challenges.

While responding to Gounder, FNU lecturer Dr Mosmi Bhim says Fiji pays for peacekeeping and does not make money from it and the expenditure is not just for equipment but it is to train and pay for the extra soldiers.

She says not only are we paying for the expense of peacekeeping, we are training the soldiers to do coups in Fiji.

Dr Bhim further asks instead of giving preferential treatment to the military in terms of pay allowances and other things, the same amount could be given to law enforcement officers and we might see a much better law and order situation in Fiji.

Professor Prasad later highlighted that the Fiji Police Force has a bigger budget than the military.

RFMF is allocated a total of $169.6 million in the 2024-2025 budget while $226.8million has been allocated for the Police Force.

In the 2023-2024 budget, the RFMF was allocated $103.1 million and $57 million was for peacekeeping.