Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad says Unity Fiji Leader Savenaca Narube’s suggestion that Australia should review its modality budget support to Fiji is clearly an attempt to sabotage our economy.
Professor Prasad says Narube’s claims that the coalition government is misusing funds it received from Australia is baseless and an outrageous lie.
He says Narube, who has failed miserably in two national elections to get elected into Parliament, has reached a new low in his recent statements at the Climate Integrity Conference 2025, in Canberra where he gave the use of funding for COP 29 as an example.
The Minister for Finance says to suggest that Australia should review its modality of budget support to Fiji while lying about how this budget support is being misused by the coalition government, more than anything, reveals Narube's true character and his unworthiness to lead Fiji.
Professor Prasad adds he had made it absolutely clear that the size of Fiji’s delegation was 56 and not 100, as ludicrously claimed by Narube.
He says 91 percent of the total cost of $1.2 million was funded, and Government only forked out the cost for five delegates.
He also says this was for the Leader of the Opposition, two Opposition Parliamentarians and two delegates from the Ministry of Multi-ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry.
Professor Prasad says the government forked out $238,739.77 while $960,065 was externally funded.
He adds external funding did not come from Australia alone as there were multiple donor agencies and NGOs that all graciously agreed that Fiji needed to have reasonable coverage during all the multi-sectoral negotiation tracks that often splinter off into sub-negotiation tracks that were happening simultaneously, and often from early morning late into the night.
The Deputy Prime Minister says Narube would not know this because he has never been to a climate change COP, but has overnight become a climate expert because he is a mouthpiece for someone who was disappointed that the coalition government did not use his expertise.
He says Narube was certainly around in November 2017 when the former Government took almost 80 delegates to COP 23.
Professor Prasad says he was certainly around in May 2019 when the then Leader of the Opposition and now Prime Minister Rabuka revealed in Parliament how procurement procedures were waived to award Qorvis over $4 million in contract to manage public relations and communications in relation to Fiji’s participation in COP 23.
He further says Narube never opened his mouth, and now he is not only insulting Fiji and trying to sabotage our economy but also ridiculing the intelligence of the Australian Government, which has provided and continues to assist in the rehabilitation of our public health sector and construction of new schools to ease overcrowding of classrooms in our current schools.
The Finance Minister adds this is a gross insult to Australia and their taxpayers, who deserve basic decency and not be lectured by visitors about how to conduct their funding, particularly at events hosted in Canberra.
He says Fiji is grateful to Australia for being its largest development partner.
Professor Prasad says Australia and other donor partners do not give budget support to Fiji like a blank cheque, and as a former bureaucrat in the Ministry of Finance, Narube should know that these agreements have strict conditions and evaluation processes.
He says it is quite shocking that as a consultant and former RBF Governor, Narube deliberately ignores how basic accountabilities and reporting are built into all budget support arrangements.
He further says if Narube thinks squealing overseas, making unpatriotic statements, and an attempt to sabotage Fiji’s economy is boosting his political fortunes, he is daydreaming.
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