Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the 2016/2017 budget is a very strong national budget.
While speaking in parliament, Bainimarama stresses that a strong national budget is far more than the allocations to the different ministries - it is a continuation of the government’s blueprint for the future of the Fijian people.
He says hard decisions had to be made as the country tries to recover after Cyclone Winston.
Bainimarama says investors are looking for long term consistency.
He says consistency builds confidence - confidence yields investment - and investments produce jobs and encourages people to create businesses.
Bainimarama says the FijiFirst has strong leadership while people in the opposition are concerned about their individual political careers.
He says the opposition has been static and reactive while the government has been forward looking.
He says 40% of the national budget is for capital expenditure.
Bainimarama says before 2006, 85% of the budget was allocated to operating expenditure, and there was nothing to show on building state assets.
