The leader of the National Federation Party, Professor Biman Prasad has labeled the government as a ZOMBIE government – half-dead, half-alive, wandering aimlessly around the political landscape.
While responding to the President’s opening address in Parliament, Professor Prasad says the Prime Minister’s productivity or lack of it can be measured by the single yardstick - gallivanting around the globe – from visiting climate change projects in Australia, attending independence celebrations and dinner, hyping up Vuvale scheme, still trying to get world leaders to Talanoa over climate change and visiting a cigar factory in Cuba when as Sugar Minister he should have cared to learn a thing or two about Cuba’s thriving sugar industry.
He also questioned where was the Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum last week.
He says one could say, perhaps, that the Fijian Government is an intellectually barren space adding not only has the government run out of ideas – they have run out of money.
He adds despite strategising how to grow low-hanging fruits for 48 hours on Level 9 at Suvavou House last December, they have become a cash-strapped patchwork government.
Professor Prasad says for the last 10 years, the Fijian economy has been run like a really bad magic show.
He says it has not even been entertaining because we can all see how the magic tricks are done, borrow money, spend money and give out freebies under any name.
Professor Prasad adds suddenly, the Fijian government is $1 billion short of budgeted income adding and yet, still it believes that it will raise the projected income of $3.49 billion in this financial year.
He says the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service revealed its annual collection two months ago and it was $2.813 billion in tax collections. He says they are told it was well short of the initially revised target of $3.04 billion in June of this year.
He says it was further revised downwards to $3.02 billion and again to $2.85 billion adding but as of 31st July 2019 it fell acutely short in fulfilling its projections.
Professor Prasad says they strongly believe none of the projected revenue targets were achieved by FRCS in the last three years.
He says managing the economy is about creating economic confidence, supporting private investment, creating jobs, creating new industries and adapting to change adding and this is the tragedy of the Fijian economy today that the economy now depends on tourism and remittances.
