Leader of the Opposition, Inia Seruiratu and the Leader of the Fiji Labour Party Mahendra Chaudhry are calling on the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad to step down and allow for thorough investigations into the funding for Girmit Day while Professor Prasad says there is nothing untoward about the Global Girmit Institute and they are making defamatory statements against an organisation and those that are on it.
While speaking to fijivillage News on comments made by Seruiratu and Chaudhry, Professor Prasad says the critics have got it all wrong and they will provide full details about the spending.
He says the Ministry of Finance has very clear processes and every cent that goes to any activity will be accounted for as they have standard operating procedures.
The Deputy Prime Minister says the grants have been vetted by the Attorney General’s Office so any expenditure for the Summit, Girmit Celebration and Ratu Sukuna Day will be accounted for.
The Deputy Prime Minister says any money that has been expended to the Global Girmit Institute to run the conference is as per the budget approved by the national committee and it is a duly registered organisation.
He is asking what is the problem with that.
When asked about the Institute being re-registered in February just when Girmit Day was announced, Professor Prasad asks what has that got to do with anything.
He says when they expended the fund the Institute may have gone and re-registered because registration takes a long time.
Professor Prasad further says Seruiratu should stop listening to his de-facto leaders, have some spine and if he has anything, then he should bring it to Parliament.
He also asks in 16 years, how many times have they put out a budget for activities in Denarau or the Sheraton Resort.
Professor Prasad says theirs is a government that very openly puts out the budget, what they will do and how it will be spent.
He adds this is transparency and accountability, not what they did.
Professor Prasad says under the FijiFirst rule for 16 years, they suppressed the people, their rights and instead of calling him to step down and have an independent investigation into the funding for Girmit, they should look after themselves and worry about the mess they have left the country in.
He adds Seruiratu should be ashamed for asking such questions and sending a statement when they are commemorating and celebrating a very successful Girmit Day.
Meanwhile, Seruiratu says according to recent reports, $200,000 of taxpayers money was released two-months ago to the trustees of the Global Girmit Institute to pay for Girmit conference expenses including air-fares and accommodation for overseas speakers. He says the Global Girmit Institute which has on its board trustees, Dr Ganesh Chand and Professor Prasad’s wife was de-registered for failing to provide audited accounts for 5 years.
Seruiratu says however, the Institute was coincidentally registered again on the eve of the Finance Minister handing over hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money for non-Fijians to attend this talk fest.
He says the Prime Minister must launch a thorough and transparent public investigation.
He says any claims of alleged corruption and abuse of power that affect Fijians need to be seriously investigated immediately for the full accountability of Fijian taxpayers.
Seruiratu says they need a full account of what is going on with our money.
He says at this point, they call upon a totally independent investigator that is not influenced or pressured by the current Coalition Government as seems to be the case in many times.
He says FICAC, the Police and all independent institutions and all different arms of the State must be absolutely impartial to serve the people of Fiji and not on the winds of the elite.
Seruiratu says under the current circumstances they do not have confidence that the NFP Leader, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister and the Finance Minister will be held accountable for his actions and has been demonstrated by the lack of willingness by the Fijian media and the authorities to investigate allegations for abuse and corruption.
He adds the Girmityas and their descendants are not being served by Professor Prasad, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to fly down speakers from overseas and accommodate them at expensive hotels, when the prices of goods and services for ordinary Fijians are spiraling out of control.
FLP Leader, Mahendra Chaudhry says he is aghast that Professor Prasad should crudely brush off as “verbal defecation” queries regarding the abuse of taxpayers money.
He says Professor Prasad owes the people a response relevant to the issues in question.
Chaudhry says when Professor Prasad was an opposition parliamentarian, he used to come through big and loud on transparency and accountability but now when he is questioned about funds he shows his true colours by resorting to foul language and personal abuse.
He is calling on the Deputy Prime Minister to cultivate some dignity and learn how to speak to fellow politicians especially when they are raising valid questions regarding public funds.
The FLP Leader says the Prime Minister should publicly chastise his Minister for such crude behaviour and in fact, he should be removed from office for all the misdemeanor he has thus far committed and the embarrassment he has caused to the Coalition government.
Chaudhry says this is the second time the Minister has been caught ‘with his pants down” so to speak.
He says the first was when he sneaked through a call for expressions of interest from individuals (not corporate organisations) to handle Girmit Day publicity, on the Fiji Government Facebook without putting out proper advertisements in the newspapers, as he should have.
The former Prime Minister says at that time the Minister said he had “no time for such garbage”.
Chaudhry says he is surprised that on both the occasions, the media have failed to hold him accountable.
He says the Finance Minister cannot evade legitimate questions from political parties on matters of public expenditure.
Chaudhry says they are demanding that he come clean and disclose the name(s) of the individual(s) awarded the Girmit Day publicity contract and the amount paid to the Global Girmit Institute and the details of the expenditure incurred by it together with the Commission paid to the Institute.
He adds audited accounts of the Girmit Day celebrations should be published for public information.
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