Minister for Infrastructure Jone Usamate says there is a new disease in Parliament where people are losing their marbles after the NFP Leader, Professor Biman Prasad’s attack on the Health Minister, Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete.
Prasad made the comments while speaking on the debate that the Government guarantee the Fiji Development Bank borrowings for the 12 month period from 1st March 2022 to 28th February 2023, that the Government guarantee the sum of $200 million for the guarantee period and that a guarantee fee of 0.075% be applied on the cumulative utilised guarantee credit.
The NFP Leader says Dr Waqainabete will leave a legacy which will be the worst health system in the country’s history.
Minister for Infrastructure Jone Usamate then raised the point of order.
Prasad further says these type of guarantees by Parliament is not a joke and is a serious issue.
He says his advice to Government would be that if they want to bring a motion for a guarantee then they should provide the statistics and details so that the Opposition knows where Government is coming from.
Prasad says without the good principles of accountability and transparency, it is very difficult to support the motion.
The NFP Leader has also highlighted today that media organizations like fijivillage and Fiji Times has more government content than FBC and Fiji Sun, and Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum should not say that they are biased.
In his response, Sayed-Khaiyum stressed that he had only said that if a particular media organization has a political proclivity, then they should declare that.
Sayed-Khaiyum says these media organizations should not hide behind the facade of being independent.
He says Prasad is going on about it because he hit the wrong nerve. Shanil
