February 18, 2022
Abuse of State Resources
The Fiji First Government, drunk on power, is in election mode and abusing valuable state resources while 50 percent of our population struggle daily to put food on the table for their children and families, said National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad.
Professor Prasad said he has received many calls in the last few days informing him that Cabinet Ministers were having Talanoa sessions in their respective communities.
The NFP Leader said even Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, who is the Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, seems to be in campaign mode after having reportedly announced that there would be a mini Budget in March.
“Why are the Acting PM and other Cabinet Ministers having Talanoa sessions? Why cannot the Economy Minister be precise and come out clearly on whether or not there will be a mini Budget instead of revealing it in a discussion with students?”
“Even the Education minister is having Talanoa with teachers after having totally messed up the ministry and putting in jeopardy the careers of the school heads”.
“The Health Minister has gone on a tour of Kadavu on the back of a track-record of being the worst minister to handle this extremely important portfolio”.
“He has overseen the state of decay of public health and medical services and care due to lack of medication, dysfunctional diagnostic equipment because of the ministry’s inability to even properly maintain them. The sorry and sad sight of grass growing on the CWM Hospital sums up his performance in the portfolio since November 2018”.
“Families are struggling to feed their children as poverty levels in the last two years have escalated from almost 30% to 50%, affecting more than 400,000 people”.
“Thousands are without safe drinking water in their taps almost on a daily basis. The state of our pot-holed filled roads is another story. And the sky-rocketing cost of living is going to get worse with expected rise in the price of fuel and wheat in the near future”.
“Against this backdrop of doom and gloom, the Cabinet Ministers travel in their dark-tinted luxury Prados to meet the people as if everything is normal”.
“This is clearly an abuse of taxpayers’ resources on something that will on no way improve the lives of the people”.
“But whatever this government does, it must accept the reality. And the reality of the matter is that their time is up.