STOP giving us mixed messages!
That’s the message from Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) executive director Vani Catanasiga to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and other members of Parliament who have defended a pay rise for MPs and stated there was no way to reverse the decision.
“I think the PM needs to get his office in order,” Ms Catanasiga said.
“There has been conflicting messages from his office since day one, he needs to sort that out before giving the public mixed messages.
“There are processes in Parliament that can reverse this decision and that’s what we are asking them to do.”
Ms Catanasiga said these members of Parliament were representatives of the people and people were speaking up now.
“They are saying, you don’t deserve that pay increase. Use the processes in there and reverse this decision. Look after the plight of workers.
“We don’t even have to preach to you about people leaving our shores for better job opportunities abroad. They should pay attention to the voices of the people who elected them to these offices.
“The workers have been crying out for a pay increase. There has been very little urgency about that.”
Ms Catanasiga said often times when FCOSS worked with civil servants at the sub-national level, they had to bring resources to help them deliver the work that was required.
“Stop giving us mixed messages. We have a public that is quite educated.”
Ms Catanasiga said there was a need to rebuild trust in such public institutions and the first order of business was to ensure the messages being put out did not confuse citizens.
“We have to remind Government that there are ways to do these things. We need better governance. We voted them in, and we want communities to be better served.”
