PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is standing by his decision to appoint former FijiFirst MPs Sachida Nand and Shalen Kumar as the new Assistant Minister for Public Enterprises and Assistant Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs, respectively.
Responding to concerns raised by Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu that the new appointments would be an extra burden on ordinary Fijians, Mr Rabuka said the decision would ensure the Government was “responsive to the people”. “The need to appoint Honourable Sachida Nand and Honourable Shalen Kumar will be clear in the coming days,” he said. “It is all about keeping the Government responsive to the people.”
Mr Seruiratu questioned Mr Rabuka’s decision to appoint the former Opposition MPs last week, saying their appointments would come as an added cost to taxpayers. “Each additional ministerial position brings significant costs from salaries and allowances to vehicles, offices, and staffing,” Mr Seriratu said in a statement.
“These are resources that could be better spent on healthcare, education, infrastructure, and easing the cost-of-living crisis. This Government is now operating with 23 ministers and 14 assistant ministers alongside only three non-ministerial members on the Government benches. This means 37 per cent of the Cabinet is equivalent to 37 ministers and assistant ministers form part of the executive, while a mere seven per cent, just three members, are left to focus on legislative responsibilities.”
Refuting this, Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad said the two additional assistant ministers did not mean new ministries or new permanent secretaries.
“These assistant ministers are to existing ministries, and any additional cost will be borne by the ministries from their existing budget. The additional salary costs of both assistant ministers would amount to $60,000 per year plus some minimum additional cost of vehicles and operating costs,” said Prof Prasad.
