An exchange in Parliament today between Minister for Rural Development and Disaster Management Sakiasi Ditoka and Leader of the Opposition Inia Seruiratu laid bare a sharp divide in how Fiji’s political heavyweights view disaster resilience and rural development.
Minister Ditoka came out swinging with statistics he said proved the coalition government’s superior performance, claiming that under Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s leadership, the pace of building evacuation centers had “far outstripped” that of the previous administration.
“Mister Speaker, sir, when we compare program delivery rates over time, the data clearly shows that the coalition government, within just three years, has completed 65 evacuation centers,” Ditoka declared.
“That’s compared to the previous government’s 60 centers over a 10-year period.”
“This demonstrates not only great output, but also a stronger, faster, more community-focused delivery system that this government has put into place.”
The Minister’s statement drew immediate reaction from the Opposition bench, with former Disaster Management Minister Inia Seruiratu firing back that the comparison was misleading and politically charged.
“We constructed 60 over a 10-year period because of a deliberate policy decision — to slow down on evacuation centers and community halls, and to focus more on schools and other key projects in rural areas.”
