Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, , has defended the Coalition Government’s economic record, arguing that critics fail to acknowledge the challenges inherited when the administration took office in December 2022.
Responding to comments made by businessman and political commentator regarding Fiji’s debt levels, Mr Ditoka said while Mr Lal was entitled to his views, public debate should reflect the full economic picture.
“Fiji is a better country when people are free to question government policy,” Mr Ditoka said.
However, he questioned criticism surrounding the country’s debt, saying the Coalition Government inherited a struggling public service, ageing infrastructure, staffing shortages, neglected public services and a debt burden that was already approaching crisis levels.
“We inherited a public service that had been battered, demoralised and stripped of much of its institutional memory,” he said.
Mr Ditoka argued that rebuilding government institutions, restoring public services and addressing years of deferred maintenance required significant investment.
“Repairing roads, bridges, schools, health centres and water systems costs money. Restoring dignity to teachers, nurses, police officers, soldiers and civil servants costs money,” he said.
Addressing concerns over Fiji’s debt, Mr Ditoka said critics were focusing solely on the headline debt figure while ignoring the more important measure of debt relative to economic output.
He said although nominal debt had increased, Fiji’s debt-to-GDP ratio had declined as the economy recovered and expanded following the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So when critics scream ‘$11 billion debt’ without explaining the debt-to-GDP trend, they are not educating the public. They are frightening the public with half the story,” he said.
Mr Ditoka also pointed to what he described as improvements in Fiji’s international standing, stronger relationships with development partners, increased investor confidence and the restoration of democratic institutions.
He said Parliament had returned to being a place of genuine debate and that independent institutions were functioning without political interference.
“The Coalition Government does not claim perfection. What it does claim is that it inherited a difficult situation, has stabilised the country, has restored confidence at home and abroad, and is now focused on the harder work of building sustainable growth,” he said.
Mr Ditoka maintained that any assessment of Fiji’s economic performance should consider the conditions the government inherited, the challenges that remain and the progress made since taking office.
