Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu yesterday sought clarity on how the Government’s newly established Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Unit will work alongside existing government service centres, which were set up in Fiji’s four divisions by a past administration.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Mr Seruiratu recalled the origins of the divisional centres and questioned whether there was a link between the MEL team and the four government service centres.
In response, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka assured the MEL initiative would not replace or override existing structures but instead enhance coordination and oversight of government service delivery.
“In the initial answer to the question, I mentioned that these systems continue,” Mr Rabuka said.
“The fact that this will be monitoring our development plan does not mean that we are overseeing what the Ministry of Finance has come up with as our National Development Plan.
“The (NDP) is a whole Cabinet product, and we just need that extra oversight.”
He also addressed how the MEL Unit will interact with ministry personnel already involved in monitoring and evaluation, suggesting that many existing officers will simply be redirected under the new framework.
“Some of them will be redeployed, which will probably involve very little or no extra budgetary provisions.
“But they will continue to do what they do, but do it better. And it’s centrally coordinated.”
