There is a high level of corruption in Fiji’s municipal markets, says Local Government Minister Premila Kumar.
She said her ministry was working towards “weeding out past corrupt practices that continues to give unfair treatment to Fijian market vendors”.
Mrs Kumar claimed some market masters were allocating more than three stalls to certain stall owners when “this was not supposed to be the case”.
She said there were instances where vendors owned stalls and passed them to their children.
“That does not apply because there is a list of applications from vendors hoping to own market stalls,” the minister said.
“There is a high level of corruption with market masters. If you look at the market bylaws a vendor should have only two to three stalls because the stalls are so cheap, but some own more than three.
“Some are using stalls as storage – someone else can make a living from that stall.”
Mrs Kumar said they hoped to introduce a system where stalls would be priced differently so every vendor would have an opportunity and not a select few.
“The first two stalls will be priced this much and the next two the rates the same vendor wants to purchase will be different and we will make it extremely high to the top. Some mechanism of that type will start so people can give away their stalls.”
She said the formation of a market regulation would ensure corrupt practices were put to a stop.
