Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Sakiasi Ditoka has defended his overseas travel expenses, saying the public should judge his trips by what they deliver for Fiji rather than their cost alone.
Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Mr Ditoka acknowledged recent media reports highlighting that his travel expenses were among the highest in Cabinet.
“I do not ask this House to accept travel on faith. I ask that it be judged by results,” he said.
“That is precisely why the Delivery Register I described earlier matters: so that every journey can be weighed against what it delivered for Fiji.”
Mr Ditoka said he welcomed public scrutiny of ministerial travel expenditure and recognised the media’s responsibility to question how taxpayers’ money was spent.
“Mr Speaker, I am aware that my travel expenses have recently been the subject of media reporting, and that the costs of my travel are among the highest in Cabinet.
“I welcome that scrutiny. Public money must be accounted for, and the media is right to ask how it is spent. I would simply ask that the figures be understood in context.”
He argued that the nature of his portfolio required extensive international engagement, including participation in United Nations meetings, Pacific Islands Forum discussions, Commonwealth engagements, and trade and climate negotiations.
“The Minister for Foreign Affairs is, by the very nature of the office, the member of Cabinet whose work takes place largely outside Fiji,” he said.
“Foreign relations cannot be conducted only from Suva.”
Mr Ditoka said Fiji’s presence at international meetings was necessary to protect national interests and secure opportunities.
“When Fiji is absent from those rooms, decisions that affect our people are made without us,” he said.
“Our place is quickly taken by others, and the opportunities we might have secured go elsewhere.”
However, the Minister said he had directed his Ministry to reduce unnecessary travel expenditure by keeping delegations small, combining overseas engagements where possible and making greater use of virtual meetings.
“For my part, I have directed the Ministry to keep delegations lean, to combine engagements wherever possible, and to make greater use of virtual meetings where being present in person adds little,” he said.
He said Fiji’s overseas missions had also been urged to prioritise representation at meetings that offered clear national benefits, including potential economic returns.
Mr Ditoka added that serving diplomats should avoid unnecessary return travel to Suva.
“Where travel does not serve a clear national purpose, it should not take place,” he said.
The Minister maintained that overseas engagements must be assessed against tangible outcomes for Fiji, while ensuring public funds were spent responsibly.
