Opposition MP Alvick Maharaj on Tuesday sounded the alarm in Parliament over what he described as an unprecedented collapse in accountability across statutory bodies, highlighting that 73% of entities reviewed were rated unsatisfactory in their financial reporting.
Speaking on the consolidated review report by the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG), Maharaj said the figure alone should shock every Fijian taxpayer.
“The finding that nearly 73% of the entities reviewed were assessed as unsatisfactory for the quality and timeliness of their financial statements is simply unacceptable,” he said.
“This is not a minor issue — this indicates widespread management incompetence.”
Maharaj acknowledged the work of the OAG and the Public Accounts Committee for exposing what he called “systematic deficiencies” that have been allowed to fester for years.
“We must register our deep concern — and indeed the concern of every civilian taxpayer — that for years the culture of flexibility and non-compliance has persisted,” he said.
“The report paints a clear picture of failure evolving around two critical areas: financial discipline and corporate governance.”
He stressed that the statutory bodies and commissions listed in the report operate independently from government.
“These are statutory authorities, independent bodies and commissions. The government has no say over their operations. It is the chief accounting officers, CEOs and boards who manage them — and they are the ones responsible.”
With nearly three-quarters of entities failing basic reporting standards, Maharaj said consequences must follow.
“Chief accounting officers should be taken to task, and this should form part of their KPIs.”
He highlighted the alarming number of qualified and disclaimer audit opinions, saying these point to serious risks.
“A disclaimer of opinion means the auditor could not even obtain sufficient evidence to form an opinion. That means significant sums of public money have been managed in a way that is unauditable or unaccountable.”
Maharaj added that multi-year backlogs in financial statements create a “massive information vacuum” that prevents proper oversight.
He urged government to act decisively on the findings, saying the 73% failure rate is a clear sign that the system is breaking down — and that taxpayers deserve far better accountability.
