Minister for Foreign Affairs Sakiasi Ditoka has defended ongoing scrutiny of the proposed waste-to-energy project in Vuda, while warning that delays in action continue to expose Fiji to environmental risks.
In a statement posted on social media, Mr Ditoka said public debate and critique of the project were necessary, given its scale and implications.
“The proposed waste-to-energy project is being examined, picked apart, and subjected to critique. That is as it should be. Serious matters deserve serious scrutiny,” he said.
However, he cautioned that while discussions continue, the country’s waste problem is worsening.
“But while the arguments continue, our landfills themselves continue to burn outside our towns, and to grow by the millions of tonnes,” Mr Ditoka said.
He highlighted the contradiction between Fiji’s global environmental advocacy and domestic waste management challenges.
“We proclaim our love for the Blue Pacific and our duty to defend it. Yet that defence is hollow if, at the same time, the waste on our own land is left to seep, smoulder, and threaten the waterways and ocean that sustain us.”
Mr Ditoka said the urgency of the issue should not be lost amid policy debates.
“In the same way that negotiators in Yaounde (Cameroon) defended every comma and every tittle with great energy, so too do we often contend over the fine points of policy at home,” he said.
“But somewhere beyond the arguments, the rubbish still mounts. The poison still threatens. The danger does not pause while we debate it.”
He stressed that while scrutiny must continue, tangible action is needed to address Fiji’s growing waste crisis.
