Opposition MP Premila Kumar has criticised the Coalition Government’s decision not to appeal the High Court ruling that declared the termination of Barbara Malimali unlawful, describing it as a sign of deep-seated incompetence within the administration.
In a statement, Ms Kumar said the decision was “a tacit confession of incompetence” and reflected failures at the highest levels of government.
“It is an indictment of the Prime Minister, the Acting Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General, and the hollowed-out advisory machinery around them,” she said.
Ms Kumar claimed Fiji was now being governed by leaders who “neither understand the law nor respect it,” arguing that legal missteps had become a recurring feature of the current administration.
“Court defeats are now routine. Legal humiliation is now normal. Taxpayer-funded damage control is now standard operating procedure,” she said.
She accused the Prime Minister of acting inconsistently, saying: “He speaks of the rule of law while trampling it. He invokes institutions while bypassing them. He promises stability while manufacturing chaos.”
Ms Kumar said ordinary Fijians were paying the price for what she described as government dysfunction.
“They pay through wasted litigation. They pay through exposure to compensation claims. They pay through a paralysed state,” she said.
She also criticised Cabinet ministers and assistant ministers, claiming they existed “to applaud, not to advise” and to “shield failure, not prevent it”.
“This is not governance,” Ms Kumar said.
“It is political decay in real time. Fiji is not facing a policy problem. Fiji is facing a leadership collapse.”
