Opposition MP Jone Usamate has criticised the size and efficiency of Cabinet under the current government, warning it undermines institutional effectiveness and public confidence.
“What we now see in the current Cabinet lacks efficiency,” he told Parliament in his end-of-the-week ministerial statement.
“The current leadership of the executive consists of 23 ministers and 15 assistant ministers – a total executive team of 38 members of Parliament out of 55.
“This is unheard of, grossly inefficient, and makes us the laughingstock of those that study these things.”
Mr Usamate argued this structure encourages micromanagement and overlap, especially in smaller ministries: “They all start trotting on each other’s feet or all probably overstepping their marks.”
Comparing Fiji’s Cabinet size to larger nations, he said, “New Zealand, with a population of more than five million, has only 20 ministers; Australia with 26 million has 23.
“Here we have tiny-tiny, little insy-bitsy witsy Fiji, with only 900,000 people, and we have 23 ministers.”
He also accused the government of politicising the civil service.
“We have seen failed political candidates being elevated into positions that should have gone to those who have the competencies and are untainted by politics.”
Turning to the RFMF, he said, “We must not allow the vanua, lotu, et cetera… to tinker with it. If there is one body that we must keep intact, it is that particular body.”
Mr Usamate concluded by supporting calls for citizen oversight of institutions like FICAC, saying, “These are the kinds of recommendations that we need to look into.”
