The Leader of the Opposition, Inia Seruiratu, has launched a scathing attack on the Government, labelling the $64,813.67 spent on ministerial trips to celebrate Fiji’s Independence Day with the diaspora as a sign of a government that has “lost all sense of financial responsibility.”
The revelation of the costs, which covered travel for the Prime Minister and members of his cabinet last month, has ignited a political firestorm over the government’s spending priorities amidst domestic struggles.
“While ordinary Fijians are struggling to make ends meet, hospitals are running out of basic supplies and roads and bridges across the country are in dire need of repair, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet continue to spend lavishly on overseas trips that deliver little to no tangible benefit to our people or our economy,” Seruiratu stated.
He singled out the trip to Wellington by the Minister for Justice, which cost taxpayers $11,783.84, as the most expensive of what he called “taxpayer-funded junkets.”
“These trips exemplify the misplaced priorities of a Government that seems more interested in photo opportunities abroad than addressing the real challenges facing our nation,” the opposition leader said.
Seruiratu framed the issue as one of fundamental fiscal prudence, arguing that the current administration fails to respect public funds.
“Fiji deserves a Government that exercises fiscal prudence and treats public money with respect. What we have instead is a Cabinet that knows no bounds when it comes to travelling the globe on taxpayer-funded trips, while ordinary Fijians continue to suffer from rising costs, poor infrastructure and an overstretched health system,” he said.
“The Opposition calls on the Prime Minister to immediately review and curb unnecessary overseas travel and redirect those funds toward essential services that directly benefit the Fijian people,” Seruiratu said.
