The Fiji Times » Politics

Australia grants $81m budget support

Australia has provided $81 million to Government as its budget support contribution to Fiji’s 2023-2024 National Budget. Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Professor Biman Prasad thanked the Australian Government for its continued support, and said the funds would be significant in meeting the budget requirements and commitments. He said the Coalition Government faced...

Government debt exceeds $9b

The government debt is more than $9 billion, which is more than 80 per cent of Fiji’s Gross Domestic Product. Acting Prime Minister and Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad said the debt amount was significant, and Government had to carefully manage its fiscal consolidation strategy. “And so as a government, we have to be constantly...

PM: Fiji recovers well

Fiji is recovering very well, says Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. He highlighted this, while speaking to about 500 Fijians in Auckland, New Zealand on Monday night. Mr Rabuka was accorded a full traditional welcome ceremony by the Fijian community at Mahatma Gandhi Centre. He said the figures and data provided by the World Bank, the...

It’s up to the party | Fijian Elections Office on audited reports

The ball is in their court. This was the response from Acting Supervisor of Election Ana Mataiciwa on whether FijiFirst parliamentarians would sit in Parliament next week. She said FijiFirst had to submit their audited reports by this week if its MPs wanted to sit in Parliament next week. “If they do not submit by...

Provide irrefutable evidence or shut up

ACTING Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad has called on the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader and National Farmers Union (NFU) general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry to “provide irrefutable evidence that he promised to pay $110 per tonne of cane to cane growers during the campaign for the 2022 General Election or shut...

Government to improve state-owned enterprises

Government is committed to supporting improvements to legal, regulatory, and monitoring arrangements to strengthen state-owned enterprises’ (SOEs) overall performance, says Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka. “We are doing this to ensure transparency and accountability mechanisms that encourage investor confidence and strengthen the management and operations for our SOEs,” he said. “In the past 20 years,...

SODELPA youth makes stand

SODELPA’S Youth Forum has dissociated itself from any issues concerning a letter written to the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka expressing concerns over the unemployment of party youths. The party’s youth president Ben Daveta has clarified they did not write any letter as highlighted in an article of The Fiji Times published May 16, 2023. “While...

PM makes first official visit to Samoa

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka made his first official visit to Samoa this week to be part of the country’s 61st independence anniversary celebrations in Apia, Samoa. Speaking at a bilateral meeting with Samoan PM Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, he said it was an opportune time to reflect on their journey as an independent, sovereign country and...

Panels for three green markets

Three rain harvesting and solar panel market projects in the Levuka, Savusavu and Nakasi markets are expected to be completed by the end of this year. This was recently confirmed by Ministry of Local Government senior administration officer Usaia Korodrau while delivering the ministry’s 2018-2019 annual report before the Standing Committee on Social Affairs. He...

China’s snub of U.S. military leader highlights escalation risk

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) -Brief smiles and handshakes by U.S. and Chinese military leaders at a luxury hotel in Singapore on Friday belie a deep freeze in communications between the two armed forces that is becoming a growing worry at the Pentagon. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had sought a proper meeting with his Chinese counterpart at...

Registrar explains what can happen to suspended party

The FijiFirst party is likely to face deregistration if it fails to comply with the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding and Disclosures) Act by July 15, says acting registrar of political parties Ana Mataiciwa. In a statement issued yesterday, she said the political party had been given 60 days to comply. She said if the...

Minister warns illegal traders

Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa says anyone operating a business illegally in a residential area will be taken to task. He said all complaints of illegal businesses from residents were immediately attended to by municipal councils. “I think the message must be clear to everyone that if you operate a business in residential area and...

Expatriate patient billed $46,690 – Dr Bhagat

An expatriate who fell ill and was admitted at the Lautoka Hospital for two weeks was billed more than $46,000 by Aspen Medical. While speaking at a national budget consultation in Lautoka this week, general practitioner Dr Mukesh Bhagat said he was shocked that the expatriate patient was billed $46,690. “I was astonished that one...

Changes introduced in upcoming budget ‘will not be too drastic’

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Prof Biman Prasad says changes that will be introduced in the upcoming 2023-2024 National Budget “will not be too drastic”. Speaking at a national budget consultation in Lautoka this week, he also said the three different rates of VAT (value added tax) would not exist once the new...

Get out of jail bid | Vosarogo: Presidential pardon a recourse available to all convicts

A petition for mercy is a recourse available to all persons convicted, not just a few. Acting Home Affairs Minister Filimoni Vosarogo said this as he stressed the initiation of a petition by a prisoner “did not automatically mean a release”. In a statement, Mr Vosarogo said Republic of Fiji Military Forces Commander Major General...

Politics

Climate change support | NZ gives $15.2m