31/05/2025
HOW MUCH MORE WILL WE WASTE OF OUR HARD-EARNED TAXPAYERS' DOLLARS?
It all began with a simple invitation from a foreign embassy, inviting all new Members of Parliament and distinguished officeholders to an evening formal cocktail to congratulate the Fijian Government on its success in the third round of a General Election.
A clever minister decided to take a picture of Christopher Pride and the former Attorney General having a conversation at the cocktail event. He then cropped the photo to suggest that they were secretly meeting each other at the cocktail... (laughs).
This led to a 21-month investigation, which is still ongoing, costing taxpayers $88,597.45 for the investigation alone. Adding to this, Mr. Pride's salary amounts to $600,000 for the 24-month timeframe, and the Acting DPP's salary is approximately $200,000 per year. This brings the total to $888,597.45 FJD, or $0.8 million of taxpayers' dollars, simply spent chasing a ghost or a hoax of allegations.
Now we have the Malimali Saga, where we have learned that we have spent a total of $2 million of taxpayers' dollars on this investigation alone. This could have been avoided if we had simply allowed due process to take its course and not let politics play a power game, which is costing the general public a waste of public funds.
In just three years of leadership, the coalition government has wasted FJD $2.8 million of taxpayers' money on investigations driven by political motives. Just imagine if these funds had been directed toward infrastructure, increasing the number of nurses and doctors in our health sector, improving our roads, providing loan grants to SMEs, increasing scholarships for our young people, or investing in raising the pay of our school teachers. All of this money, the entire $2.8 million, could have been put to better use.
I have not even included the additional $3 million in cabinet salaries over the past three months due to the new ministers and assistant ministers coming into the picture. Plus the cost the cost of the new positions of PAs and Drivers for the Minister and their new official vehicle purchased to the latest model yet being involved often in road accidents...
Just imagine where we could have directed this $5.8 million for better use that would directly benefit the general public.
π JUST IMAGINEπ