The Coalition Government seems to have “bitten off more than it could chew” when it came into power, according to Leader of Opposition Inia Seruiratu in response to the Government’s 2024-2025 National Budget address.
Seruiratu stated that governments often use the excuse of perceived weaknesses of past administrations to justify their inability to deliver services and fulfill promises to the people. He emphasized that this budget was no exception and that this practice needs to stop.
“No government comes into power blindfolded. All governments come into power with full appreciation of the state of existing governance in any country,” Seruiratu said. “A lot of their promises to the people—especially prior to the election—were made with the full comprehension of these realities.”
He criticized the budget address for listing issues titled “what we have inherited,” implying these were used as excuses for the current government’s performance. Seruiratu noted that the Minister of Finance had outlined several issues as uncomfortable facts that the Coalition Government had encountered, questioning whether they were forced to deal with these issues.
“No. In fact, they campaigned vigorously in the lead-up to the general election so they could get into power,” he said. “Now that they are at the helm, they have realized that they have bitten off more than they can chew. It does not work that way.”