Crossbencher Member of Parliament Mosese Bulitavu has defended the special dinner hosted by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
The event, held on Tuesday evening at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel, served as an occasion for the Prime Minister to acknowledge the efforts and commitments of Government Ministers and Assistant Ministers over the past two years. The spouses of the officials also attended the dinner.
Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry criticized the dinner on Wednesday, calling it ‘lavish’ and ‘sickening,’ and stated that such extravagance is embarrassing given Fiji’s ongoing need for budget support from Australia and New Zealand. His criticism spotlighted the government’s questionable financial decisions.
Minister for Finance Biman Prasad deferred all comments to Mr. Rabuka. When approached yesterday, Mr. Rabuka did not provide a comment. Questions have been sent and a response is awaited.
Defending the event, Mr. Bulitavu stated that the dinner is budgeted for under the Prime Minister’s Entertainment Account, which has been allocated for such events over the years. He added that Mr. Chaudhry should be the last person to question Prime Minister Rabuka, pointing out that the Fiji Labour Party leader was convicted in April 2014 for violating the Exchange Control Act by investing money outside Fiji without informing the Reserve Bank, and fined US$1.1 million.