Crossbench Member of Parliament Mosese Bulitavu has defended the special dinner hosted by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
The dinner took place on Tuesday evening at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel and 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 in power.
Spouses also attended the event.
On Wednesday, former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry criticized the dinner, calling it ‘lavish’ and ‘sickening.’ He further denounced the extravagance, noting that it is especially embarrassing given that Fiji often seeks budget support from Australia and New Zealand.
This criticism has highlighted concerns over the Government’s financial decisions.
Finance Minister Biman Prasad referred all comments on the matter to Prime Minister Rabuka, who, when approached, did not provide a statement.
In defense of the event, Mr. Bulitavu mentioned that the dinner was budgeted under the Prime Minister’s Entertainment Account, an allocation that has existed for years.
Mr. Bulitavu also remarked that Mr. Chaudhry should be the last person to question Prime Minister Rabuka. He pointed out that it is public knowledge that the Fiji Labour Party leader was convicted in April 2014 of breaching the Exchange Control Act by investing money outside Fiji without informing the Reserve Bank, resulting in a fine of US$1.1 million.
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