Crossbencher Member of Parliament Mosese Bulitavu has defended the special dinner hosted by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
The dinner, held on Tuesday evening at Suva’s Grand Pacific Hotel, aimed to acknowledge the work and commitment of Government Ministers and Assistant Ministers over the past two years. The spouses of the officials also attended the event.
Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry criticized the dinner as ‘lavish’ and ‘sickening,’ arguing that such extravagance is especially embarrassing given Fiji’s frequent requests for budget support from Australia and New Zealand. This criticism has highlighted concerns over the Government’s financial decisions.
When asked for comments, Finance Minister Biman Prasad referred all inquiries to Mr. Rabuka. Mr. Rabuka did not comment when approached yesterday, and this publication has sent questions to him and is awaiting a response.
Defending the event, Mr. Bulitavu stated that the dinner was budgeted for under the Prime Minister’s Entertainment Account, which has been allocated for such purposes over the years. He also criticized Mr. Chaudhry, pointing out that the Fiji Labour Party leader was convicted in April 2014 for breaching the Exchange Control Act by investing money outside Fiji without informing the Reserve Bank and was fined US$1.1 million.