Opposition Member of Parliament Jone Usamate has recently criticized the Government for what he describes as a failure to effectively manage the country’s economy, resulting in increased food prices and a decline in public services that ordinary families are forced to endure. He argues that successful governance demands “clinical precision,” a standard he believes the current administration has not met, particularly in addressing the factors contributing to the economic drift.
Mr. Usamate highlighted his concerns about the government’s inability to confront these root issues, stating, “The law is a straight line and governance is about clinical precision.” Instead, he asserted that the Government displays a lack of determination to tackle economic challenges head-on. His criticisms extend to what he perceives as policy inconsistencies, along with questions regarding the state of infrastructure and the efficiency of service delivery in the country.
“Having dry taps and broken roads in 2026 while food prices skyrocket is proof that this administration is more interested in political survival than in actual service delivery,” Mr. Usamate declared, emphasizing the urgent need for improved governance.
As part of his vision for reforming the “machinery of the state,” Mr. Usamate called for technical discipline and structural changes. He firmly believes that the focus should shift away from discussing past grievances and towards solutions that look to the future.
To alleviate the financial burden on households, he proposed restructuring VAT on essential goods and introducing targeted price stabilization measures. “We will restructure VAT on essential goods so families can breathe again and we will pair it with targeted price stabilisation measures that protect the kitchen table, not the bureaucracy,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Usamate expressed a sense of hope, stating that Fiji’s challenges are reversible. “Fiji is not broken but it has been mismanaged and that mismanagement is reversible. We need leadership that understands that every cent taken from a family grocery bag is a failure of governance,” he concluded. This message underscores the potential for positive change if the government takes decisive action based on sound governance practices.
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