Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka used his response to the Presidential address at the opening of Parliament’s 2026 session to defend the government’s record on democracy, press for national unity and set out concrete development and governance targets—most notably a new long-term growth ambition and a timetable for public service accountability.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Rabuka said the presidential speech “reflects not only the programme of Government, but the aspirations of our people” and reiterated that protecting democratic institutions was central to the administration’s agenda. “We cannot and must not lose sight of democracy,” he told MPs, adding that democracy underpins citizens’ rights, dignity and freedoms. He urged legislators to recommit to “Service above self. Unity above division. Nation above politics. Democracy above expediency.”
Rabuka framed the government’s policy thrust within the National Development Plan 2025–2029, linked to Vision 2050 and themed “Empowering the People of Fiji through Unity.” The plan rests on three strategic pillars—Economic Resilience, People Empowerment and Good Governance—and the prime minister said it seeks to translate those pillars into higher productivity, job creation, better public services and strengthened institutions.
The most striking policy shift Rabuka announced was a stepped-up growth target: the government will aim to lift Fiji’s annual growth rate to 6 percent by 2050, up from the 3.4 percent it currently records. “Sustaining our national development ambitions requires a step-change in our economic performance,” he said, casting the target as part of a broader strategy to move Fiji from a low-income to a high-income nation. Measures to support that ambition include a priority to streamline business approvals and remove bureaucratic bottlenecks to facilitate faster business registration and start-ups, and continued engagement with international partners such as the World Bank Group and the US Millennium Challenge Corporation.
On governance, Rabuka set a firm short-term deadline: by 30 September 2026, all Permanent Secretaries will undergo “stringent performance evaluation” as part of reforms to strengthen accountability in the public service. That pledge follows a wider government emphasis on transparency and institutional integrity, coming amid recent public discussions about governance and anti-corruption that have featured high-profile resignations and a retoolled focus at agencies such as the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption.
To capitalise on demographic advantages, the government will also develop a five-year national strategic human resource plan, Rabuka said. He pointed to Fiji’s youthful labour force—nearly 70 percent of workers are young Fijians—as a “demographic potential” the country must harness through targeted skills development, education and employment strategies.
Rabuka’s statement reiterated appeals for national unity and stability as prerequisites for economic progress and democratic maturity. The measures he outlined combine long-term macroeconomic ambition with near-term institutional reforms; their success will depend on implementation by ministries and buy-in from Parliament as the government pursues both accelerated growth and tighter public sector accountability in the coming year.
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