The Government has pushed back on Opposition claims that households are being removed from Fiji’s social assistance rolls, with Minister for Social Protection Sashi Kiran telling Parliament on Tuesday that the number of people receiving support has risen — from 96,000 to 108,000 beneficiaries — since the current administration took office.
Ms Kiran made the assertion during a parliamentary debate sparked by Opposition MP Virendra Lal, who had questioned details of the Government’s $56 million relief package and asked how many households had been taken off the Social Protection Scheme since 2023. “Since we came in, from 96,000 people, we have 108,000 people on social protection. It has gone up. No one has been removed, and the Opposition has to get their facts right,” she told MPs.
The exchange turned procedural after Ms Kiran challenged the basis of Mr Lal’s claim and raised a point of order under Standing Order 81 on misrepresentation. Parliament Speaker Filimone Jitoko agreed that the Opposition’s assertion was not supported by official data and directed Mr Lal to withdraw his statement. “Honourable Lal, the data does not prove your point… I will ask you to withdraw that statement,” the Speaker said. Mr Lal complied and then resumed his contribution to the debate.
The minister’s figure represents an increase of roughly 12,000 beneficiaries and is the most recent official count cited in the House. While Ms Kiran used the numbers to rebut allegations of cuts, Mr Lal had also pressed the Government for clarity on the scope and duration of the $56 million relief package, asking whether it was a short-term measure that would end in July or part of a longer-term arrangement to support vulnerable households. The minister’s comments focused on beneficiary numbers rather than on phasing of the relief funds.
The dispute underscores ongoing scrutiny of social protection policy and the importance of reliable data in those debates. The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection has recently invested in improving its data management capacity; in January the ministry began an Excel masterclass for 25 officers aimed at strengthening evidence-based decision-making and service delivery. That training was cited by ministry officials as part of broader efforts to ensure accurate reporting and targeted support.
Parliamentary attention to the relief package is likely to continue as MPs press for detail about eligibility, the number of households covered and how support will be sustained beyond the immediate relief period. For now, the Government’s latest position — supported by the Speaker’s ruling in the chamber — is that enrolment in the Social Protection Scheme has increased rather than decreased since the administration took office.