Opposition MP Premila Kumar has criticized the Government’s recent decision to reallocate funds within the 2023-2024 National Budget to address a $7.9 million overspend by the Ministry of Education and the Fiji Police Force, highlighting significant failures in financial management. This move comes after a previous reallocation of $105.2 million in July, intended to meet additional financial needs across various government departments and initiatives.
Kumar stated that these developments indicate a lack of effective oversight within the government, with the Ministry of Finance struggling to maintain budgetary discipline among its ministries and departments. She expressed concerns over the government’s budgeting and expenditure controls.
“While these reallocations comply with the Financial Management Act, they reveal much deeper issues, including inadequate planning, insufficient budget allocations, and poor control over spending,” Kumar said.
She called for transparency regarding how these overspends have occurred and questioned what measures are in place, if any, to prevent government agencies from exceeding their budgets.
As a former Minister in the FijiFirst Government, Kumar pointed out that although the current reallocation mainly affects the Ministry of Education and the Fiji Police Force, the earlier July redeployment impacted various agencies and projects.
Kumar noted that during the budget announcement, the Minister for Finance proposed new allocations for the coming financial year without disclosing details about expenditures from the previous year.
“The Opposition has consistently advocated for transparency and has sought clarification regarding a $42 million virement from capital projects, a request that was dismissed by the government in the last business committee meeting,” she added.
Kumar demanded that the Minister for Finance provide a detailed account of all overspending by government agencies, along with justifications for these expenses.
“The Government’s assertions of accountability and transparency are seriously under scrutiny. Why is this trend of overspending allowed to continue? There have been no emergencies or disasters to warrant these additional costs.”
Kumar concluded by emphasizing that the current situation reflects poor budgeting and ineffective expenditure oversight by government agency leaders, asserting that the citizens of Fiji deserve improved financial management and accountability from their Government.