Opposition MP Jone Usamate drew laughter in Parliament this week when he quipped that there was no room left in Cabinet for another minister — unless the Government created a tongue-in-cheek post such as “Minister for footpaths and flowers.” His remark came amid a sharp exchange in the House as he defended opposition colleague Parveen Bala and fired back at government members pressing Bala to defect.
Usamate’s barbed humour was directed at Assistant Minister for Justice Ratu Josaia Niudamu, who had earlier suggested Bala should consider joining the Government. “I have to inform him, there is no more Cabinet seat available, honourable Niudamu,” Usamate told the chamber. “So if honourable Bala goes, there is no seat for him unless he becomes the Minister for footpaths and flowers.” The comment prompted audible laughter from MPs on both benches.
Beyond the gag, Usamate used his speech to lambast what he described as hypocritical behaviour by MPs who had entered Parliament under the FijiFirst banner but are now aligned with the Government. “I find it immensely amusing that those who got into Parliament by being FijiFirst MPs now turn and bite the hand that got them there,” he said, accusing them of opportunism and of “taking their lollipops and trying to make their new masters happy.”
The interventions come against the backdrop of the recent deregistration of the FijiFirst party, which the Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa confirmed left its former members to serve as independents. That development has reshaped parliamentary dynamics and fuelled speculation about defections, recruitment and where cabinet positions might be offered — topics that have been prominent in debates since the deregistration.
Usamate also singled out MP Sachida Nand in his remarks, suggesting Nand should consider how he himself entered Parliament before criticising others. “He should count himself lucky that he is here, because he only got in because someone left,” Usamate said, a comment underscoring tensions over how list replacements and vacancies can alter the makeup of the chamber.
Parliamentarians have in recent weeks traded accusations over shifting loyalties and the stability of the opposition, with Usamate’s jest and follow-up criticisms the latest visible sign of friction. While the quip provided a momentary lift in the House, the substance of his remarks — questioning motives and the integrity of colleagues who have changed alignment — speaks to deeper unease as independents and former FijiFirst MPs navigate their roles in the new parliamentary landscape.
The exchange involving Usamate, Niudamu, Bala and Nand underlines how conversations about cabinet posts, party identity and political allegiance remain central to Fiji’s current parliamentary debates. The episode also signals that pressure on opposition figures to cross the floor, and the optics of who benefits from such moves, will continue to feature prominently in sittings to come.
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