Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa is set to meet with officials from the Suva City Council and the Hibiscus Committee to address various issues that arose during the recent week-long festival. Public frustrations escalated after Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka called for the minister’s involvement in light of concerns, particularly following an incident on the last day when strong winds caused the roofs of several stalls to be blown away.
“I’ll be meeting with the Suva City Council special administrators this Wednesday to discuss all the issues at the Hibiscus Festival and will comment then,” stated Mr. Nalumisa.
During the festival’s closing, Mr. Rabuka urged organizers to place a greater emphasis on public safety. He called on all participants, including government agencies, municipal councils, and business operators, to remain vigilant regarding the security of festival attendees.
The Prime Minister also expressed concern over the decision made by the Hibiscus Committee to cancel a Drug Awareness march during the event. He noted that the refusal to allow Drug World Fiji to distribute promotional materials and pamphlets was troubling.
In addition to these concerns, many members of the public took to social media to voice their dissatisfaction with the quality of live coverage and the limited exposure provided to contestants, who had little time on stage and offered repetitive statements during media interviews.