Opposition Member of Parliament Jone Usamate has strongly criticized former Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, accusing him of hypocrisy and self-serving behavior. In an interview with FijiLive, Usamate pointed out Sayed-Khaiyum’s prior opposition to the $15,000 constituency allowance for MPs, a stance that the FijiFirst party supported in Parliament.
He highlighted the inconsistency in Sayed-Khaiyum’s actions, noting that despite his earlier objections, he later accepted this allowance for himself and allocated $5,000 per member to pay off debts incurred due to poor financial management. Usamate challenged Sayed-Khaiyum to demonstrate true commitment to his principles by donating the money rather than using it to settle party liabilities, which he believes were largely caused by Sayed-Khaiyum himself.
Usamate also called attention to Sayed-Khaiyum’s substantial contribution to the party’s debt, which is estimated at around $700,000, and criticized him for dissolving the FijiFirst Party without fulfilling obligations to creditors. He expressed disbelief that Sayed-Khaiyum now seeks to uphold ethics and criticize others, calling his record full of contradictions.
Usamate underscored the expectations placed on MPs to contribute to their communities, especially considering their relatively modest salaries of $50,000. He contrasted this with Sayed-Khaiyum’s prior annual salary of $235,000, nearly six times that of other MPs, suggesting it reflects a lack of fairness and ethical leadership.
He argued that if Sayed-Khaiyum genuinely stands for transparency, he should use the money from his inflated salary to settle FijiFirst’s debts or support charitable causes. Usamate concluded by stating that Sayed-Khaiyum’s contradictions should not be overlooked and that he should reflect on his own actions before critiquing others on matters of ethics.
In a positive light, this discourse emphasizes the importance of accountability and transparency in leadership roles. It underscores the role of opposition parties in holding former officials to their previous commitments, thus promoting a culture of integrity and responsibility within the political landscape of Fiji.
Summary: Jone Usamate, an opposition MP, has accused former Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum of hypocrisy for opposing the $15,000 constituency allowance for MPs while later accepting it for himself. He criticized Sayed-Khaiyum for poor financial decisions that contributed to the FijiFirst Party’s significant debt and emphasized the ethical discrepancies in his leadership. Usamate called for Sayed-Khaiyum to take responsibility for his actions and suggested that he should donate his inflated salary to pay creditors or support charitable causes.
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