The leader of the Fiji Labour Party, Mahendra Chaudhry, has raised concerns about Parliament’s priorities following the decision to provide each Member of Parliament with a laptop and mobile phone. He argues that there are more critical national issues requiring attention and funding.
Chaudhry pointed out that just recently, the general secretary of the Fiji Teachers Union expressed frustration over the government’s failure to release half of the Free Education Grant for the second term.
He criticized the decision to supply MPs with personal laptops and high-end mobile phones at the expense of taxpayers, stating that MPs already have easy access to computers and staff resources in their offices.
Furthermore, Chaudhry noted that this year, MPs granted themselves significant salary increases and additional allowances despite public opposition. He believes they should be responsible for purchasing their own devices.
He also highlighted that each political party receives $325,000 annually from the national budget, along with duty-free vehicle imports for MPs, making them some of the wealthiest and best-resourced executives in the country.