Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has addressed the backlash surrounding the recent special dinner he hosted at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, which has been criticized as extravagant. The dinner, held last Tuesday, was attended by Ministers, Assistant Ministers, and their spouses for an evening of camaraderie and team building.
Former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry condemned the gathering, labeling it as “lavish and sickening,” arguing it was ill-conceived, especially considering Fiji’s reliance on budget assistance from Australia and New Zealand.
In a statement following a church service in Suva, Rabuka clarified that the dinner was funded through the Prime Minister’s Entertainment Budget. He echoed comments made previously by crossbencher MP Mosese Bulitavu, who defended the event and criticized Chaudhry for investing funds outside Fiji without notifying the Reserve Bank of Fiji, for which Chaudhry was fined $2.47 million in 2014.
Rabuka explained, “It is still part of team building. We were three days short of the end of the budget year, and the Prime Minister Entertainment Budget was not used. I thought it would be a great opportunity to use it then in the wake of the civil servants’ week, which was also a team bonding exercise by the Public Service Commission.”
In the current 2024-2025 National Budget, the Office of the Prime Minister has been allocated $28.4 million, down from $50.8 million in the previous budget. Rabuka noted the positive impact such events had on the morale of civil servants, and he aimed to replicate that for the ministers in a more relaxed setting away from the office.