[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/ Facebook]

Concerns have been raised by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts regarding the absenteeism of certain Permanent Secretaries during scheduled submissions for their respective ministries.

Committee Member Alvick Maharaj noted a worrying trend, pointing out that two out of four Permanent Secretaries did not appear before the committee last week and the same issue persisted yesterday.

He expressed further concern about the modifications in the reports being presented.

Maharaj is urging Permanent Secretaries to take their responsibilities more seriously and ensure timely submissions.

[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/ Facebook]

“In these modified reports, we see that submissions are often delayed. If Permanent Secretaries fail to present themselves before the Public Accounts Committee, this pattern will continue, indicating that they are not taking the committee’s work seriously.”

Deputy Chair Sakiusa Tubuna echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the need for Permanent Secretaries to treat these appearances as a priority.

“We will be advising the permanent secretary for civil service about our concern. Please take that note down and we shall be writing to the permanent secretary to account for this as a priority when they are being asked to come and submit before the committee and for them to be always available and if they are not available they should advise us in advance.”

Tubuna also highlights the importance of the PS’s participation, stressing that any delay or absence undermines the committee’s work.