Executive Director of Fiji Council of Social Services, Vani Catanasiga

Executive Director of Fiji Council of Social Services, Vani Catanasiga, has expressed confidence that the government will present a budget prioritizing the needs of the people.

Despite recent comments concerning allowances and salaries for Members of Parliament, Catanasiga emphasizes that the government’s regard for its people will be evident in tomorrow’s announcement.

The FCOSS Executive Director advocates for incentives aimed at supporting the most vulnerable people.

Catanasiga says that for now she will remain optimistic that the government will act on the concerns that have been raised in the past few months.

“In terms of tomorrow, I’m still optimistic that the government will make decisions that reflect their values and their principles for how they will lead and how people’s wellbeing should be placed front and center, and I do hope there is some support for the most excluded and the most vulnerable in communities in terms of cost of living.”

Catanasiga stresses the need for the government to prioritize addressing workers’ concerns to show its commitment as a people-centric government.

She adds that top priorities should be addressing the concerns of workers because those concerns are valid.

Catanasiga states that if we prioritize the concerns of the workers from the different sectors over the MP salary, then the government will be on track to prioritize its people.