Fiji Council of Social Services Executive Director Vani Catanasiga says the 2024-25 Citizens’ Guide to the National Budget will help people understand how the government plans to operate in the next 12 months.

Catanasiga says that this is the second publication by the Ministry of Finance and aims to foster accountability and transparency.

She adds that the booklet will serve as a handy guide for all non-governmental and civil society organizations conducting workshops and meetings with the public post-budget.

[Fiji Council of Social Services Executive Director Vani Catanasiga]

“Don’t shy away from understanding what your government is doing for you. Perhaps some people will say NGOs are constantly out there talking and speaking about governance issues, and public finance management. But we’re only doing that to support communities. And I think if communities start to step up, members of women’s clubs and youth clubs, begin to look at these documents to understand how the government will be rolling out some of this support.”

Catanasiga also suggests that, while the Finance Ministry has published the booklet, other ministries, such as iTaukei Affairs and Multi-Ethnic Affairs, could later translate it into vernacular languages for the benefit of grassroots communities.

While hard copies of the Citizens’ Guide have been printed, it is also available for public access on the Ministry of Finance website.