Opposition MP Praveen Bala (left) and Professor Biman Prasad (right)

Deputy Prime Minister and Head of Fiji’s delegation to COP29, Professor Biman Prasad, has dismissed claims made by Opposition MP Praveen Bala regarding the $1.2 million cost of sending a team to the climate summit.

In a recent statement, Bala criticized the coalition government’s 56-member delegation, estimating the cost at $1.2 million, with over $238,000 funded by Fijian taxpayers.

Bala described the expenditure as a waste of resources, arguing that many of the delegates could contribute to Fiji’s climate resilience from within the country, rather than attending an “extravagant overseas ‘junket’.”

He also raised concerns about the impact on public services and productivity, particularly when many Fijians are struggling to meet essential needs.

In response, Professor Prasad, speaking to FBC News in Baku, Azerbaijan, stated that Bala “fancies himself to be a deputy leader but has no understanding of COP.”

He also says that the $230,000 from the government covers the costs for Opposition members, while the remaining $900,000 comes from sponsors, a detail known to Ketan Lal.

“So Praveen Bala should go and take some little advice from his own colleagues and ask them what COP is about, because obviously he has no idea, because he was never told by the government that he was part of. The leaders that he cheered never told him what COP was and what was spent there. So please tell him that.”

Professor Prasad further states that Bala seemed to have forgotten his time in the previous government, when no statements were made regarding the expenses or size of delegations for past COPs.

He adds that the People’s Coalition government is committed to transparency, having provided full details about the COP delegations and their sponsors.