Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Biman Prasad

Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Biman Prasad says it’s abundantly clear that detractors of the coalition government are resorting to gutter politics because they cannot digest the resounding success of the Girmit Day commemoration, including the International Girmit Conference.

Prasad states he is accountable to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and taxpayers of Fiji, not to unscrupulous politicians who shamelessly insult the Girmitya and their descendants with their gutter-level comments.

His response comes after being accused by Leader of the Opposition Inia Seruiratu and Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry of giving $200,000 to the Global Girmit Institute.

The National Federation Party leader says the money was given to the Global Girmit Institute not as a payout, but as a grant specifically for the conference, under an agreement vetted by the Solicitor-General’s Office.

Both Seruiratu and Chaudhry claim Professor Prasad paid the money because his wife Dr Rajni Chand is a trustee of Global Girmit Institute.

The Opposition Leader even accused Professor Prasad of giving the money to his wife.

The Finance Minister says this is lunacy, questioning that if his Ministry releases a grant to USP where Dr Rajni Chand is employed, does it mean that he is giving money to her and not to USP?”

The Deputy Prime Minister says their malicious claim is similar to the attacks directed at him over the $360,000 estimated budget of the National Economic Summit.

He adds that after publicly revealing that the total cost of the two day Summit of over 500 delegates was around $281,000 and that taxpayers paid only $111,000 of this amount because $170,000 was secured through sponsorship, the critics shut their mouths.

Prasad says the problem with Seruiratu is that he is a puppet of his political masters who are no longer in Parliament.

He further states that if Seruiratu wants to be acid-tongued and belligerent, he is only fast-tracking his own political demise.

Prasad goes on to say that Chaudhry’s political track record is no secret.

He adds that Chaudhry employed his son as his private secretary and claimed housing allowance when staying in his own house as Prime Minister.

Therefore, Prasad says this shows that Chaudhry is only good at nit-picking and is being thoroughly dishonest.

The Finance Minister says like the expenditure for the National Economic Summit, the people of Fiji will soon know how much the Girmit commemoration cost the taxpayers, including accountability of the international conference.