Fiji Council of Social Services Executive Director Vani Catanasiga says leadership means you are last and the people you serve come first.

Catanasiga was responding to the budget announcement by Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad, where she lauds the government for making some bold decisions in the formulation of the budget.

She is particularly happy about the pay increase for civil servants and the fact that allowances and salaries for members of parliament will not cost over $8 million.

“I just want to commend government for their courage to go back on a decision that they had made how many weeks ago and I just want to say that this is what leadership looks like, when you know you’ve made a mistake and you can go back and review your decision and come back to the people you serve.”

Economist Dr. Rohit Kishore says the budget responds to the needs of the people.

“It’s a very prudent and responsive budget, that’s what I want to call it, genuinely addressing the much changing economic and social needs and demands of the people.”

Kishore says a significant positive is that Ministries are able to manage their expenses as he highlight the incentives for civil servants will boost productivity.

“Grants been given to them and responsibility been given to them and that’s a very good thing. Now the civil servants, their contracts removed, the fears removed, the pay rise has been given to them and I hope they come together and work their Ministers and Permanent Secretaries and deliver this budget as they are required to do.”

Dr. Kishore adds that with the amount of money been injected into the economy, Fiji’s economic growth forecast could increase to 3 percent or more.