An Excellent Budget: Bainimarama
But Ro Teimumu says it’s an election Budget.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says it’s an excellent Budget. He said Opposition leader Ro Teimumu Speaker sometimes spoke through her ears. He made the remarks while responding to a statement by Ro Teimumu on the 2017-2018 National Budget last night.
Ro Teimumu said the increases in the Budget should have been done before. She said it seemed just when the general elections was around the corner Government then started announcing the increases. However, Ro Teimumu said she wasn’t happy in the way the Budget was presented.
“How does she know it’s an election Budget, that this is election year, she should know elections is next year and sometimes she speaks through her ears because she doesn’t understand what she is saying.
“This is not an election Budget, the Budget this year isn’t different from the previous year’s Budget. If we had this Budget last year, she will also say that it is an election budget,” he said.
“We have always put out a Budget that is exciting that covers all areas especially the vulnerable in our society, the poor as you have noticed many things have come up like in the social welfare programmes, education, health, this is no different from previous year’s Budget,” Mr Bainimarama said
“An excellent Budget put together by the Attorney-General and his team at the Ministry of Economy. If this was an election Budget than for the last 10 years there would have been an election every year because the Budget has been the same, it’s been good, exceptional, covers all areas and the people of Fiji enjoy it,” he said.