Grappling with complexities of a Coalition Govt
In politics nothing is perfect. More so when it comes to a coalition Government trying to settle down after a hard-fought election and a dramatic outcome.
Under these challenging circumstances, the composition of the coalition Government was worked out to make all the three coalition partners happy. All the 29 coalition Government MPs are ministers or assistant ministers.
One of them voted for the FijiFirst nominees for Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Prime Minister.
It is the first time for any Government to have three deputy Prime Ministers. Basically it is designed to share the leadership responsibilities and it projects an image of unity.
If the deputies, Manoa Kamikamica, Professor Biman Prasad and Viliame Gavoka do not earn extra apart from their ministerial income then it’s okay. In the ministerial appointments, Agni Deo Singh would be best suited for Education while Aseri Radrodro would do a good job in Employment. But SODELPA which had the trump cards wanted the Education and Tourism ministries during the coalition negotiations. The People’s Alliance had no choice, but to agree.
Mr Singh, a career teacher who later became the general secretary of the Fiji Teachers Union and fought for many years for teachers would have been ideal for Education. As a trade unionist, he will also be good for the Ministry of Employment. But his main focus all these years was advocating for teachers.
Mr Radrodro would also be a suitable candidate for Finance because he is a chartered accountant, but his party wanted Education, Tourism and iTaukei Affairs.
Professor Prasad was the logical choice for Finance and so far has started on a positive note by assuring the ministry staff that he would operate on the principle of inclusivity and consultation in trying to achieve what is best for the country.
If there are any other concerns, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka addressed them last night. Whatever the Government is going through it is part of a learning and readjustment process. It highlights that it has to make everyone happy to avoid differences that could weaken its solidarity.