Mini-budget or no mini budget that’s the question
It’s not a good look that the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says one thing, but his Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad say’s totally the opposite. Mr Rabuka talks about the need for a mini-Budget, but Professor Prasad says there is no need for one. Mr Rabuka, no doubt has learned from his previous experience as Prime Minister. He knows that any substantive issues regarding major budgetary changes would require Parliament’s scrutiny and approval. Professor Prasad says they can ride out the last six months of the former Government’s 2022-2023 National Budget and present a full Budget after that. The question is: will the coalition Government be able to wait that long to start implementing its policies that require substantial funding and parliamentary approval?
The FijiFirst National Budget was based on a different set of policies. The coalition Government’s policies are different. In fact, the changes proposed by the new Government are so different that they would require legislative and financial stamp of approval by Parliament in the same way as the National Budget was passed following a debate. The new Government will use its slender majority to push its urgent Bills and motions through.
Professor Prasad still has to give a convincing reason for his position. It appears he is reticent about disclosing all the reasons maybe because of their sensitivity.
The clock is ticking and the countdown continues to the 100 days the coalition Government set during which it would implement a raft of changes. The Government is finding out that the inherent challenges of having to deal with a large bureaucracy with all its intricacies are not easy to deal with. Then it has to deal with the differences among the coalition partners, The People’s Alliance, the National Federation Party and SODELPA.
Mr Rabuka announced that Foundation students would be covered in their education policy. But when the students went to enrol, they were turned away because nothing had been arranged with the tertiary institution. Was it a lack of follow-up by the Finance Ministry and the Education Ministry? Where did the breakdown happen and who was responsible in failing to see that the policy was implemented?
When a Prime Minister makes a public announcement, people take him or her seriously. In this case they believed Mr Rabuka when he spoke about the Foundation course and mini-Budget.
If there are differences within the coalition on issues, the partners have to resolve them before they can move forward. It’s not a positive image when they publicly demonstrate they are at odds on certain issues.