Address the increasing poverty: Narube
The rate of execution of Fiji’s national plans had been extremely poor, he said.
Unity Fiji Party leader and former Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji, Savenaca Narube has told Government to consider adequately addressing the major challenges that Fiji faced like the increasing poverty rate.
Mr Narube made the recommendation on the invitation of the Minister for Finance, Biman Prasad to the consultation on Fiji’s new National Development Plan this week.
Mr Narube emphasised at the onset that a plan was only as good if it was implemented.
The rate of execution of Fiji’s national plans had been extremely poor, he said.
Mr Narube suggested that the new plan must therefore include a chapter on public financial management.
He suggested that the new plan must therefore develop a revenue projection model to estimate the resource envelope of the plan. “This resource envelope must take into consideration the acceptable debt to GDP ratio and also explore ways to increase revenue sources from development partners,” he said.
He said in Unity Fiji’s views, the best chance for economic diversification lied in the primary industries.
“To realise the potential of these resources, the new plan should learn from past mistakes and design an integrated model to fully develop our natural resources,” Mr Narube said.
“The new plan should adequately address the major challenges that Fiji faces including the lack of economic diversification, the widening disparity in wealth and incomes, and the increasing poverty.
“In Unity Fiji’s views, the best chance for economic diversification lies in the primary industries. To realise the potential of
these resources, the new plan should learn from past mistakes and design an integrated model to fully develop our natural resources.”
Unity Fiji also suggested that the new plan should be short.
“It should avoid the lengthy plans of the past.”
Unity Fiji thanked the ministry for the invitation to participate in the consultations and expressed its willingness to help in future.