‘Budget consultations nothing short of campaigning’
NATIONAL Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad claims Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum’s budget consultations are nothing short of campaigning for the 2022 General Election.
“Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is not consulting, you know. He doesn’t believe in consultation. This is all campaigning that he’s doing,” he said. “Mr Sayed-Khaiyum knows that we are in the campaign period. “Everybody knows that we are in campaign mode. All the campaign rules have kicked in, but this man is using his position as a minister, using government resources, getting the people to congregate and uses that to campaign.
“He’s not consulting; it’s all a way to use government resources to campaign.”
Prof Prasad said Mr Sayed-Khaiyum needed to focus on addressing the issues of concern.
“He should cut out all that cr#p, and get down to formulating a budget and get down to thinking about what he is going to do about the deteriorating health services, the rising cost of living, the rising levels of poverty— these are things that he should be concentrating on.
“But, you know, all he’s interested in is parading himself around the country, using State resources in a campaign period and campaigning.”
Prof Prasad claimed the upcoming 2022-2023 national budget would effectively be the FijiFirst party’s manifesto.
● Questions sent to Mr Sayed-Khaiyum via electronic mail, viber and text messages on the claims made by Prof Prasad remained unanswered when this edition went to press.
He also did not answer calls made to his phone.