Chaudhry’s comment

RECENTLY I have seen the comments made by Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Pal Chaudhry about the current Finance Minister Hon Biman Prasad. I believe the Labour leader is getting old and is irrelevant nowadays.

He was a strong critic of the Bainimarama government and now he is after the Coalition Government. It’s hardly a three month old government and how can you Mr Chaudhry expect miracles to happen so soon.

We all, including you, know very well the financial mess of 16 years left behind by the previous government. Be realistic and give them time to settle, plan well and then to deliver. You had your chance to prove your worth as the prime minister of this nation but in a rush and with few errors you lost that golden opportunity.

So now have bit of patience and observe. It was the Almighty’s blessings that you were not included to be a part of this Coalition otherwise by now there would have been a rift or cracks in team efforts to take this country forward. If you look at Professor Biman Prasad’s statement positively there is nothing wrong with it.

Instead of condemning it you should have given a clue to reduce this huge debt. There was no mention of increasing VAT and cost of living since he always had a soft heart for the poor. We certainly have a group of elites who could face such challenges at critical times. My two cents worth of suggestion would be to increase duties on imports of used vehicles to combat traffic issues on our roads.

Finally I also believe that this Coalition Government is on a proper track by appointing a Fiscal Committee to consult, review and submit a report. This will be followed by a grand economic summit whereby more ideas could be presented. Perhaps this is a forum where Mr Chaudhry could forward his views to assist instead of condemning the efforts from the sidelines. We see this type of planning may be after a few decades. These platforms will lay a solid foundation for budget presentation in parliament at a later stage. I also believe that a Mini Budget in the first year of any government does not make any sense.

VIJAY MAHARAJ, Sydney, Australia