‘Plan to be well thought out’

What we want to do is, we want to put a path, a foundation for development, taking into account the views of our people, and where we want to take this country forward in the next 20 or 30 years. – Prof Biman Prasad

THE path towards crafting a new National Development Plan for Fiji is also focused on encouraging Fijians to take ownership of their country.

Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad said this plan would be very consultative, well-designed, and well thought-out.

“What we’re going to do is to look at a plan which will be a three-year plan, five-year and a 20-year plan, because we want to make this plan realistic and achievable,” he said.

“So that’s why we’re saying three, five-year because we know some things can be done in three years. Some may be done in five years, some may require even more time.

“What we want to do is, we want to put a path, a foundation for development, taking into account the views of our people, and where we want to take this country forward in the next 20 or 30 years. What sort of country we would like to see.”

He said the current consultations stretched across the country and involved various stakeholders, including NGOs, religious bodies, students, and other members of the community.

“What will come out at the end of the day is going to be a realistic plan which prioritises people’s needs, whether it’s infrastructure, whether it’s addressing fundamental problems such as drugs, other social ills, or putting in a plan to provide an environment for economic growth.”

Prof Prasad added that people were also taking the opportunity to participate in the NDP process by raising everyday issues with the team.

“What we see coming out of the NDP consultations is that people are also using that opportunity to raise daily issues, immediate issues, and that’s good.

“It allows the staff within the Ministry of Finance and government departments to actually see what people are saying where people are expressing the need for help for improvement, whether it’s services, infrastructure.

“I think it’s a good, timely way to get this thing done. So we are hoping to finalise the plan before the budget or maybe soon after the budget.”