Why National Economic Summit Not Needed
PM ASKS: ‘WHERE WAS THE HONOURABLE MEMBER DURING THE CONSULTATIONS FOR OUR NATIONAL BUDGET?’
Mister Speaker, I rise to speak against the motion by the Honourable Member.
I am worried the Honourable Member may be suffering from some form of amnesia.
I’m quite sure I already explained why there isn’t any need to waste time and money to tell us the bleeding obvious about the economic impact of COVID-19. Now, Mister Speaker, I’m scratching my head wondering how Honourable Tuisawau and Honourable Gavoka both managed to come up with the same bad idea in the span of the same week.
Call it a committee, call it a summit, call it whatever you want –– it wasn’t needed two days ago and it still isn’t needed today.
We already went to the nation, during our pre and post budget consultations, to work with our people and to work with our businesses, to put forward a national budget designed in every way to adjust to the realities of this pandemic and prepare our economy for its comeback once our borders reopen.
Mister Speaker, where was the Honourable Member during the consultations for our national budget? We know exactly where. He was locked in various hotels around Suva, fighting with his fellow party members for power. While they were busy hacking away at each other, not one member of SODELPA could find the time to make a single contribution to our budget consultations.
And now –– having missed the opportunity to contribute, they’re calling to form an economic summit? Mister Speaker, their efforts are too little, too late. Worse, it is totally arrogant. They have shown up late to our nationwide talanoa and are now demanding to be heard. Do you think this virus waits on the whims of SODELPA? It doesn’t. Its impacts have been upon us for months.
Gone straight to the people
In that time, we have already gone straight to the people, we have gone to the businesses, we took on their constructive inputs and we came up with the right plan for our economy at exactly the right time. We announced a two-billion-dollar economic stimulus to reinvigorate the economy.
We announced $100 million in direct assistance to those who need it. As we have highlighted, every day more is being paid out.
We’ve given businesses the flexibility to defer loan repayments. We introduced the single largest tax cut in Fijian history to incentivise growth and activity.
We’ve pursued safe and innovative ways to resume flows of tourism, and we’re laying the groundwork for a historic comeback for the tourism industry and for our economy the day our borders fully re-open.
Businesses across the country –– and the Fijians they employ – – have given our latest budget two thumbs up across the board.
‘Hypocrisy’
Do we seriously think they support some economic summit to re-evaluate the tax cuts they are enjoying, the unemployment assistance they are receiving, and the historic stimulus spending we’ve put forward? Of course not.
They know what we know: That the members of the Opposition have nothing to contribute save for hypocrisy.
They say we need to give more assistance to help the unemployed –– while in the same breath complaining that we’re spending too much money. They say we need to create and sustain employment, but then they attack us for pushing forward with job-creating new development and construction projects.
They say we need to make tourism more affordable so that we can compete with other destinations, then condemn our tourism rebate package.
Mister Speaker, the truth is, there is no NFP or SODELPA position on the economy.
They have no ideas. They have no meaningful contributions.
Their entire game plan is to disagree with whatever the Government does, and we don’t need to convene some economic summit to figure that out.
So, I’m happy to save us all a great deal of time, money and misery by opposing this motion.
We’ve pursued safe and innovative ways to resume flows of tourism, and we’re laying the groundwork for a historic comeback for the tourism industry and for our economy the day our borders fully re-open.