PM: Committee to remain in control

PARLIAMENT’S Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is likely to remain in the control of Government to ensure a proper account is taken of all dealings carried out by the previous administration.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed this during an interview.

He said while they were thinking of returning the PAC to the Opposition, they felt it would not be fair as a lot of the information would pertain to the FijiFirst government’s dealings.

“We’re going to be dealing with a lot of things that the current Opposition did as government,” he said.

“We would still like to control that committee because we would like the public to know how they had performed in the execution of their duties as Cabinet, particularly in the management of the economy.”

He also confirmed that an independent audit of all government ministries and bodies would take place, especially where discrepancies were noted.

“Those areas that we are not happy with, not totally satisfied with.

“We’ll have to make sure that what we, what Government said, we were getting from international community to assist us through COVID and for the alleviation of the effects of climate change, had actually arrived and used for those specific purposes so the audit will continue.”

Meanwhile, the first informal Cabinet sitting is expected to be held today.

“We’re having our first informal one day after tomorrow, where we will be briefed on the state of the economy and it’s very informal because we will be there listening to the civil servants tell us where we are.”

The PAC’s role is to scrutinise audit reports of all public bodies, check for discrepancies and oversee the allocation of resources to priority needs and the efficient and effective allocation of public services.

While traditionally this select committee is chaired by a member of the Opposition, the FijiFirst government removed then Opposition member Professor Biman Prasad as chair via a vote in 2016. Prof Prasad later resigned from PAC. The previous administration then appointed one of their own, in Ashneel Sudhakar, and later, Alvick Maharaj, during their term.