MV Spirit of Altruism incident discussed in parliament

The government has been asked if it would consider purchasing a vessel for the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji to equip them to respond to emergencies like the recent case where the MV Spirit of Altruism ran aground leaving 134 passengers stranded.

The question was raised in parliament by SODELPA MP Aseri Radrodro but Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Parveen Bala said it was a question about search and rescue and that comes under the Ministry of Defense.

There was then a follow-up question by SODELPA MP Viliame Gavoka who questioned the focus of the Fiji Navy in the area of search and rescue.

Parveen Bala then asked the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ruveni Nadalo to make a ruling as it has already been raised that the question should be directed to the Minister for Defense.