Kemueli Naiqama is a well qualified professional and his dismissal was deplorable and unmerited- Rabuka

People’s Alliance Party Leader Sitiveni Rabuka says the sacked CEO of the Fiji Bureau of Statistics, Kemueli Naiqama is a well-qualified professional whose only fault was doing his job.

In a statement, Rabuka says his dismissal was deplorable, unmerited and deserves their harshest condemnation.

Rabuka further says in recent weeks, there has been a steady stream of top academics and scholars that have come out in support of the findings of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey report and the report has been scrutinized by experts.

Rabuka also says a government that respected professionals and was in touch with what was happening in Fiji would have noted the report and explained why it has failed in the last 16 years and what it might do to fix the problem.

The former Prime Minister also says instead the government has decided to waste valuable time and resources at taxpayer’s expense with the unfounded notion that the report was flawed.

He further adds only a government that is arrogant and having no idea about the suffering in the country, even before COVID-19, would resort to these tactics.