Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has confirmed that the pay for the 7 Ministers and Assistant Ministers sworn in today will be catered for in the current budget and it should not affect taxpayers.
While responding to questions by fijivillage News, Rabuka says he has received notification from the Minister for Finance that it can be handled from within the budget.
When asked if the new appointments will affect taxpayers in the National Budget through increases in tax and vat, Rabuka says this should not affect the taxpayers.
While also responding to criticism that the money to be used to pay these Ministers and Assistant Ministers could have been better used in other sectors such as health and pay for civil servants, Rabuka says all that is being catered for in the current budget, and any other pay increases will have to be processed through the normal negotiations.
While justifying the appointment, Rabuka says the people will be served better and they will have efficient leaders in the Ministries he held before.
When questioned on what challenges the current Ministers are facing, Rabuka says they were overloaded.
He says all these new Ministers are taking over a portfolio that he held, and it has restricted him in his overall role as the Prime Minister.
Rabuka says his prime objective right now, is to take the government successfully to its end of this term in 2026 and what happens after that is in the hands of the voters.
He says they were not brought in just to get the numbers to amend the Constitution.
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