PM says wait till next Friday when asked on where the $8.1M for salary rise for MPs will come from

Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka says wait till next Friday when asked on where the government will get the $8.1 million for the salary rise for the Members of Parliament, the President and the Speaker.

When asked by fijivillage News on the online petition being gathered by the Fiji Council of Social Services and the Fiji Public Service Association against the pay rise and for a motion to be moved to rescind the raise, appoint an independent committee, have public consultations and have a performance review system for the MPs, Rabuka says he will wait for the petition and they should wait for the budget debate.

Rabuka also disputes FCOSS Executive Director, Vani Catanasiga’s comments that the coalition government is not united.

Rabuka says public consultation can still be done on the pay rise issue when asked on the Fiscal Review Committee’s budget recommendations however he did not say how this will be done.

The 2024/2025 National Budget will be delivered at 10am next Friday by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad.

The FCOSS and FPSA will hold a people’s rally against the pay rise for MPs at the Suva Civic Centre Carpark from 9am tomorrow and at Suva’s Thurston Gardens from 9am next Saturday.