The party cost $12,000, we had to use it or lose it from the PM’s entertainment budget - PM

Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka has today said that the Grand Pacific Hotel party hosted for his cabinet ministers and their spouses came from public funds totaling $12,000, and they had to use it or lose it as the budget year was wrapping up last week.

While responding to questions raised by fijivillage News after former Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry asked Rabuka why they needed to have such a party, the Prime Minister says it was a team bonding exercise and they had to utilize the funds from the Prime Minister’s Entertainment budget.

Mahendra Chaudhry asked Prime Minister Rabuka why he had the lavish party at Grand Pacific Hotel for his Cabinet ministers and their spouses when almost half of the people in the country are barely able to put one decent meal on the table for their families.

Chaudhry has asked who paid for this expensive extravaganza.

He says it’s the first time in Fiji’s 54 years of independence that we have ever heard of a Prime Minister entertaining his Cabinet to a grand party to thank them for their “good work” as ministers.

Chaudhry asks isn’t this sickening evidence of a Coalition of ministers who are all about enriching themselves, throwing lavish parties to entertain themselves, and simply having a grand time laced with numerous overseas junkets.

He asks where did the money come from as the nation cannot even afford to pay a minimum wage of $5 an hour to our lowest-paid workers.