Reduce Cabinet to 12 and cut travel costs, says Narube

Former Reserve Bank Governor and Unity Fiji leader Savenaca Narube has called for Cabinet to be reduced from 30+ members to 12 as part of sweeping measures to cut government spending and create fiscal space.

Speaking during Dialogue Fiji’s State of the Economy dialogue at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva today, Mr Narube said the Government needed to focus on reducing expenditure rather than increasing revenue.

“I want Cabinet reduced to 12. Twelve, rather than thirty-five,” he said.

Mr Narube also proposed reducing parliamentarians’ salaries to 2022 levels, halving overseas and local travel, cutting travel allowances, stopping the Constitution Review Commission and Electoral Commission processes, and imposing a 15 per cent reduction in non-essential government spending.

“Parliamentarians’ salaries to go back to way it was, in 2022,” he said.

He said the measures were necessary to create fiscal space, which he described as the Government’s ability to maintain spending while keeping debt at sustainable levels.

“We have heard that that position is going up. To now close to 85 per cent of GDP,” he said.

Mr Narube identified fighting corruption as another immediate priority, arguing that it diverted resources away from ordinary citizens and contributed to wider social problems.

“I'm using the word corruption, not good governance,” he said.

“Government must lead against corruption, explicitly, visibly, lead it.”

He called for overseas experts to assist with corruption investigations and urged stronger community involvement in anti-corruption efforts.

Looking beyond the immediate challenges, Mr Narube said Fiji needed to focus on economic diversification through better use of its natural resources.

“Our diversification opportunities lies in what we already have. And what's that? Our natural resources,” he said.

He said low incomes were at the heart of many social issues affecting communities, including drugs, school dropouts, family breakdowns and crime.

“To me, the major issue faced by families across communities, we don't have enough money,” he said.

Mr Narube said Fiji must avoid repeating past mistakes and pursue a more transformative approach to economic development.

“Stop repeating the mistakes of the past and this is really not a business as usual kind of thing. This is transformative, transformative,” he said.

He concluded by urging policymakers to prioritise fiscal discipline, tackle corruption and develop industries linked to Fiji’s natural resources to raise incomes and strengthen the economy.