Abuse Of Funds Lead To Talks Of Municipal Festival Regulation

Public outcry on the misuse of funds raised from festivals have led to deliberations on a draft Festival Regulation which will govern all festivals in Fiji moving forward.

Minister for Local Government Premila Kumar said there had been numerous complaints about how festivals were organised over the years.

She was speaking to festival committee members, municipal councils and special administrators yesterday at the one-day Festival Regulations Consultation Forum.

She said festivals brought economic value to towns and cities because it provided an opportunity to fundraise for projects and an occasion for local and regional businesses to exhibit their goods and services.

However, when monies raised were used recklessly and there was no net gain, it begged the question why festivals were being hosted.

Given the important role of fundraising by festivals, she said guidelines were needed to ensure accountability and transparency in the operations of festival committees.

“With the previous allegations of financial abuse by Committee Members, the need for the festival reform was urgent,” Ms Kumar said.

“Furthermore, we needed to respond to the public criticism regarding the accountability and transparency of the festivals being organised around the country.”

Sponsors had also expressed their concern about the manner the festivals were organised as it was the same rides, food and style every year with no changes.

“Probably the reason why nothing really changed over a long period of time is because the committee members remained the same,” she said.

“Probably they ran out of ideas. Things remained the way it was.”

FICAC

From the complaints received, Ms Kumar said a case had been referred to the Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption to investigate the head of the Hibiscus Committee.

“It was a nightmare particularly for one of the biggest festivals that we hold in the country. That festival committee did not audit their accounts for years.

“I’ll just give you an example, you may think that festivals are small events maybe around $100,000 or $200,000 actually not.

“Hibiscus is close to a million dollar event. But where is the accountability and transparency?”

Misuse of Council Property

She said among the complaints received were the misuse of municipal properties used during festivals.

The Suva City Council had provided a facility for the festival committee which members were found to be abusing.

“The person heading the hibiscus committee was using the premises for his own gain by selling second hand clothes and parking his rental vehicles there,” Ms Kumar said.

“Should we be allowing that? Obviously SCC was not charging a single cent for that facility and we had people who were paying themselves salaries and wages and time came when a person was a single signatory to all cheques, not the committee members.

“Gradually the members were put aside and this person consumed so much powers that he became the sole signatory to the cheques. The matter has been reported to FICAC.”

Annual Election

The formulation of the Festival Regulation will act as a minimum guideline for festivals to ensure transparency and accountability and ensure that elections are held every year with some changes in the office bearers.

This will allow newcomers to bring a fresh eye to the accountability, or lack of it by the previous management.

Mandatory representation from municipal councils will also be required as well as compulsory auditing of accounts by external auditors and the publication of the audited accounts in the newspapers.

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