Foreign Affairs Minister defends $212,733 travel bill
He says overseas engagements helped secure fuel supply assurances and an Australian grant worth AUD$20 million.
Friday 06 November 2026 | 06:30
Foreign Affairs Minister Sakiasi Ditoka in Parliament on November 5, 2026.
Photo: Parliament of Fiji
Foreign Affairs Minister Sakiasi Ditoka has defended his $212,733 overseas travel bill, saying his engagements helped secure fuel supply assurances for Fiji and an Australian grant worth AUD$20 million (more than FJD$31 million) during the global fuel crisis.
Mr Ditoka, whose travel expenses were the highest among Cabinet ministers for the period May 1, 2025, to August 30, 2026, said the figures needed to be understood in context, given the nature of his portfolio.
He said he welcomed scrutiny of public spending but argued that Fiji could not protect its interests internationally without ministerial engagement.
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“Public money must be accounted for and the media is right to ask how it is spent,” he said.
He highlighted visits to Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Australia, undertaken at the direction of the Prime Minister to secure fuel supply assurances amid disruptions caused by the conflict in the Gulf region.
Mr Ditoka said Singapore’s Foreign Minister had assured him that fuel supply lines to Fiji and the region would not be disrupted.
He also said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong had conveyed a letter confirming an AUD$20 million grant to help Fiji manage the impact of the fuel crisis.
“The result of the fuel diplomacy speaks for itself, as we have not experienced any delay or shortage of fuel supply during the peak of the fuel price crisis,” he said.
Mr Ditoka said the engagements had also contributed to plans to expand Fiji’s fuel reserves as part of a longer-term strategy to strengthen national and regional fuel security.
He also had engagements in Cameroon, London, Geneva in Switzerland, and Brussels in Belgium.
Mr Ditoka said a ministerial presence could help secure market access, attract investment and resolve issues that could not be addressed through correspondence or virtual meetings.
However, Independent Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma questioned the returns from the Government’s overall overseas travel expenditure.
He questioned whether the spending had delivered sufficient benefits at a time when the country faced rising national debt and cost-of-living pressures.
“Where is the return on investment for these 182 trips?” he asked.
Mr Sharma said that while the Foreign Affairs Minister’s travel could be understood given the nature of his portfolio, trips made by other Government representatives required greater scrutiny.
