Government To Examine Debt Repayment, Additional Holidays Introduced

Government has made a swift decision to examine cash flow issues and the structure of debt repayment that currently exist.

Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, highlighted this while addressing the nation for the first time after he, along with his cabinet ministers, were sworn in last Saturday.

He said a looming issue for Fiji was its state of public finances.

“The government debt may now be above 10 billion dollars. That is a huge burden for a small economy like ours,” he said in a televised address.

“The Minister of Finance will soon be sharing with me and the Cabinet, the exact nature of the problem.”

Mr Rabuka said a study of the new financial arrangement for the operations of the Lautoka and Ba Hospitals would be conducted.

Government will also look into the disbursement of foreign aid money.

An additional two public holidays will be added to Fiji’s calendar next year. These are the Girmit Day and Ratu Sukuna Day.

“I entreat you to unite with me, and my parliamentary colleagues. We can journey together free and equal, bound by our deep love for Fiji and our desire for happiness and prosperity,” he said.

Grab a copy of the Fiji Sun tomorrow, for more.

Story By: josefa.babitu@fijisun.com.fj