Narube calls for expatriate Police Commissioner

Unity Fiji leader and former Reserve Bank of Fiji Governor Savenaca Narube has called for the appointment of an expatriate Police Commissioner to spearhead the country's fight against corruption, warning that corruption was diverting resources from the poor and contributing to Fiji's growing drug problem.

Speaking at the State of the Fijian Economy Dialogue 2026 yesterday, Mr Narube said corruption remained one of the country's most pressing challenges and should be confronted directly.

"I'm using the word corruption – not good governance," he said.

"It diverts resources away from the poor to the rich. It misuses taxpayers' funds. Efficiency of resource allocation is distorted.

"And it contributes to one of the biggest issues this country has ever faced – drugs."

Mr Narube said Government needed to take a visible leadership role in tackling corruption and should bring in overseas experts with proven experience to strengthen the fight.

He also called for greater community involvement, including support from the Great Council of Chiefs, and urged the courts to review penalties imposed for corruption offences.

Beyond corruption, Mr Narube outlined what he described as three immediate priorities for Fiji's economy.

The first, he said, was creating "fiscal space" by reducing government expenditure. His proposals included cutting the Cabinet to 12 ministers, returning parliamentary salaries to 2022 levels, limiting travel and halting new vehicle purchases.

He also proposed a 15 per cent across-the-board reduction in non-essential government spending.

His second priority was easing cost-of-living pressures through what he described as equitable burden-sharing measures, including reducing customs duties on fuel and stabilising the Fijian dollar, which he said had depreciated by four per cent this year.

Mr Narube said that if he were Finance Minister today, his immediate focus would be creating fiscal space, protecting ordinary Fijians from rising living costs and tackling corruption, while pursuing economic diversification through Fiji's natural resources over the medium term.

Fellow panellist and National Federation Party leader Biman Prasad disagreed with the proposal to stabilise the currency, describing it as "a very lazy kind of option" that could negatively affect the tourism sector.