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Tuesday 18Th June 2019 PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FIJI PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DAILY HANSARD TUESDAY, 18TH JUNE, 2019 [CORRECTED COPY] C O N T E N T S Pages Minutes … … … … … … … … … … 1888 Communications from the Chair … … … … … … … 1888-1889 Consideration of Bills … … … … … … … 1890 Resumption of Debate on the 2019-2020 Appropriation Bill 2019 … … … 1890 List of Speakers: 1. Hon J. Saukuru (Pgs 1890-1896) 2. Hon. V. Pillay (Pgs 1896-1901) 3. Hon. L.D. Tabuya (Pgs 1902-1907) 4. Hon. V. Prakash (Pgs 1908-1910) 5. Hon. Professor B.C. Prasad (Pgs 1910-1915) 6. Hon. Dr M. Reddy (Pgs 1916-1922) 7. Hon. Ro F. Tuisawau (Pgs 1922-1928) 8. Hon. Lt Col. I.B. Seruiratu (Pgs 1928-1934) 9. Hon. P.W. Vosanibola (Pgs 1935-1939) 10. Hon. R.R. Sharma (Pgs 1939-1943) 11. Hon. Dr. Ratu A.R. Lalabalavu (Pgs 1943-1949) 12. Hon. J. Sigarara (Pgs 1949-1952) 13. Hon. Ratu N. Lalabalavu (Pgs 1952-1955) 14. Hon. A. Sudhakar (Pgs 1957-1964) 15. Hon. M.R. Leawere (Pgs 1964-1970) 16. Hon. J. Usamate (Pgs 1970-1977) 17. Hon. A.M. Radrodro (Pgs 1978-1984) 18. Hon. G. Vegnathan (Pgs 1984-1986) 19. Hon. M.R. Vuniwaqa (Pgs 1986-1992) 20. Hon. Dr. I. Waqaainabete (Pgs 1992-1999) 21. Hon. A. Sayed-Khaiyum (Pgs 1999-2012) Committee of Supply 1. Office of the President (Pgs 2014-2018) 2. Office of the Prime Minister (Pgs 2018-2028) 3. Office of the Attorney-General (Pgs 2028-2036) 4. Ministry of Economy (Pgs 2036-2045) 5. Ministry of iTaukei Affairs (Pgs 2045-2052) 6. Ministry of Defence and National Security (Pgs 2052-2055) 7. Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations (Pgs 2055-2059) TUESDAY, 18TH JUNE, 2019 The Parliament met at 9.33 a.m., pursuant to notice. HONOURABLE SPEAKER took the Chair and read the Prayer. PRESENT All Members were present. MINUTES HON. LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN PARLIAMENT.- Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir. Mr. Speaker, I beg to move: That the Minutes of the sitting of Parliament held on Monday, 17th June, 2019, as previously circulated, be taken as read and be confirmed. HON. A.A. MAHARAJ.- Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion. HON. SPEAKER.- Honourable Members, Parliament will now vote on the motion. The Question is: That the Minutes of the sitting of Parliament held on Monday, 17th June, 2019 as previously circulated, be taken as read and be confirmed. Does any Member oppose the motion? (Chorus of “Noes”) HON. SPEAKER.- Honourable Members, as no Member opposes, the motion is agreed to unanimously. Motion agreed to. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE CHAIR Welcome HON. SPEAKER.- Honourable Members, I welcome the members of the public joining us in the gallery and those watching the live broadcast of the proceedings on television and the internet and those listening to the radio. Thank you for taking an interest in the workings of your Parliament. 18th June 2019 Communications from the Chair 1889 Breach of Standing Orders Honourable Members, it has come to my attention that some Members are breaching Standing Orders 28, whereby Members must address the Speaker in the English language. In the same vein, Members are abusing the parliamentary process and I will be more vigilant on this issue. I remind all honourable Members that the Standing Orders is very clear and it states that a Member must address the Speaker in the English language, therefore, I will expect nothing less from all honourable Members. If you do use a Fijian expression or another expression in another language, please interpret it. I would like to know the meaning as well because sometimes what is the correct meaning and what is a swear word is very touchy. You know that as well as I do. So let us continue with the debate, but those are what I ask of you. Housekeeping Matters On some housekeeping matters, it has also come to my attention that Members mobile phones are ringing loud during the proceedings, and Members are also watching recorded footage but on a loud mode. I can hear it from here. Honourable Members, there must be some form of decorum in this august House. Therefore, I remind honourable Members to put phones on silent mode and also refrain from watching videos or footages during the proceedings. I know some of them are very entertaining, and I would like to share it with you, but I am sitting up here. Honourable Members, there has been a question regarding the adjustment of Members’ microphones. Now, there is no such apparatus with the Speaker that I can adjust the tone of microphone on this side of the House or the microphone on the other side of the House. In some Parliaments, like the Parliament of the country where I have just been to in the last month, Mongolia, the Speaker has the control. If a Member’s time is up he gives the warning, and when two minutes is over and the delegate still proceeds, he cuts him off automatically. We do not have that here, and I do not have the ability to adjust any microphones. This is what has come from the Professional Electronics Limited, with reference to the above that is microphone variations inside Parliament of the Fiji Chambers. With reference to the above, please be advised that the delegate microphones are all set at the same level and are routed digitally through a single control. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain a clear signal from one side of the room and not the other. The system, however, allows the adjusting of individual microphones sensitivities but this has all been set to default since the installation and commissioning in 2014. The only variation to speak quality may come about by delegates not speaking directly into the microphone or the different voice tones of delegates. Now some of you have very lovely voice tones and I appreciate. Others well.. (Laughter) So use the mike properly. Hon. M.R. Vuniwaqa and Hon. S.V. Radrodro - Birthday Wishes Honourable Members, before we proceed to the next item on the Order Paper, I take this opportunity to wish the honourable Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, the honourable Mereseini Vuniwaqa, one and the honourable Salote Radrodro, a very happy birthday to you both, and many happy returns of the day. 1890 2019-2020 Appropriation Bill 2019 18th June 2019 (Acclamation) CONSIDERATION OF BILLS HON. SPEAKER.- Honourable Members, I have been advised that there are no Bills for Consideration today. RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON 2019-2020 APPPROPRIATION BILL 2019 HON. SPEAKER.- Honourable Members, we will continue from where we left off on the Batting list last night. I now call on the honourable Jese Saukuru, you have the floor, Sir. HON. J. SAUKURU.- Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to contribute to the debate on the Appropriation Bill 2019-2020. First allow me to comment on the honourable Attorney-General’s remarks on SODELPA’s Pre-Budget Analysis, by sharing what Mr. Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher said and I quote: “All truth passes through three stages: 1. It is ridiculed; 2. It is violently opposed; and 3. It is accepted as self-evident.” Mr. Speaker, the honourable Attorney-General may ridicule the truth, he may oppose it, in the end, the truth will prevail and he must accept it. The reduction in the Budget alone had sent shockwaves to every ordinary Fijian and business people alike in Fiji and abroad. Your very action speaks louder than words. From their viewpoint, why the reduction in Budget when you are promoting the Bainimarama Boom. Now, the question is “Boom for whom?” The two diametrically opposed school of thoughts presented by the honourable Attorney-General and the honourable Leader of the Opposition coupled with the opinions expressed about this Budget from key stakeholders should be sufficient to trigger healthy debate. Sir, my speech should be confined to rural maritime development as well as on disaster management. As a new Member of Parliament, I had a lot of expectations from the honourable Minister for Economy and this Government to provide the necessary remedy to our ailing national economy, but that was not to be. Instead, Sir, it was a pity, a poor show and a sham to sit here for almost three hours out of which the honourable Minister for Economy took a quarter of that time demonising and blaming the past Governments, their leadership, policies and programmes for our current economic mess. Least, he needs to be reminded of a few things which I sum as follows: 1. That the military coup of 2006 qualified them to be where they are today; (Chorus of interjections) MR. SPEAKER.- Order, order! HON. J. SAUKURU.- Mr. Speaker, Sir: 18th June 2019 2019-2020 Appropriation Bill 2019 1891 2. That they cannot hide their sins and omissions now having been in power for over a decade; 3. That their time to deploy politics of diversion and excel in politics of connivance is over; 4. That the people of Fiji can see the true colours of this Government through its transparent ruse; and 5. That you can fool some people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. In sum total, Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Budget is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Fiji and an act of betrayal by this Government upon its own voters. This Budget makes a mockery of the new albeit truncated mandate secured by this Government, and is paving the way forward to an unprecedented socio-economic and geopolitical disaster in the making which will render this nation and its people bankrupt.
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