Forget about your former leaders who have abandoned you, move on, let’s make this Parliament workable and let’s work together for the country.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad directed this statement to the Opposition during debate on the Review of the Office of the Prime Minister and Department of Immigration 2018–2019 Annual Report in Parliament yesterday.
Prof Prasad said the FijiFirst government under the leadership of former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama used the Immigration Department to punish people they did not like.
“Foreigners who meant well for this country, who invested in this country, who wanted to do good for this country were victimised by these people because they felt they were not supportive of them,” the Deputy PM said.
“The honourable members who were part of the previous government, they would be better off just jogging their memories about what they used to do when they were in power.
“We as a government are going to be different.
“Our honourable Prime Minister has pointed that out that we are going to provide inclusive, consultative and leadership with humility.
“And the honourable Prime Minster just said, that he wants the Opposition to be involved in his leadership of taking Fiji on the international stage, getting all the benefits that Fiji can get, through that process of dialogue and consultation.
“And I hope that after a while they will learn that we have a leader now, we have people this side who can show humility, who can show understanding and who can work with them because they are now struggling to remain relevant because the ones at the top – they’ve all abandoned them.
“And they are now struggling to remain relevant by still praising them.
“My advice to them (Opposition MPs) is forget about them (former leaders) move on, let’s make this Parliament very workable and let’s work for the country.”
