Bainimarama wants pro-poor Budget

September 05, 2008 12:31:15 PM

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Interim Prime Minister and acting Minister for Finance Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama says he wants next year’s budget to be pro-poor.

“I want it to improve the basic living conditions of our people,” he told participants at the mini-economic summit in Suva.

And like past national Budgets, the 2009 Budget will rid a plethora of promises, he said.

While confirming the State’s work in progress on the 2009 national Budget, the PM said next year’s budget allocation would ensure it boosts the much-needed confidence.

He made particular reference to growing the private sector for it to invest more to grow the economy and generate job opportunities Fiji needed.

“We need much higher rates of growth to be able to absorb thousands of school leavers and graduates who enter the job market each year, and the resources we need to provide the quality and magnitude of services and amenities to improve the lifestyle and standard of living for ordinary members of the public,” Bainimarama said.   

“Moreover, through this Budget, I want the public sector to demonstrate its own commitment to change, by doing more with less, by raising its productivity and service delivery, and by ensuring its own right-sizing through the much needed and long overdue reform and restructuring,” he added.

“We are meeting against the backdrop of a contracted economy last year and a moderate growth of 1.7 per cent estimated for this year,” Bainimarama said, highlighting the forecast growth rate for 2009 and 2010 at 1.9 per cent and 1.4 per cent, respectively.

He said this forecast was nowhere near the level of growth required for Fiji to grow much stronger, nor did it match the culturally, environmentally and rich resources available in Fiji.

Bainimarama urged participants from the various sectors key to driving the economy to express their “constructive, forward-looking suggestions and recommendations” to partner with the Government to take Fiji forward.

Yesterday, interim Attorney General and Trade minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said some of the key issues that would  be raised at the two-day mini-economic summit would be addressed in the 2009 national Budget due to be announced in November later this year.