MELBOURNE, Australia — Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka vowed to deal with the “litany of woe” created by the nation’s former authorities whereas elevating issues concerning the Pacific nation’s huge debt.
In his first tackle to the nation since being sworn in to workplace on Christmas Eve, Rabuka mentioned Thursday there had been a “nice and joyful awakening” in a nation the place democracy is taken into account fragile.
The 74-year-old’s election Dec. 24 at a particular sitting of Parliament in Suva ended the 16-year reign of Fiji First Social gathering chief Frank Bainimarama as prime minister.
The Folks’s Alliance Social gathering chief, who shaped a tripartite coalition to win workplace, promised to audit the spending of the previous authorities and mentioned he’ll institute an austere strategy whereas in energy.
“The temper for a brand new authorities was evident,” Rabuka mentioned. “There was an entire raft of causes for that together with the issues with infrastructure and important providers, training, growing poverty, abuse of rights, a local weather of worry and an enormous nationwide debt.”
Rabuka, who beforehand served as prime minister between 1992 and 1999, mentioned the incoming authorities wanted to deal with Fiji’s rising debt, which he mentioned could also be over 10 billion Fijian {dollars} ($4.5 billion).
“That may be a big burden for a small economic system like ours. We are going to study money stream points and construction debt reimbursement. This can be performed in a manner that doesn’t impede our growth,” Rabuka mentioned.
The previous army commander, who will chair the Pacific Islands Discussion board, was backed for workplace by the affiliated Nationwide Federation Social gathering and the Social Democratic Liberal Social gathering.
Rabuka has appointed three deputy prime ministers and 19 ministers to supervise what he described because the rebuilding of Fiji “in all points of our nation’s life.” The brand new prime minister acknowledged it is a bigger cupboard than anticipated however mentioned he’ll suggest cuts within the wages paid to parliamentarians.
In a 20-minute tackle, Rabuka additionally criticized the previous authorities for making an attempt to divide the nation alongside racial traces through the election marketing campaign.
“Not one of the tall tales labored. They had been extensively ridiculed and debunked on the road and within the media,” he mentioned. “In a democracy, the persons are in cost. Elected representatives like me and my parliamentary colleagues don’t lord it over you. We’re your servants.”
However Rabuka prolonged an olive department to the Fiji First Social gathering, saying options of a working democracy included forgiveness, sturdy debate and consideration of various concepts.
“My message for Fiji First is that we want to develop a constructive relationship with you as a part of a broader initiative to reinforce nationwide unity,” he mentioned.
Fiji had seen 4 coups prior to now 25 years, two of them led by Rabuka in 1987, however the transition of energy from Bainimarama, who additionally instigated a coup in 2006, to the brand new prime minister has been peaceable.
“Leaders like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, they knew the way to forgive, the way to take care of hatred and succeed by way of peace,” he mentioned.
“In an ethnically and culturally various nation, love is accepting that variations are a part of Fiji’s nationwide identification and that all of us belong right here. The worry that has haunted Fiji since 2006 is fading away now. Quickly it is going to be gone. Love will be certain that it by no means returns,” Rabuka added.
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has been in touch with Rabuka, supplied congratulations Thursday to the brand new authorities.
“There’s been a peaceable transition of energy in Fiji. That may be a superb factor. Fiji, in fact, has not all the time had peaceable transitions of presidency. This has been,” Albanese mentioned.
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