Toppled prime minister and SDL Party leader, Laisenia Qarase, will not be receiving the government pension after all.
The office of Voreqe Bainimarama has told Fiji Village that Qarase was not entitled to the pension in the first place, so will not be getting the reinstated payment.
Bainimarama announced yesterday that the Regulation of Pensions and Retirement Allowances Decree 2009 was being revoked.
The decree had allowed it to strip its critics of the pension.
Fiji Village says the Permanent secretary, Colonel Pio Tikoduadua, has told it the junta will only reassume the payment of pensions to former SDL Ministers and Parliamentarians who were paid pensions before.
Tikoduadua is reported as saying the interim government is currently looking into other benefits given to former Prime Ministers.
Meanwhile, the latest International Monetary Fund Staff Report on Fiji says spending on wages and salaries for civil servants is high in Fiji.
The report says the central government wage bill is more than 10 percent of GDP but the total spending on wages and salaries, which is nearly 40 percent, is relatively high.
The IMF says this reflects both high pay rates and the sizable civil service and that although steps have been taken to reduce the number of civil servants, the ratio is still high compared to its population and other countries.
Fiji Village says the aim is to reduce the wage bill and increase the efficiency of government services by focusing on core functions including health and education.
The IMF Staff Report stated that international experience suggested that these reforms should be comprehensive, with a well-designed redundancy package and retraining provided to laid-off workers.
It also suggested that the performance based pay system for civil servants should be a key component.
Meanwhile, the Fiji authorities expressed interest in the IMF program to support structural reform and help fill a financing gap of more than $US500 million projected for 2010 to 2012.
Discussions are expected to be held on this issue when an IMF delegation visits Fiji in the next few weeks.
Read full IMF Report
5 comments:
The IMF should take note of how the dictator allocates public funds because the latest pension cutting shambles is a good example.
There is no proper process of transparency, accountability and fair distribution because according to the traitor..money flows if you keep quite and lick his boots.
LQ doesn't need this wealth, he already has great wealth the thousands of people that love him and pray for him daily. His wealth is his people. I liken him to a King. He gives selflessly and he speaks generously, a Christ-like figure that we all revere.
Vore denying former PM Qarase his just entitelment displays all the charactoristics of a mean spirited dictator he is.
Trust IMF has not overlooked money paid to military personel embedded in the private (semi gov) sector?
Ahhh, he got what he deerved. As will Bainipyjamsas when his time comes. As has done Chaudry. What I want to know is where are the leaders of the future? Who are the people who are going to lead us when democracy returns? Where are they who are preparing for the 2014elections? What are they doing to be ready for the responsibility?
@Fiji Hope.
Rest assured - might be suppressed
but SDL is not extinguished - far from it. Been tough - but everyone will come out wiser - & stronger.
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