Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Prof. Biman Prasad has rejected claims that the Coalition government is driving Fijians out of the country, arguing that migration is a long-standing trend and not unique to the current administration.
Speaking in Parliament, Prof. Prasad cited official statistics to counter what he described as “myth and misinformation” promoted by the Opposition. He noted that in 2016 some 26,426 people left Fiji, followed by 27,000 in 2017. He asked:
“Who was in government then? It was the Bainimarama government. Were they chasing people away?”
Prof. Prasad highlighted that 28,504 people left in 2022 and 29,719 in 2023, coinciding with the reopening of Australian and New Zealand borders and post-COVID employment schemes. He added that this figure dropped to 22,433 in 2024.
Prof. Prasad stressed that migration includes those moving for education, employment and family reunification, not just people leaving for political reasons.
He accused Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu of attempting to manipulate the issue for political gain, warning against the use of race-based politics and calling a recent social media post by Seruiratu “seditious.”
Parliament also approved Prof. Prasad’s motion to increase the government guarantee for the Fiji Sugar Corporation from $200 million to $300 million, exempting the corporation from the standard guarantee fee to aid its recovery and sustain the sugar industry.
Prof. Prasad went on to outline new initiatives to empower young Fijians through education, training and entrepreneurship. These include $650 million in student debt relief under TSLS, $153 million in scholarships for more than 24,000 students in priority fields, the reopening of vocational schools, an expansion of TVET scholarships including overseas study in areas such as aviation, hydrology and nautical science, and graduate start-up grants of $10,000 each for 30 young entrepreneurs.
He said people are already seeing positive results from government policies such as VAT cuts, higher minimum wages, farmer subsidies, and record cane prices. Inflation, Prof. Prasad added, has been falling for seven consecutive months, with the VAT reduction from 15 to 12.5 per cent further easing the cost of living.
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