Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has echoed the call of Fiji’s President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere to Members of Parliament on both sides, to listen to the voices of all Fijians and not only of those that elected them.
Speaking in Parliament, the Prime Minister has urged Members of Parliament to faithfully embrace with resolve the principles of democracy and humanity as enshrined in the 2013 Constitution.
Rabuka said that: “By doing so, we respect the integrity and dignity of Fiji’s Parliament and honour all Fijians.”
He said that His Excellency the President also urged MPs that while they acknowledge and recognise our differences; we must be united with one common resolve to ensure that we live in a peaceful, progressive and prosperous nation.
The Prime Minister called for a bipartisan approach in addressing all issues relating to climate change – recognising that climate change is a cross-cutting issue and is an existential threat to Fiji’s survival and identity.
Rabuka said on the world stage, Fiji has continued to press for pragmatic actions rather than business as usual to ensure the availability of financial resources to address loss and damage.
He said Government will implement a range of climate change actions based on these key initiatives particularly in energy, agriculture, forestry, health, natural ecosystems, and disaster management.
“Government’s main concern is how we manage our waste and pollution, which is impacting our marine and terrestrial biodiversity.”
“We will review strategies to reduce dumping and littering. Flooding from recent high rainfall events has also exposed our drainage system capacity, which is inadequate to effectively minimise the risk of overflow,” he said.
The Prime Minister indicated that in 2023, Government had put in place a strategic, robust and clear decision-making machinery to support better coordination, formulation and implementation of policies and programmes.
Rabuka added that one of his immediate priorities is to ensure collaborative, transparent and accountable decision-making processes in Government.
