Riya Mala 
Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel acknowledged the concerns, saying the government inherited debt, unpaid liabilities, and incomplete projects. [Photo: FILE]
Concerns were raised during a recent Budget Forum about programme implementation, with participants highlighting waste and a lack of monitoring to track progress.
Business consultant Moala Nata says every budget has fallen short when it comes to monitoring how allocated funds are used.
“One, the sugar strike. Two, the $20 million FRCS issue. How do you mitigate such leakages in your budget? One question here was the $12 million swimming pool in Labasa. It’s been there, staring at us. All these leakages—because of what? I don’t know. How do you mitigate this loss?”
Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel acknowledged the concerns, saying the government inherited debt, unpaid liabilities, and incomplete projects.
He adds that the government is working to complete unfinished projects while clearing debts dating back to 2015.
Immanuel says a high-level task force has been set up to speed up major investment projects while maintaining legal requirements.
“We’ve got the USP, we’ve got the film rebates, and the incomplete projects—FNU, the swimming pool, even Ratu Sukuna Park. Some of those, including the tax income foregone or possibly lost, were raised this afternoon. The government has to try to complete those unfinished projects.”
Permanent Secretary for Finance Shiri Goundar says major government projects in health, water, and infrastructure are supported by development partners and undergo proper feasibility studies.
Goundar says these institutions follow strong environmental, social, and governance standards to ensure proper due diligence is completed before projects are announced.
