Opposition MP Semesa Karavaki claims that the government is taking the nation into a direction where more crimes will be fostered.

Karavaki claims this is evident through the large injection of funds into the Fiji Police Force, Fiji Corrections Service and the Judiciary System from the 2018/2019 national budget.

He believes the government has no clear policy on how to make Fiji a peaceful and safe place to live in.

The Opposition MP claims the government has not been able to come up with a solution and has failed to create an innovative solution to target the root cause of crimes.

“The policies of this government offer no solutions to the crime but in fact, it is painting a picture that the only way to keep people safe is to increase the capacity of the judiciary, Police Force and build more corrections facilities."

Karavaki alleges that it is due to the declining in moral values which have led to the increase in crime rates which the government needs to acknowledge.

“Unfortunately we continue to see legislation being bought into this house that propagates the breaching of moral values and this is evident in the new incentives announced during the 2018/2019 National Budget.”

However, Defence Minister, Inoke Kubuabola has rubbished Karavaki’s claims – saying the increased allocation does not propagate crime.

“The Ministry and the two forces have embarked on restructuring and reforms that will ensure that Fiji remains a safe and secure home for all Fijians and the 2018/2019 National Budget provides them with the enabling resources to carry out their difficult tasks ahead.”

The Defence Ministry was allocated 6.3 million dollars in the new budget which is an increase of one million dollars from the previous budget.