Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka says he is humbled to be given the opportunity to be part of the leadership to lead the people of Fiji.

Speaking in Parliament, Gavoka says it is hard to imagine that the fate of the nation came down to his party.

Gavoka says today he stands proud along with his coalition partners knowing that all effort is starting to pay off.

The Deputy Prime Minister thanked his family and supporters for standing by him and the party he represents.

Gavoka also acknowledges the smooth transition in government, and as he thanked the previous government’s leadership, he also stated that the current government will be more transparent.

“Democracy isn’t true democracy if the values of transparency, accountability, and respect are not upheld.” Laws are not made for the government with its people for the people. “We made a commitment as a coalition government to rid this nation of false promises that our people have been beholden to for far too long.”

Gavoka says for the first time in nearly two decades, the deliberations of the Cabinet are being shared with the public.

He claims that even as members of parliament in the previous government, they were never given the courtesy to contribute to matters that affect the people.

The Deputy Prime Minister says the new government will no longer pass overnight legislation that takes away the rights of the indigenous people in the name of streamlining investment.

He adds that people will no longer be robbed of their freedom of expression, and employees will not be robbed of their rights to be represented by unions.

He says the government acknowledges that debt is not necessarily bad, but for the national debt to reach 35 percent of GDP, or $10 billion, by July 2023, is not responsible for borrowing at all.

Gavoka says, therefore, he supports the appointment of a fiscal review committee and the National Economic Summit in the spirit of transparency and consultation.