Minister for Local Government, Premila Kumar says it is essential to have informed discussions on the subject of Municipal Elections as there was a troubled history of Fiji’s Municipal Councils.
Kumar says Municipal Councils had a history rife with scandals, corruption, squandering of ratepayers’ money, mismanagement and malpractice.
Kumar stated that it is a history that has been ended by this government.
She has also questioned what the elected councillors did for Municipal Councils from 1972 to 2008.
Kumar has also questioned as to who actually benefitted when elected councillors had the reins and Fijians need to hear the background on Local Government operations.
The Minister for Local Government told parliamentarians that under elected councillors, corruption and mismanagement had risen to such extreme levels that on six separate occasions, Municipal Councils had to be dissolved entirely.
She says the Suva City Council and Nausori Town Council were dissolved under the Alliance Government in 1970s while in 1997, the Lautoka City Council and Savusavu Town Council were dissolved under the SVT government.
Kumar adds that in 2000, the Sigatoka Town Council was dissolved under the People’s Coalition government while in 2008, Nasinu Town Council was dissolved under the Bainimarama government.
Kumar says Labasa Town Council constructed a swimming pool by taking a loan of $400,000 financed through special rates which means that ratepayers in Labasa are still paying for this swimming pool which they cannot use.
SODELPA’s Lynda Tabuya says the reason this government has not held municipal elections is because it believes it can do a better job by appointing its own qualified people and that the current municipal election systems equals corruption.
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