FIDDLING THE BOOKS. Lynda Tabuya claims BIMAN PRASAD paid his own party an extra $240000 without consultation or Cabinet approval. He unilaterally gave $325,000 to each Political PARTY - $15,000 per MP

*We must not conflate Lynda Tabuya's bonking and drug-taking in Room 233 with her scathing attack on BIMAN PRASAD and the NFP MPs.
*Her attack on Prasad must be seen in the Special Emoluments Committee Report context.
*In fact, we should be grateful that she chose to expose the NAG (Snake) for what he is - he was trying to claim the moral high ground when, in fact, the NFP was sleeping in bed with the pay rise and allowance Special Emoluments Committee.

*In the national budget last year, it came as a shock when Hon Prasad unilaterally gave $325,000 to each political party without consultation or cabinet approval even though it is supposed to be $15,000 per Member of Parliament. This is calculated as follows: Fiji First 26 MPs x $15000 = $390000, PAP 21 MPs x $15000 = $315,000, NFP 5 MPs x $15000 = $75000, Sodelpa 3 MPs x $15000 = $45000. Hon Prasad paid his own party an extra $240000 without consultation or Cabinet approval. This is a figure that is more than the total increase in salaries for ministers recommended by the independent consultant $175000, just to put things in perspective."

*In my own ministry (Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation) Hon Prasad unilaterally changed the payment of bus fare subsidies to our elderly and disabled in the current budget from $25 a month to utilisation basis without consultation with me as the line minister or Cabinet approval. 
​Other ministers may have their own experiences which is theirs to tell."

"The draft report of the independent consultant was ready in March and it was circulated to the three political party leaders in government. Members of the Fiji First party in the committee also shared it with their party.
*The leader of NFP Hon Biman Prasad lied in parliament and to the public in stating that he and his party only got notice of the report 48 hours before I moved the motion in parliament. NFP chose not to be members of the Emoluments Committee.
*I raised the membership in caucus and spoke with the NFP Whip Hon Tikoduadua who stated for us to go ahead and that they did not need to be in it.  At no time did they protest or raise the concern to be a member of the committee. They endorsed the motion for the review to be undertaken when the motion was moved in Parliament last year. They have been part of the process every step of the way. To change their stance last minute and vote against the motion because of a party directive is simply an excuse to stall the parliamentary process when he had the time from March to take the report back to his party. There was nothing rushed about the tabling of the motion for debate last week.