Prof Wadan Narsey: Letter to Editor - Accountability of Fiji Roads Authority and PS Finance to tax-payers

Letter to Editor (The Fiji Times, Fiji Sun, Island Business)
16 June 2014

Dear Sir

It is positive that the CEO of Fiji Roads Authority is now frequently in print explaining what FRA is doing with the almost $1 billion (one thousand millions) of tax-payers’ money allocated to roads for 2013 and 2014.

But there have been no replies to several letters to the editor I have previously sent, requesting the Fiji Roads Authority  and the Permanent Secretary of Finance, to explain several matters of interest to the tax payers.

If they feel they are in any way accountable to the Fiji tax payers who fund them, can the PS Finance and CEO FRA please reply to these questions.

(a) who is auditing the expenditure by the Fiji Roads Authority

(b) what is the cost per kilometre of the new roads being build using these funds

(c) what is the total cost of the roads beautification around Cost U Less and USP.

(d) what is the total remunerations (salary and perks) of the top 10 persons employed by the FRA

(e) have tax-payers been responsible for any bad debts of the Black Top Company which closed down in Vanuau Levu.

(f) could the bridge over Nabukalau Creek be safely kept open as a single lane traffic for private and light goods vehicles, instead of closing it down totally OR was closing it down totally “proof of sorts” that the Public Works Department was not doing its job previously?


Professor Wadan Narsey