The 2015 National Budget was passed yesterday afternoon despite the opposition walkout.
As parliament's committee of supply was about to go through each budget estimate for the different ministries and departments, the opposition members of parliament led by Opposition Leader, Ro Teimumu Kepa walked out of parliament.
The opposition wanted to move a motion for the appropriation bill or the 2015 National Budget to be withdrawn, corrected and then re-submitted.
They also wanted the Finance Minister to admit that there are some errors in the budget and withdraw the document.
Opposition Whip, Ratu Isoa Tikoca believes that their action was justified although the session continued without them and the Finance Minister could make amendments during parliament's committee of supply.
Meanwhile the Speaker of Parliament, Doctor Jiko Luveni had earlier ruled that the government did not have to withdraw the National Budget to make the amendments as the process will be addressed during the committee sitting.
She also said that she does not have powers under the Parliamentary Standing Orders to direct a Minister to make a ministerial statement.
While welcoming the passing of the 2015 National Budget, Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Aiyaz Sayed‑Khaiyum said it is a pity that the members of the opposition were not in parliament yesterday to scrutinize the appropriation bill and the budget estimates.
He said claims being made by the opposition that there were a lot of amendments and errors in the budget estimates are not true.
Sayed-Khaiyum said the Opposition has betrayed the interests of ordinary Fijians with this cheap political stunt and especially those who voted for them.
He said their job as the Opposition is to ensure that the Budget is debated properly, effectively and meets relevant appropriate standards.
Sayed-Khaiyum says by withdrawing from Parliament, the Opposition demonstrated a complete disregard for democracy because in order for democracy to function properly, constructive dialogue and debate is vital.
He said this was a short-sighted decision which again demonstrates the difficulty that the Opposition is having coming to terms with the choice the Fijian people made at the September election.
For the rest of the week, parliament will be working on the consequential laws that will complement the budget and enable the Government to begin implementing its service delivery to the Fijian people in the coming year.
