Ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase said a coup is never good for an economy or a country.
Qarase said economic growth, tourism earnings, aid assistance and salaries of civil servants were reduced after the events of December 5th, 2006, and it is disappointing to hear that the Interim Finance Minister has stated that the interim government turned the economy around after the coup.
He also said although the Soqosoqo Duavata Ni Lewenivanua (SDL) led government was recording an average growth rate of 2.8% in a year, it was good compared to other countries in the region.
"It is unfortunate that that kind of statement is coming from a person such as Mr. Chaudhry because he is a national leader and he should know better. The coup is never good to anybody, anytime, anywhere. The economy slumped significantly immediately after the coup and we are still feeling the effects.
"The reality is that the economy was growing strongly. There was no need to reactivate the economy because it was self-sustaining and it was growing very fast. And he is claiming somehow the coup enabled the interim government to rescue the country from economic collapse. That is an absolute lie because we left the economy in a very good state when we left off or rather when we were kicked out."
Chaudhry said the SDL government propped up an ailing economy by borrowing indiscriminately to finance ballooning budget deficits adding that Fiji's national debt had more than doubled from $1.2 billion in 2000 to $2.8 billion by 2006.
