Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama called on the opposition parties to share some love and work together rather than calling for a bi-partisan select committee.
National Federation Party MP Prem Singh’s motion to establish a bi-partisan select committee on sugar was defeated in parliament today.
While speaking during the debate, Bainimarama said that this motion is only for two parties.
Bainimarama says if anyone has questions on the Sugar Industry, they can always write to him.
He also says none of the opposition parliamentarians were behind the Opposition Leader Ro Teimumu Kepa when she was walking alone with the Fiji flag last year.
Ro Teimumu said that these issues were irrelevant and asked the Prime Minister to stop pointing at her.
Meanwhile Prem Singh says that many farmers have left their land because they did not have confidence in the sugar industry. He says the industry needs more ideas and mechanisms to move ahead.
Singh says he notes that Bainimarama will look into the issues if it is written to him.
Agriculture Minister Inia Seruiratu says that for him, this bi-partisan approach is like crocodile tears as the damage has already been done.
Ro Teimumu Kepa says that the implementation of the grant that was given by the European Union was killed when the interim government came in 2006.
32 members voted against the motion, 13 voted for the motion while 4 members did not vote.
