14 Jan 2010

Fiji regime critic pension cuts spare FNPF

12:57 pm on 14 January 2010

The Fiji National Provident Fund says it has not cut any pension payments to people who have criticised the interim regime.

This follows an announcement by the interim Prime Minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, that his regime passed a decree last week to stop pensions of its critics from this week.

The interim Prime Minister didn't say how many pensioners have had their retirement payments stopped.

A spokeswoman for the National Provident Fund, Waini Kiti, says the decree doesn't apply to its beneficiaries.

She says the FUnd is separate from the government pension.

"Since the National Provident Fund came in and after the choice was given to civil servants to choose between taking after National Provident Fund pension or government pension, our pensioners, pensioners under the FNPF not at all affected by the government decree."

Waini Kiti says the interim regime hasn't contacted the FNPF about the new decree.

The Fiji's Citizens Constitutional Forum says by stopping pension payments to its critics, the interim regime is abusing its powers.

Under the military regime's new order, decrees cannot be challenged.