9 Dec 2014

Fiji finance minister calls boycott 'cheap stunt'

6:46 am on 9 December 2014

The Fiji Finance Minister, Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum, has called the boycott of parliament on Monday by the opposition a cheap political stunt.

Finance Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, announces Fiji's 2014-15 budget

Finance Minister, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, announces Fiji's 2014-15 budget Photo: Supplied

The opposition boycotted over its concerns that the Budget document is riddled with errors and could not be made law in that state.

It wanted the entire document rewritten.

But Mr Sayed-Khaiyum says the opposition betrayed the interests of ordinary Fijians by their actions.

Mr Sayed Khaiyum says the opposition's job is to ensure that the Budget is debated properly, effectively and meets relevant appropriate standards, something he says the government was looking forward to.

In the absence of the opposition the government pushed the Budget through parliament in one and a half hours.

All of this week had been reserved for Budget debate.