Ousted Fiji PM calls for explanation over pension

Transcript

Fiji's ousted Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase says the government has refused to explain why it won't pay him the pension he is due.

Mr Qarase's entitlements as a former prime minister were raised in Fiji's parliament this week, with the opposition MP Biman Prasad accusing the government of victimising Mr Qarase.

It's been more than a year and a half since Mr Qarase was released from jail after being convicted for fraud for activities in the 1990s, ruling him out of standing in the recent election.

He told Sally Round the sum due amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

LAISENIA QARASE: My understanding is that some of the people who spoke against the government had their pensions suspended for a time, but they have all been restored. In my case it is not a case of restoration of pension. I have never received any pension since the military coup of 2006. And I am entitled as a former parliamentarian and as a former Prime Minister of Fiji.

SALLY ROUND: Have you been given any reason at all why you have never received a pension?

LQ: I have written so many times to the Prime Minister since 2007. In many cases I never received a response, but in December 2013, that's last year. I received a letter from the PMs office approving the payment of all my entitlements. Now since the receipt of that letter, up till today, I have not received one cent. Even though I have been following up on that letter for quite some time. And I have never received a response. I have worked through a third party to discuss with the permanent  secretary of that office. Initially there was a positive reaction but it faded away for some reason. There was a reason given some years back that I was dismissed as Prime Minister. That was the only reason given to me. But then I wrote back, if I was dismissed then I should have been dismissed under the 1997 constitution because I was appointed under that constitution and I was never dismissed under that constitution.

SD: How much money are you owed then do you believe?

LG: Well it's almost eight years now in fact it will be eight years on the fifth of this month. I think it would be around 700,000 dollars at the very minimum.

SD: How does this affect you, not having a pension, how are you surviving?

LG: Well I am surviving on the generosity of my children who are overseas. Inspite of the difficulties that they have to establish in new countries, they've been able to remit some funds to my wife and I and also I receive a very small pension from the provident fund here and a small one as well from when I was a civil servant in the public service of Fiji. But those to small pensions are simply not enough to cover our cost of living on a daily basis and we have to depend on our children.

SD: Are you aware of any former Prime Ministers that are not getting this? Sitiveni Rabuka for example?

LG: I know they are all getting their pensions. And in the case of Mr Rabuka and Mr Chaudhry, their pensions was suspended for a while but they have been restored as far as I know. And all other parliamentarians and all former ministers of Fiji, they have been receiving their pensions. I am the only person, former member of parliament and former Prime Minister of Fiji who hasn't received on cent of my entitlement.

SD: Is this anything to do, do you think with your conviction and subsequent jailing?

LG: No that should have nothing to do with my pension. My pension is an entitlement which I was entitled to on the day I was removed from office. Whatever I did after the coup should have no effect. It certainly is not there in the act of parliament that governs the pension entitlement s of former Prime Ministers.

SD: This must be very upsetting for you at this time of your life?

LG: It is, I am getting on in years and I will have probably just a few years to live by the grace of God but yeah it is a real struggle.