A Fijian cabinet minister’s attempt to have an “honest” discussion about salary increases for members of parliament due to their various traditional and community commitments has divided opinions.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s fisheries and forestry minister Alitia Bainivalu took it upon herself to “talk openly about the salaries we receive as government ministers” on her official Facebook page on Wednesday morning.
In the lengthy post, Bainivalu said that while the topic of salary increases for MPs was sensitive, “many people may not fully understand the financial expectations that come with holding public office”.
Her comments sparked immediate debate, with social media users split between praising her honesty and harshly criticising her of being out of touch.
Fijian MPs voted to give themselves a significant salary increase in May 2024, with backbenchers receiving a 138 percent pay rise, bumping their base salaries from FJ$50,000 up to FJ$100,000.
Cabinet ministers had their salaries standardised upwards of FJ$200,000.
However, they subsequently voted in April 2026 to pull back those gains by implementing a mandatory 20 percent pay cut across the board largely due to the economic pressures of the global fuel crisis.
This reduction brought cabinet ministers down to the current FJ$160,000 rate and ordinary MPs down to FJ$76,000.
But Bainivalu said in Fiji’s “culture of giving, helping and supporting one another”, particularly within the iTaukei community, despite their higher salaries, “contributions add up very quickly”.
“So when people look at a minister’s salary, they often see the amount we earn, but they don’t always see the financial obligations and expectations that come with the position,” she wrote.
“A significant portion of what some of us earn can end up going straight back into our communities through these contributions.”
Bainivalu said she was not stating that ministers deserved higher salaries because they attend community events.
“I will never pretend that the financial challenges faced by politicians are the same as those faced by families living from one payday to the next. I believe in supporting our churches, villages, schools and communities.
“I will continue doing so whenever I can.”
She said that people were entitled to believe that ministers “are paid too much” and “to demand accountability”.
“I know that nothing I say today will ever be enough to justify the increase in our salaries as government ministers, especially when so many of our people are struggling to make ends meet.
“And I’m not asking you to agree with me, defend me or even sympathise with me. All I’m asking is that you try to see things from my side, even if it’s just for a moment.”
She added that sometimes there were realities and responsibilities that ministers had that people did not see from the outside.
The national minimum wage in Fiji is FJ$5 per hour (approximately NZ$4), with close to 50 percent of the population living in poverty.
This means that an ordinary MP in Fiji earns over 600 percent more than a full-time national minimum wage worker doing a standard 40-hour week.
