Suva lawyer Barbara Malimali is calling for a reduction in the size of the Cabinet. [Photo: FILE]
Suva lawyer Barbara Malimali is calling for a reduction in the size of the Cabinet through amendments to the Constitution.
In her submission to the Constitution Review Commission on the 2013 Constitution, Malimali recommends amending Section 91(1) to stipulate that the Prime Minister serve as Chair of Cabinet and that there be no more than 15 Cabinet ministers.
She says introducing a constitutional cap on the number of ministers will help reduce government expenditure.
She adds that this will also prevent ministerial appointments from being used as political incentives during coalition negotiations.
“Currently, there are 20 ministers, each earning a salary of around $200,000. Every minister has a personal assistant, a police security officer, a government-issued vehicle,
and a driver. That in itself is a significant expense.”
Malimali says some government departments have been elevated to ministries, making Cabinet increasingly unwieldy.
“We could use that money to build a major hospital in Korovou, one in Wainibokasi, and one in Nausori. We can remove two ministers and build a proper hospital in Wainibuka.”
Malimali adds that although assistant ministers are not members of the Cabinet, their appointments also come with additional costs, including personal assistants, government vehicles and drivers.
