The Attorney- General and Minister for Commerce Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum has reminded businesses to operate in a transparent manner.
Opening the 10-days Nadi Fiesta at Koroivolu Park in Nadi on Saturday night, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said there is a need to set up a transparent system in order for businesses to survive and thrive.
“It is imperative now that whenever we run businesses, whenever chambers of commerce operate, they need to operate in a very transparent manner. The Bainimarama Government in the past two or three years has put in place a number of laws that has not only modernized Fiji in terms of the application of the laws but also in terms of propelling us into the future,” Mr Sayed Khaiyum said.
“It has also set in place a number of new standards that we all have to adhere to. The creation of FICAC is very much talked about, prevention of bribery promulgation and various other laws in the Crimes Decree, for example the corporate liability in terms of your actions. These are all fine but in practice, in order to sustain an economy that is going to be robust, you have to have a transparent system in place.”
Commerce Minister and Attorney-General Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum officiating at the opening of the Nadi Fiesta
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that through the visions and efforts of the entrepreneurs of Nadi, the town has achieved a lot and is now at the forefront of tourism in Fiji.
“The private sector is the engine of growth. If you look at the history of Fiji and the history of towns such as Nadi, Ba, Lautoka and Labasa, they’ve all been driven by entrepreneurs who took advantage of the economic boom that came about because of sugarcane. Sugarcane was the driving force of the Fijian economy for over hundred years or so. Only now tourism is the single largest GDP contributor to our economy – approximately 30 per cent. Again, Nadi in that respect is at the forefront. We have sugarcane in the Nadi and Lautoka areas and today Nadi is the gateway to tourism.”
“There are numerous opportunities that the entrepreneurs who were very resourceful, who had a view of the future, again this is an opportunity for them to take advantage of what is happening with the change in the various inputs into the economy,” he added.
The Nadi Fiesta is organized by the Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry to mark its diamond jubilee.
The Fiesta will continue until Monday, 25th April 2011.