HONORABLE. MR.TIMOCI LESIKIVATUKOULA NATUVA
MINISTER FOR WORKS, TRANSPORT AND PUBLIC UTILITIES

MSAF NADI OFFICE OFFICAL OPENING, NADI, Fiji

OPENING SPEECH

PORT DENARAU 03RD JULY 2014
Nadi 1000 Hours

Commissioner Western Joeli Lawaki, Special Administrator Nadi
Robin K. Ali , MSAF Chairman Nigel Skeggs, MSAF CEO Neale
Slack, maritime stakeholders, MSAF staff, ladies and
gentlemen,

 Good morning.

I am delighted to join you this morning to celebrate the opening of
the new Nadi, Denarau office of MSAF. May I also extend a warm
welcome to all of you who have taken time out to participate in
this auspicious occasion.

For those of us who have come to this building for the first time
today, we are pleasantly surprised to note that this upscaled office with modern architectural design and open plan layout, state-of-the art equipment, and increased MSAF staff numbers, has a similar look and feel to MSAF’s Kadavu House office. Our intention and commitment to you, is to standardize the MSAF offices in terms of look and feel, but also in terms of enhanced levels of customer service.

I am sure you will agree that this new MSAF office is a stepped
change from the containerized facilities MSAF has occupied for a
number of years here at Denarau. Having said that, we express our sincere appreciation to Nigel Skeggs, General Manager of Port Denarau for allowing MSAF use of the containerized building at no cost, and as part of his support of the services MSAF provides to the maritime industry.

In the current era of state reform, everybody seems agreed that
decentralization of government is a good thing - governments
themselves, aid donors and other international agencies, our
citizens, and certainly many academic writers on good governance, public service reform and development. The case for decentralization is argued on both political grounds - as
strengthening democracy, accountability and participation by
bringing government 'closer' to its citizens - and economic grounds, those of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of public service provision.

Whilst the Bainimarama government may appear to be focused on
national and regional issues, we take a balanced approach, in also promoting adequate and efficient provision of services, essentially local in nature. The case for decentralization can, in fact, be made on a number of grounds such as the following:

1. Local authorities tend to act more in line with local
preferences and conditions, and their response to local needs
is more expeditious.
2. Decentralization increases effectiveness in service delivery.
3. Decentralization provides government with early warnings of
potential challenges, enabling quick remedial action.
4. Decentralization makes development projects more
sustainable and cost effective because local people are more
likely to be involved in their design, execution, and
monitoring.
5. Decentralization encourages communities to find solutions to
their everyday problems, yielding innovative ideas, which are
more attuned to local conditions.

However, we need not lose sight of the primary purpose of
opening this new MSAF office – namely, improving the quality of
maritime services provided by MSAF, and enablement of enhanced maritime stakeholder and citizen compliance, thereby supporting enhanced maritime safety, security and protection of our pristine marine environment.

It is also important to note, that this Nadi Denarau MSAF office opening is the first of many scheduled for this year, and over the
coming years. Next week we will be opening the new Lautoka
office and towards the end of 2014, the Labasa and Savusavu
offices. We also project the opening of new offices in Taveuni and
Nabouwalu in 2015. I believe this clearly reaffirms our government’s intent to ‘take the essential services required to the
maritime stakeholders and citizens’, and to enhance customer
service delivery.

On this memorable occasion, I must thank and congratulate all
those who have worked so hard in contributing to the inauguration
of this new office, for it reinforces government’s acknowledgement
of the importance of the Nadi Denarau region to the maritime
industry of Fiji, and our commitment to meet the increasing
demand and expectations of the maritime industry. May I wish all
maritime stakeholders, citizens, and MSAF staff members a very
pleasant working environment. May I also wish you all good health and every success, and may the Lord continue to bless you all.

It gives me great pleasure in officially declaring this Nadi Denarau MSAF office open.

Thank you.