Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad is calling on independent institutions not to manipulate the collection and analysis of probative national data to suit political agendas.
He says that this has been the case with the National Statistics Office and the Auditor General, among other institutions whose independence was almost neutralized by the previous government.
Prasad made the comments while speaking at the ILO-Pacific Islands Regional Training on Evidence-Based Building for Decent Work in Nadi today.
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The minister says the legacy left by the previous government in terms of evidence-based policy-making almost brought the country to the brink of economic disaster.
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“And this has resulted in the coalition government allocating more taxpayer funds to rebuild these core institutions. We are currently revising our Statistics Act and our Audit Act to ensure there is no interference and that these institutions are independent. And the portrait of the nation we want to build will be based on the independence, transparency and accountability of these independent institutions.
Prasad adds that the government needs to be able to get the unfiltered truth in real time to identify any new or emerging issues.
This he adds will also help them take quick steps to mitigate risks and readjust policies and legislative approaches in this regard.
