Ridhi Damodar Questions $4.2M Pay Hike for Politicians Amid Broken Roads and Jobless Youth

Concerns over the high cost of living, youth unemployment, and deteriorating infrastructure dominated the recent national budget consultation in Nadi — but it was the government’s decision to approve a $4.2 million salary increase for Members of Parliament that drew some of the sharpest criticism.

Speaking after the session, social commentator and community advocate Ms. Ridhi Damodar called the move a “clear sign of a government that is more self-serving than public-serving.”

“Fijians are struggling — our youth can’t find jobs, small businesses are barely hanging on, and rural roads are becoming more dangerous every day,” Ms. Damodar said. “Yet the coalition government has chosen to divert $4.2 million to increase their own salaries. That money could have gone toward job creation, upskilling programs, or repairing unsafe crossings used by schoolchildren.”

Ms. Damodar questioned the priorities of the current administration, saying the raise undermines public trust at a time when communities across the country are calling for help.

“When rural communities cry out and politicians give themselves a raise, we have to ask: whose interests is this coalition really protecting?” she said.

She added that the country needs leaders who will “listen to the people and invest in their needs — not cash in at their expense.”