It comes as no surprise that allegations of collusion between districts and suppliers on purchasing items under the $1 million grant and voters have surfaced.

This scam had been seen months ago because there was rampant misuse of public funds. There was misuse because the money being used was seen as free money and many members of parliament are guilty of not using the money wisely.

There is now a policy change on how the money should be used. This policy is welcomed but these guidelines should have been put in place ages ago.

The policy change recently approved by Cabinet now prohibits the giving out of vouchers to purchase home appliances for families diverting the funds to community-based initiatives. Other changes will also see the granting of purchase of heavy machinery for road works but a stringent process is in place for such proposals requiring a lot of paperwork.

Minister of Women Community and Social Development and chairperson for $1 million Steering Committee, Mulipola Anarosa Ale–Molioo said some suppliers were found to have been in negotiation with others to raise the price of items at equal and some suppliers bought from other suppliers and resold it at a higher cost.

This is outright criminal and, surprisingly, police have not been called in and people have not been taken to task. This is not free money. This money belongs to the people of this country and can be used in a much better way.

Earlier on Minister of Finance Lautimuia Uelese Vaai raised concern about the misuse of public funds, if the remainder of the $5 million per constituency is given as a lump sum, is genuine and also worrying.

This concern has not been generated out of thin air. This means that even the portions given to the district councils have raised red flags. For example, the missing $175,000 in Fa'asaleleaga No.2 and the use of vouchers of up to $3000 per voter in certain constituencies is worrying. Some district offices have been built on land that belongs to the MP or a family member.

This goes to show that in some places the money is not being used for what it was intended for. This shows that the government is already concerned.

Let us go back to the calculation. $1 million per year for 51 constituencies amounts to $51 million in a financial year and over five years, it comes to $265 million or a little over a quarter of a billion. That in no way is a small sum of money.

What have some constituencies done with this money? In Faleata No.3 and a few other constituencies, they gave out vouchers to voters and it is up to them what they purchase. It could be a TV, a blender or some timber. If there is more than one voter in the household, multiply that number with the voucher amount.

If anyone thinks this was the best use of the funds, they are more than mistaken. Some district councils went out of their way and purchased hundreds of wheelbarrows, forks, spades, axes and some even grasscutters.

An audit should be done on how much of this equipment is still with the people they were given to and how this equipment changed their lives for the better.

The reports from each of these district councils on how they used the public funds given to them would give everyone an idea of how the money can be used for better things.

It would be great to see how many of the district councils decided to use the money to pay their teachers better or in line with the government salary scales. People want to know how many used the funds to make education free for children in their constituencies.

There is a need to know how many district councils provided bus fares for children to reach school and how many invested in a bus so people in rural and remote communities could access public transportation.

Did any of the farming constituencies invest in tractors or agricultural equipment that would help farmers have a bigger yield? We as a nation need more agricultural products in our market. How many district councils invested in projects that would make money and help everyone in the district?

Have there been any chilling stations built for villages next to the sea and boats purchased so more people could earn from fisheries? We are an island nation surrounded by the sea yet the bounties from the ocean are not being used.

It would also be good to know if the funds were used to help families get access to electricity and water. The funds could have easily been used to make solar farms and connect homes to them. This would have reduced the burden on so many families and also helped the nation achieve its renewable energy goal.

The idea behind the district development grants is undoubtedly a good one. Villages and districts can get work done without having the bureaucratic red tape. However, this fund is of no use if it is not utilised for things that would not be an investment.

This is not free money that can be splashed around. If that is the view of some people, then divert the money to improve the hospitals, pay the teachers and nurses and make better roads.

Some constituencies have used the money wisely but most have gone to waste. The government needs to make the usage of these funds public knowledge for the sake of transparency and accountability.

There is also a need to hold people accountable if this money has been misused.