Skill put to good use
The story of Nunia Lailai in yesterday’s The Fiji Times is an inspiration to women who may have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or who are looking for an opportunity to ply their sewing skills. Nunia Lailai, who lost her husband last year, has turned to craftwork with the support of her children and joined the Makoi Women’s Vocational Training Centre to learn freehand sewing because she wanted to acquire the skill to help her venture out into other income-generating projects. Like any other mother, Nunia plans to venture into sewing in order to provide for her children, and I’m sure that she will attain success. Sewing fetches money and is a good income-generating project and those women without jobs or those who have lost their jobs can rejuvenate themselves and think about joining sewing. At least something for them to fall back on when the going gets tougher! RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM
Nadawa, Nasinu
Social distancing
I believe common sense and consistency seems to be glaringly absent from the government’s stance on social distancing as regards church attendances. The buses taking students and workers are overly crowded just like pre-COVID, classrooms are filled just like pre-COVID, workplace arrangements exist just like pre-COVID yet churches are somehow forced to abide by some arbitrary COVID-related criterion. Can someone from either the Health Ministry or PM’s Office let us know the rationale behind the inconsistency of limiting church attendances when all of the abovementioned are not? It just doesn’t make sense. But it does make sense if one correlates to what is happening overseas e.g. in the USA where no one is arrested for disregarding social distancing dictates while protesting but can be if one goes to church. I think people should just go to church and exercise their freedom to protest unjust laws or nonsensical public impositions like limiting church attendances when all else is accepted. Mareko Vuli Wainibuku Rd, Nasinu
Budget option
With the budget delivery this Friday I wonder if it’s too late to take a leaf from Australia’s policy of inviting certain Hong Kong entrepreneurs and professionals with offers of Fiji permanent residency leading to eventual citizenship being fast-tracked so long as they also bring with them funds in excess of US half a million dollars. If we limit the annual intake to 2-3000 people to make it manageable then we may not need to print or borrow funds in the short term. Strict screening of such immigrants would be necessary. Fiji is a very inviting destination in terms of what we can offer. Maybe a pie in the sky, but worth a try. Dorsami Naidu Nadi
Customer feedback
I believe it should be mandatory for all service providers be it government entity or private entity to provide a platform where customers in whatever form are given a chance to provide their feedback on the quality of service they receive. Easy to read and fill in forms should be given to each customer and they should be requested to fill in as per the service they have received. I know some already have this in place but how effective this is should be considered. Having such forms displayed without any genuine action for its usage is an exercise in futility. Whatever the case, customers should have an opportunity to provide their views in an endeavour to make necessary adjustments for improvement. I believe we are getting pathetic services from almost all providers. This statement could be substantiated through the feedback received. By the way the intended service providers shall not be limited only to certain places, but be inclusive of all others. Dhirendra Prasad Lautoka
Memory lane
It was so nice to see the turaga ni yavusa Nawaibuta, Nailega Village in Tailevu, Ratu Suliasi Daunitutu when he officially opened the new Home and Living outlet in Korovou ( FT 11/7). To those who know him that’s good but to those who do not know him, he was a former policeman, former Suva and Fiji rugby representative, toured Wales, France and Canada in 1964. I can recall when he was playing for Police, his former teammate the late Eremasi Lovodua of Kadavu was told that during the 80 minutes he was a policeman and not from Kadavu and when the final whistle blew than he was a kai Kadavu. Especially when playing against the Kadavu team in those days. Ni bula balavu turaga naita! Vili Yaranamua Tamavua, Suva
Public discharge
Thank you The Fiji Times and Anish Chand for covering the story about the lad that was jailed for eight days for urinating in public. At our home, every man that comes for grog know that to discharge the liquid, you go outside. Regardless what time of the day that maybe. Our house is right next to the public
road which I believe makes that urinating publicly. Men only visit the toilet to take a dump other than
that, you’re politely told to just mi ga i tuba qori! It’s not that our toilet is made of gold or what but it’s just that we prefer the cowboy’s style. Normally our neighbors would complain about the stench the following morning. Thankfully they didn’t lodge a formal complaint. Now that we know there is actually a law to that, patrons can be warned and told “be aware!” Sau levu toka na mi ca ra gone! Ni qarauna!
Kaila! ALIPATE TUBERI, Suva
A response
IN response to Sukha
Singh’s letter (F/T –11/07/20), although Labasa and Savusavu towns councils have the same administrators, each council is run as a totally separate entity from the other. Savusavu garbage rates
were only introduced this year, and, all things being equal, may, in time, be on par with Labasa.
Seaqaqa garbage collection is on a user-pay basis. All this information and more is freely available
from council office at any time that you care to enquire directly or in person. DOREEN ROBINSON
Special Administrator —Labasa/ Savusavu
Imperfect state
FROM an imperfect Savusavu resident to an imperfect Lautoka citizen. I would need Fred Wesley
to allocate me several pages in The Fiji Times in order for me to state the flaws of the current imperfect government and which flaws have already been pointed out and corrected. One simply needs to read
the letters to the Editor and The Fiji Times daily news to notice it, apart from face-to-face encounters
and experiences with government departments. Government has lots of room to improve and the
reason we are not improving is that our government machinery is just not good enough. We need to be doing better. SIMON HAZELMAN, Rava Estate, Savusavu
List of writers
THANK you Alipate Tuberi and Allen Lockington for your take on us writers being highly ranked. I don’t know about other writers but maybe you think too highly of my writings. Obviously, it makes us feel good and brings smiles on our faces, but to be in those top chairs and to write for this column are two different things. For me, our thoughts being given consideration is good enough. It feels good when authorities listen and react. It was good to get a response about our western swimming pool although we know it was at a “snail’s pace”. We put our thoughts in writing because we want action. Thanks once again for the honour. KIRTI PATEL Lautoka
More baskets
I AGREE with Prof Vijay Naidu that we should avoid putting all the eggs in one basket (FT 14/07). But the problem is we don’t have enough baskets to spread the eggs around. Even our eggs are in limited quantity. While the agricultural sector does hold potential for diversification of our economy, that too is also vulnerable to risks especially from the impacts of climate change as we have witnessed in recent years. One area that has remained under developed is the tax-free regions. We need to create more attractive incentives to encourage SMEs and resource owners to venture into export oriented industries with foreign participation. I believe there has not been much investment since the inception of this scheme. We have an abundance of natural resources mainly in forestry and fisheries from which we can manufacture value-added products. For example, we have been exporting large volumes of woodchips to China and Japan and large quantities of fish loins for canning overseas for decades. It’s time some serious thought is given to exploiting opportunities for downstream processing of these products. SELWA NANDAN Lautoka
Line-up of writers
MY seniors Alipate Tuberi and Allen Lockington brightened up the Letters to the Editor column this week with their wonderful letters. The Fiji Times deserves a huge credit for making the Letters to the Editor column a success where issues are discussed and end with some hard-hit debates. Letters ranging on a wide number of issues are published and I have personally seen how these issues have been solved amiably. I thank Alipate Tuberi for ranking me and I feel humbled. On the other hand, I thank my fellow writers who take time out to write on issues. As for me, I love writing and I love reading letters to the editor. To Alipate, Allen, Simon and the rest of our gang — kudos and cheers for the family bonding! We may criticise each other but all this happens in the spirit of true democracy, something which Fiji’s oldest and most respected newspaper preaches. Good on you The Fiji Times! RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM Nadawa, Nasinu
Thank you
THANK you Pate Tuberi for recommending me in the top five possible line-up for upcoming election and Allen (Manasa) Lockington for already allocating my portfolio. After years of unprecedented growth, boom economy, rise in standard of living and of course the emergence of many hidden talents in TikTok, I believe this line-up will do wonders. The reality of the matter is I deserve a better portfolio than Manasa Lockington nominated me for and you guys might have guessed what portfolio I am after? MOSES MANI
Auckland, New Zealand
Cone query
NISHANT, I am told that the authorities you have directed your cone query to are bound by the “Cone of silence”. ALLEN LOCKINGTON Kava Place, Lautoka
Long life
I BELIEVE songs live forever, governments don’t. DAN URAI Lautoka
Retirement age
CIVIL servants at 55. Parliamentarians? SHARIF SHAH Savusavu
Fuel tax
IN the last mini-budget I believe the Government had put up the fuel tax by 20 cpl because the crude oil price was virtually zero or negative but now when the crude oil price is almost $US40($F87) per barrel, that increase in duty must go. After all I believe that was for COVID-19 and now that is under control. We will still pay import duty, VAT and 46 cpl on petrol and 26 cpl for diesel. For a small country like ours, I believe this is still too much but we don’t complain. Therefore please don’t take advantage of the silent public. NARDEO MISHRA Suva
Nuclear weapons
LIKE a pandemic disease, nuclear weapons transcend national borders, disputes, and ideologies. Not one nuclear weapon has been exploded in anger since Nagasaki, 1945. Let’s not be complacent. ROD MATTHEWS Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
No match
WITH a crumbling economy and unprecedented years of economic growth, I believe Fiji’s financial viability is a no contest with a pandemic of this magnitude. Halla baand kardis sab ke. NISHANT SINGH Lautoka
Cone issue
BRO Nishant, be patient. When your cone response comes, it will have a double-up surprise. With ice-cream. MOHAMMED IMRAZ JANIF Natabua, Lautoka
