Giant-killers
Thank you Nasinu, my former place of residence in the 80s, for beating the boys in black – Ba, To Tagi Vonolagi and the coaching team, you are on a roll.
Now I look forward to Nasinu playing Lautoka.
ALLEN LOCKINGTON, Kava Place, Lautoka
Biggest upset
The Men in Black would not have thought that their unbeaten run would come to a halt as they were beaten 2-0 at home by giant-killers Nasinu.
After outclassing Navua 5-3 and Lautoka 2-1, the Ba side was given a shock as they went down in front of their home fans.
Debutant Jasnit Vikash scored a brace as the Tagi Vonolagi-coached southern outfit caused one of the biggest upsets in the premier league.
The Men in Black could have undermined the Nasinu side and they paid the price.
In the other match the Babasiga Lions beat Nadi 1-0 via a Siotame Kubu goal
. Yesterday Lautoka played Navua while Rewa met Suva in a huge tussle.
Fans are enjoying the soccer action despite the upset and I’m positive that the next round is going to produce drama.
Good on Nasinu!
Good on Labasa!
RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM, Balgovind Rd, Nadawa, Nasinu
Inspiring result
NASINU, who are given the giant-killers tag in the local soccer fraternity, once again lived up to expectations.
Beating a champion side like Ba is not easy and does not come every day.
It requires something special for the team which has come after a long time in the football’s top flight.
For Ba it seemed like not having enough depth on the bench and playing three games in the matter of eight days took its toll on the players.
I hope that the whole Nasinu team can draw on the inspirations from this match and maintain some consistency in their performance.
PRANIL RAM, Votualevu, Nadi
Well done
GIANT-killers Nasinu taught the high-flying Ba a soccer lesson in Ba on Saturday.
With this result, I think, the competition has become tougher and more challenging for all the contestants.
Nasinu’s Jasnit Vikash netted the first goal in the 18th minute of the first half and scored his second via a penalty in the 57th minute.
This win is certainly a morale booster for the minnows.
Obviously the officials and players have a good reason to celebrate, but must not rest for too long as the campaign is still a long way to go.
For the Ba side it is back to the drawing board to try and find out the mistakes and areas for improvement before taking the next opponent.
My praise goes to Nasinu not just for the win, but for keeping Ba away from their goal mouth during the whole game.
As Ba’s Saula Waqa received a red card for his violent conduct so did Suresh Chand the manager of the Nasinu side for his inappropriate behaviour towards the referee.
I am sure Nasinu coach Tagi Vonolagi would be very happy after seeing this performance and the result from this away from home game.
While Ba lost at home, the Labasa side defended their turf very well defeating the visitors Nadi 1-0.
As the league continues, let’s see here onwards how the teams perform and stand on the points table.
Before I conclude I wish to congratulate Nasinu for a well-deserved victory.
Well done!
SURESH CHAND, Nadi
No Fijian left out
I WAS dumbfounded with CEO Seema Shandil’s superficial observations on the budget when we expect her to be more analytical and discerning on behalf of us consumers.
Does she seriously think bringing the duty down on 1600 odd items, at the stroke of a pen, is a sensible sustainable policy option for Fijians?
There are a few items which no doubt will result in real benefits immediately, but when quantified against the negatives in the long term, many of the options are ill conceived and seem designed for short-term popularity.
Let me use a few examples, and I am sure there are hundreds of others in this category!
Don’t you think bringing duty down on alcohol, carbonated and sugary drinks and many processed, packaged goods is to the detriment of the people as these have been linked to many diseases.
I wonder if the Health Ministry and Agriculture Ministry, which have rightfully been advocating local food production and consumption, were consulted on the implications of this move.
I have not seen in the budget any increased incentives for renewable energy system such as solar, or reduced duty on things such as bicycles and other non-motorised equipment.
Instead we see reduction of duties on vehicles which are already throttling our limited infrastructure.
Surely these would have been in line with the government’s mantra on resilience and reduced carbon footprint.
I am hoping with the increased budget for the infrastructure, FRA can see the wisdom of making footpaths and bicycle lanes while upgrading the major roads such as Ratu Sukuna, Fletcher etc as well as investing in solar streetlights.
No doubt the budget will benefit the people who already have money or regular income as they can take advantage of the cheaper electrical goods, luxury cars etc, but there is little in the budget that will assist the thousands of people who have lost their jobs and have no regular income.
Even the sugarcane farmers, who have had it tough, are now being targeted, surely a recipe for reduced interest in sugarcane farming.
Even the agriculture sector, which has recently seen huge campaigns to grow and eat local foods, will now have to compete with cheaper food imports.
There is little in the budget to encourage value adding crops such as coconut, ginger, cocoa and the amazing array of tropical fruits, vegetables and spices we are so capable of producing.
Surely we could have been more selective and smarter in our policy options.
MANISH CHAND, Suva
Interest rates
DR Rohit Kishore is absolutely correct in pointing out that the interest rates charged by our commercial banks are exorbitantly high for a small economy such as Fiji (FT 18/07).
No one can deny they have been profiteering for a long time.
There seems to be no regulatory mechanism to oversee the fixing of the lending rates.
If I recall correctly some years back a special committee was tasked to undertake a review of the bank charges and rates.
I wonder what happened to that report.
It’s high time the rates are scaled down to render it more accessible and affordable to small businesses, farmers and low income earners.
A shot in the arm would kick-start the much needed economic activities.
The grant for first homes has been reinstated in the 2020-2021 budget, but the workers whose pay have been reduced or are nearing retirement age would be hesitant to take advantage of this offer because of high interest rate.
It is to be noted that a new player in the market is offering the most lucrative interest rate for term deposit which has not been matched by other financial institution.
Why?
SELWA NANDAN, Lautoka
