A battle worth the wait
Nasinu Secondary School and Ratu Kadavulevu School made a massive statement on Saturday, thrashing their opponents in the Vodafone Deans U18 semis. Nasinu outpowered Natabua High School 44-3. They kept the Western Zone champions try-less. RKS outmuscled Suva Grammar School 48-28. Nasinu and RKS are meeting in the final for the first time since that 19-17 win by the warriors from Lodoni in 1988. Nasinu have grown strong since the quarterfinal, after knocking out defending champions Queen Victoria School. The bonding in the school is evident as their U19 school is also in the final. RKS is the traditional giant when it comes to the Deans. However, the boys from Delainakaikai last won the Deans trophy in 2018 against Cuvu College 20-0. Since then RKS have not laid their hands on the prestigious trophy. Nasinu will be out to create history. They want to win their first Deans title. The closest they came were in 1988, 1999, 2012 and 2024. In 1999, 2012 and last year, they lost to QVS 10-9, 31-21 and 27-13, respectively. I have seen the way Nasinu play. They have guts. They mean business. They are playing for pride. The boys are determined to end their losing run. Their determination and perseverance have brought them to the final. I can anticipate tears, blood and sweat when traditional giants RKS take on a resilient and spirited Nasinu side. Champagne rugby at its best! Expect the HFC Bank Stadium filled to the brim on Saturday! Toso Viti! Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam, Nadawa, Nasinu
Obesity in adults
With 67 per cent obesity among our adult population is no surprise. From many years, awareness via TV, in newspapers and over the air has been more than enough to address the issue. All these awareness from medical professionals and media presenters haven’t educated people on obesity who otherwise are genius in other aspects of life which may not be as important. Street Talk column of The Fiji Times on obesity and NCDs gives us all positive answers from people, without revealing the truth. Nothing is impossible. Our young children can be saved from obesity as they grow up to adults. Firstly, children can be advised on some common items not to picked from supermarkets, for example, fizzy drinks and ice cream. To begin with, at home parents could place a tumbler for everyone on the sink for water where a child needs to fetch from the tap as well, without opening the fridge for fizzy drink. Also children need to learn to pick fruits instead of litres of ice-cream. This will stop children from picking large bottles of fizzy drinks and litres of ice cream from supermarkets. SARITA LAL, Lautoka
Water demand
Our PM commented on the water supply distribution system long term solutions (17/8/25). If WAF has been in coordination with leading global water specialists and bilateral partners over the past decade, why then have the “water carting expenses” continued to rise significantly? In fact, there should have been minimal water carting or none at all, in my view. Why is it that we don’t benchmark the WAF against the best in water management? Look at Israel and Singapore, with very less freshwater resources, average 7million population, but never experienced water carting. Israel has only 2.7 percent of its entire land mass covered with water. Is it not something to ponder on? Or is Fiji going to continue coping with the “donkey years” issue, as the traffic congestion? It is not so much about the ADB and multinational banks funding, it should be about resolving of this “national” crisis. What has been presented, in my opinion, is similar to pouring water into a punctured container. Samu Silatolu, Nakasi
Insurance for all
I read with interest the recent article titled “PM Rabuka: Insurance is more than a business” (FT 18/8), where the PM highlighted the importance of insurance in supporting families, communities, and businesses during difficult times. While the PM rightfully pointed out that insurance should not be a privilege but a necessity, a pressing question remains unanswered: why are businesses located in flood-prone areas, particularly in Nadi, systematically excluded from insurance coverage? Nadi, being the tourism hub and a critical driver of Fiji’s economy, is vulnerable to flooding. Many businesses in the town have endured repeated losses due to natural disasters. Yet, despite the PM’s call for inclusive, affordable, and innovative insurance products, insurance service suppliers continue to deny coverage to these very businesses that need it most. If insurance is truly meant to provide resilience and the ability to recover and rebuild, then leaving out businesses in flood-prone zones contradicts the spirit of what the PM advocates. The exclusion not only cripples businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, but also undermines investor confidence in key sectors. I, therefore, call upon both the Government and the insurance industry to clarify: what concrete steps are being taken to ensure that flood-prone areas like Nadi are no longer left outside the protection net of insurance services? Without such inclusion, the promise of “insurance for all” remains incomplete. Sunil Kumar, Nadi Back Road
War protest
Organisers say nearly 500,000 at the Tel Aviv rally, one million participated in the day’s protest nationwide (The Times of Israel 17/8 ) against PM Netanyahu’s plan to expand the war and “to demand end to Gaza war and release of hostages”. And we have people in far-flung Fiji supporting and justifying Netanyahu and his far right mob’s plan to escalate the war and even takeover Gaza! What absurdity is that?! Rajend Naidu, Sydney, Australia
FNPF pension
The Fiji Times opinion by Professor Wadan Narsey with pictures of concerned pensioners, including the picture of late Jackson Mar, robbed in 2012 (FT 15/8) is heart breaking. As many affected are still alive today, let’s pray for restoration of their well deserved justified dues as being highlighted in The Fiji Times with facts and figures. ‘People will forgive and forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ – M. Angelou. Tahir Ali, Hamilton, New Zealand
FTUC blessed
Members of the Fiji Trades Union Congress (FTUC) are blessed that their president may also a heart specialist. What other talents does he possess which he is keeping secret from us? Jan Nissar, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Money to burn
The Fiji Times notes that the Attorney-General’s report states that the MOH significantly under spent $12.2million of their health budget raising questions about the department’s “co-ordination and oversight”. An under statement if ever I saw one! This year, the Dept of Finance flinched $36m from the health budget to go to the FRA budget, stopping dead these projects; Refurbishment Ba hospital $351,000, construction of Lautoka Aged Care $250,000, Children’s Help Line $20,000, Labasa Hospital upgrade $3m, refurbishment Savusavu Hospital $200,000 construction of new rehab hospital Tamavua $1.5m, purchase bio-metric equipment $3m, dental equipment for hospitals $900,000 and more. It looks like we have dunderheads in power, read ministers and PSs, but at the least they should be able to hire professionals qualified to do the necessary work within the departments. Unfortunately, the only department with any kind of financial responsibility is the Auditor General’s. Terry Hulme, Russell St., Eastwood, NSW, Australia
Misguided passion
Seveci Tora (FT 16/08) is obviously very passionate about Fiji rugby. I lost count of how many times he stated Fijian flair, Fiji style and the like in his letter. He obviously thinks that Fiji is the centre of the rugby world. I think his misguided diatribe relates more to the Mickey Mouse game. Middle East money seems to be the motivating factor of his Fiji rugby passion, especially places like UAE, Qatar and Dubai who he thinks can promote Fiji-style rugby to the rest of the world. Be that as it may, I would be interested to know Seveci’s thoughts about the apartheid policies being practised by Fiji Rugby for a very long time. I have not seen the new chairman do anything to change that. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps his passion may get some attention if he and his passionate friends make a viral video with some imagination of the Fijian style flair. I am only being practical. Not only will Fiji become like Singapore, but it will also be like Dubai and UAE and Fijians will automatically learn how to use toilets and dispose of their rubbish properly. How are the streets of Tacirua, Seveci? Just pointing out the facts, which seems to have been lost in all the misguided passion. Jan Nissar, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Nasinu toll gates
Reading Mr Felix Magnus’ statement in The Fiji Times (FT 18/8) about the cost of running the council and the main issue of rubbish clearance, I would suggest that the council set up toll gates as a way to receive much needed revenue and to keep its streets clean. At a cost of $3.5 million annually to clear rubbish and with government support of only one million, it is obvious that drastic measures are needed to raise funds. When its responsibilities cover the non-rate paying population of 54 informal settlements, where a lot of vehicles transit, toll gates on the main highway makes sense to ensure that some revenue are at least obtained from its residents. Municipalities like Nasinu cannot be run on freebies. Conan Hatch, Nadi Airport
Criticism of party
In her latest segment ‘PM responds to pressing concerns’ senior The Fiji Times journalist Cheerieann Wilson asked PM Rabuka: “How do you respond to criticism that the NFP members in Government are serving self interest rather than the public good?” (FT16/8). Rabuka responded: “I do not share the views expressed by your letter writer [that’s me], and I have no doubt that National Federation members of Cabinet will be more than happy to give you a response if you ask them.” Please don’t ask them. Their response is predictable. Ask the Fijian public instead. But we will know in any case at the next election notwithstanding PM Rabuka’s attempt to sidestep the issue. Rajend Naidu, Sydney, Australia