Beautiful Fiji
I never write to newspapers or publicly voice my opinion, but my heart is breaking watching what is happening in Fiji in relation to drugs. know there are corruption issues that filter from the top down, but the reality is that unless the Government acts immediately, your lovely island and everyone in it will be reduced to just another drug-ridden place in the Pacific, with all of the culture, goodwill, warmth, and happiness that are the essence of your community gone within two to three years. Many years ago, I used to own a house in the Caribbean, where I spent a lot of time. Drugs were coming in the same way as they are now in Fiji. I swore to myself that the day I saw a Porsche being driven by a 20-year-old with flashy jewellery, making a nuisance of himself, it would be time to sell everything and leave — which I did. Those islands are now drug-ridden and unsafe, with all their charm and island warmth gone. A violent, drug- and greed-based culture now exists, and the essence of a culture that was once kind and compassionate has utterly disappeared. Needless to say, nobody goes there anymore, and tourism was the main source of income. The heads of government, rife with corruption, may have been to blame, but the reality is that, whatever the reason, at a cultural and commercial level those islands were irreversibly destroyed. The generations of families that live there now have absolutely no future. Fiji is already on its way to being permanently destroyed. Once this generation is affected by the lure and devastation that come with drugs, it will be irreversible, and the island will no longer be recognisable. It is a guaranteed failure for Fiji, its community, and all future generations. This is an absolute certainty. The government must, with immediate effect, bring into force the death penalty with zero tolerance, along the same lines as in Singapore and Indonesia. Whether it is 1 gram or 1 kilogram, whether it is dealing at school or trafficking, whether it is supplying or receiving, or whether it is a 14-year-old or a 74-year-old — zero tolerance and certain execution is the only way to start getting a hold on this issue, and even then it will still be an uphill battle. Ana and I fell in love with Fiji the moment we arrived last year. We have travelled extensively, and without doubt Fiji is the most special place on Earth. The Government must act now or be replaced with one that will. Dave Cummin (and Ana) London, United Kingdom
Gulf crisis
MAYBE this Gulf crisis with its effects on oil production, tanker transportation and barrel price, will hasten the move towards the redrawing of the global automobile market from gasoline to electric vehicles. Well, one would logically assume that this will very soon be the trend. Bu, this may not be the reality, not for a long time. Our reliance on fossil fuel will most likely be forever with us, despite all the COP talkfests and agreements to reduce its production and use and move to greener energy sources. One can just gauge our daily reactions and grave concerns over the current oil price increases to see how we are still totally reliant today. It would not have been like that if we had all moved to greener energy — as per COP agreements — and that oil production and use was history by now. Lessons to be learnt here! EDWARD BLAKELOCK Admirals Circle, Pacific Harbour
Waste disposal
THE people of Vuda do not want the waste disposal incinerator to be installed on their land. Why is the Environment Ministry encouraging a process against the will of the people? Simply stop it! The people will be thankful. DAN URAI Lautoka
Prestigious ward?
BROTHER Rajend Naidu, you have begun to sound like a broken record on PM Modi. You should be concerned about what Trump said regarding Australia not supporting the USA in the war. Australia has a history of being a lackey of the USA. These days, the Pulitzer and Nobel awards are all politicised. RAKESH CHAND SHARMA Adelaide, Australia
Laws of war
WHEN I read The Guardian report “Israel used white phosphorus to scorch earth” (March 27, 2026), I was not surprised because as the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) researchers verified “Israel was again (yes again, my emphasis) using the notorious weapon over Lebanon, reigniting accusations that it is breaking the laws of war”. Israel has shown scant regard for the laws governing the conduct of war and for international humanitarian laws from the very beginning. That’s why South Africa has filed a case of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with many other countries joining the case. Fiji, along with the US, are the very few that oppose the genocide charge against Israel for reasons best known only to its political leaders. RAJEND NAIDU Sydney, Australia
Proposed party
The proposed FijiansFirst party has applied to be registered as a political party (FT 27/3/26). Is this not part of the deregistered FijiFirst party? Obviously, “Fijians” has been substituted for “Fiji” as the party name, and the co-founders are mostly former FFP members, in my view. Does it ring a bell? Will it change being the “conduits” of oppressive and self-service leadership? I believe that nearly all do not possess the “integrity” of being people’s representatives. Prestige and self-interest seem to have always been their motto, in my view. Their political records have already been displayed publicly, and the writing is on the wall. And I am certain there is a big difference between honestly representing the people and being an opportunist. SAMU SILATOLU Nakasi, Nausori
Clear focus
What an illuminating and insightful letter by Indar Deo Bissun on what really matters for the welfare and well-being of the Fijian people in the prevailing situation confronting them in today’s Fiji. The letter also contains his plea for parliamentarians to prioritise their focus, commensurate with the actual needs of the people (FT 28/3/26). The letter deserves an award. RAJEND NAIDU Sydney, Australia
Need for change
IT is high time Jan Nissar changed his attitude or mind his own business. Your letter dated 25/03 is an indication of your schooling and the manners you were taught while growing up. As for wearing salusalu, it is part of our Fijian culture. If I begin to point out some of the things about your culture and traditions, you’ll go on a rant. Your government itself is saying, Australians are living from pay cheque to pay cheque. ABC News reports recently said more than 500 petrol stations have run out of fuel across Australia. Is this your wonderland? Shame on you. RAKESH CHAND SHARMA Adelaide, Australia
A load of rubbish
WHEN I first read about the sponsored incinerator project in Vuda, the only thing that caught my eye was how the project was so vast that it would need to import additional waste from Australia to make it commercially viable. Apparently, Fiji’s entire waste generation is insufficient. Alarm bells began ringing and a red flag immediately went up and I wondered, isn’t there a smaller Korean project also in the West, intended to convert green waste into electricity? We don’t hear much about it except that it sometimes suffers from a short supply of green waste? If only Government would do something about the invasive African Tulip pest eradication I have grown tired of raising. However, by comparison with the incinerator project, its footprint and environmental impact is miniscule. Thank you, Mr McElrath for your informative heartfelt letter (Fiji Sun 28/03). I gratefully join in with your incisive criticism and categorisation of the proposed Vuda incinerator project. Messrs Malouf and Cromb, in our lingo , “…thanks but no thanks…”, keep your rubbish at home! DANIEL FATIAKI Suva
Increase in fines
Fines for littering have been increased from $40 to $200. Good luck to whoever came up with that mind-blowing solution. Has this person or department come up with a solution on what to do with the way people use public toilets? The only way these problems could be fixed is for Fiji to become a developed nation. We all know that is a long, long way away. Evolution is a very slow process, and Fijians simply are not ready to evolve yet. It is clear they want to go backwards. My suggestion is to close all public toilets and to get rid of all rubbish bins, because Fijians do not know how to use them. One needs to come up with simple and innovative cost-effective ideas rather than simply increasing bins. That is not a solution! JAN NISSAR Sydney, Australia
Historical decision
THE return of 1500 acres of Native Grant No. 2 to Nadala, Nadarivatu landowners is a historical decision indeed. Congratulations to the Prime Minister and his team. To the landowners — the future rests in your hands. DAN URAI Lautoka
