HE was a quiet man. That would probably best describe the late permanent secretary for Sugar Lieutenant Colonel Manasa Vaniqi.
However, those who knew him well would tell another story.
Lt-Col Vaniqi’s fierce determination to forge alliances between traditional foes in an industry plagued with political interference and motivations over its 132-year history paved the way for reforms which began to turn the industry around.
He will be remembered for many things including playing a significant role in trying to address cane lease issues, labour woes and infrastructure problems that contributed to many being disillusioned with cane farming.
When industry stakeholders, in co-operation with the EU, formulated the Sugar Industry Strategic Action Plan from 2013-2017, Lt-Col Vaniqi played a lead role in rolling out the five-year strategy to farmers.
When Fiji hosted the International Sugar Organisation and the ACP Sugar Ministers meetings in Nadi, unbeknownst to many it was Lt-Col Vaniqi who worked behind the scenes to make both events happen.
The late Lieutenant Colonel Manasa Vaniqi was laid to rest yesterday in Nadi.
However, his contribution to an industry that supports the livelihoods of about 200,000 people that he helped nurture and coax back to life from near-collapse is perhaps his greatest legacy.
On a separate front, anyone found breaching the Environmental Emergency Declaration Regulation will be arrested by police. The order came into effect yesterday when Police operations director ACP Rusiate Tudravu issued a directive to his officers to arrest those found in breach of the regulations in areas affected by raw sewage from the leaking pipe at Nabua in Suva.
Clearly, it will have an impact on people who depend on the area for their livelihood. A number of questions will be raised about the impact of this on the environment, who should be held responsible for this turn of events, and the impact on the local marine life.
How this particular situation is dealt with is being followed with keen interest.
There obviously needs to be a sense of urgency to deal with it.
The question is whether that is happening.
Are there measures in place to ensure there is no repetition of this disaster in the future?
Can we reduce the turnaround time in dealing with such an issue?
Are there contingency plans in place to reduce the negative impact on the environment and on the health of people who live in and around the affected areas? Are there monitoring systems in place? How much is it costing the State to fix this particular issue? And could this situation have been avoided?
The police clampdown does make this a rather serious issue.
