In 1983 parliamentarian Arthur Jennings raised questions regarding the functions of the Fiji Sports Council. He said the Fiji Sports Council failed to function as expected by the sportsmen and sportswomen of Fiji.
An article in The Fiji Times on December 1 that year said Mr Jennings was very critical of most of the replies the minister for Education, Youth and Sports, Dr Ahmed Ali, gave to supplementary questions he had raised in Parliament.
“My assessment from Dr Ali’s replies was that the Fiji Sports Council has failed to function as expected when it was first set up five years ago,” he said.
The FSC was very orientated in all things they did, Mr Jennings said, and the former New Zealand All Black lock forward asked why the FSC concentrated on Suva when it was expected to serve the whole of Fiji.
He said the only project that had come out of the FSC’s five years in operation was the squash courts in Suva.
“All I can make from the minister’s replies is that the FSC has started negotiating with local government bodies, the Town and Country Planning office and the Housing Authority (of Fiji) to assist in the development of, and the provision and utilisation of facilities for sports.”
He said the national stadium and the gymnasium had been used well but the main beneficiaries were the people in Suva.
Mr Jennings opined more must be done to help the rural people, who appeared to be totally ignored by the FSC.
He cited Lawaqa Park, which had been the venue of important rugby and soccer matches for the whole of Nadroga Province.
He said this ground had accommodated many important matches of the past because of Nadroga’s reign in rugby and the team had, and still produce some of Fiji’s great players in the national team.
Mr Jennings said the safety of players and spectators at Lawaqa Park was not good, and FSC officials, two of whom had been executives of the Fiji Rugby Union for many years, should have had a Nadroga stadium well on the way by now.
He also asked why FSC had not provided any annual report of its activities showing its financial position.
“It is only a small organisation compared to bigger government departments and surely they can provide a report.”
He was surprised with the minister’s reply when he asked if the FSC worked to an annual budget in their spending. Dr Ali had replied, he assumed they did.
“One would expect financial projections before public money was being spent,” Mr Jenning’s said.
“As minister responsible, Dr Ali should know what is going on and let the public know because they are entitled to.”
All his questions raised in Parliament were specifically related to the FSC Act and he said he expected more specific answers.
