Bula
Three stories make the front page of The Fiji Times for Friday, May 16.
SODELPA: Read about the latest in the SODELPA saga on Page 2.
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Synopsis
Taking a leaf off Mokani’s move!
Turaga ni Koro, Navitalai Mualevu has been quite assertive and clear in what he expects from Mokani villagers when it comes to the proper disposal of rubbish.
Villagers have been warned against throwing rubbish “all over the place”, and to keep the village clean!
From the outset, it’s a great initiative. In fact, it’s a great way to deal with litterbugs and protect the environment.
He says they have been working with the people to maintain cleanliness in the village.
And that’s a great start!
Sceptics may wonder whether it is the way to go though.
There is the bit about enforcement, and there is the bit about initiative!
How do we encourage people to keep the environment clean? How do we get them to take ownership of their own environment?
That should start from within each one of us.
People could be encouraged to do that on their own and accept responsibility for their own rubbish. They could be encouraged to develop the initiative to do that instinctively.
Or they could be forced to do that, to keep their village clean.
But then, what happens when no one is looking?
Who then keeps things in order?
So to that end, it may be a good start to enforce rules that, hopefully, will encourage people to eventually see the good in responsibly disposing their rubbish!
“We have warned the children not to throw rubbish in the compound,” Mr Mualevu said.
“We have a clean-up campaign in the village and we try to clean our village every week.”
He said with the help of the Health Ministry they’ve also installed two rubbish bins in the village.
Leaders, he said, have been talking to villagers on the importance of maintaining cleanliness, which he said, was something the elders have always preached about.
Any effort to keep the environment clean must be welcomed.
So we get straight back to the important question: How do we encourage individuals to not just obey rules when someone is watching, but to act responsibly even when no one is?
Perhaps we should be internalizing the importance of cleanliness.
Enforcement can be a starting point, however, long-term change requires personal initiative.
People must understand why it matters!
And it is not just for aesthetics or hygiene, but for their own well-being and that of future generations!
Such campaigns need to strike a balance between regulation and motivation. People need to believe in the cause, not just comply with it.
So let’s take this across the country! Let’s be moved by the power of unity and let’s keep our environment clean wherever we are today.
Let’s work on building a culture where we are all taking responsibility for our rubbish!
