Bula
Giving people the power to vote for their President will require the 2013 Constitution to be changed.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said for now the decision rests with the Members of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Graham Leung says the issue of changing the Constitution will come before Cabinet ‘sooner rather than later’.
That’s the lead on Page 1 of The Sunday Times for October 27.
In the second story, developing new skills for 8000 Fijians, the country will need to invest $104million.
Pacific Polytech chairman Dr Ganesh Chand said currently, Fiji is only investing at a rate of $42m on developing 3780 people.
Synopsis
Element of stability and trust!
Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Manoa Kamikamica says rebuilding the country is part of the Coalition Government’s provision for stability.
Well and good.
This issue of stability has been raised quite a bit recently.
It is something we all must place value on.
Stability though, isn’t something we can just flick our fingers for, and it happens!
Responding to the newly released National Security and Defence Review (NSDR) report which highlighted inconsistent government messaging and decision-making had created a perception of “self-serving leaders”, Mr Kamikamica said the past administration’s conduct had contributed to people’s concerns and the erosion of the public’s trust.
We now are aware that the document captured multiple concerns surrounding national security from stakeholders, where trust came up as a key theme.
Mr Kamikamica stressed the importance of trust in the government and the government’s conduct over the last 16 years had contributed to some concerns.
With stability, there is the trust factor to consider!
We noted this when the report came out. A key point it raised was the issue of trust!
The “self-serving leaders” bit was one of the reasons for the public’s loss of trust.
The document captured multiple concerns surrounding national security from stakeholders, where trust came up as a key theme.
The message was clear during consultations, that trust was a vital element of Fiji’s national security architecture, and that every effort must be made to regain public trust in the Government and its vital institutions, especially the military and the police.
Community stakeholders also voiced their perceptions of government inefficiency, nepotism and corruption, which they attributed to a legacy of authoritarianism from the previous administration.
So when Mr Kamikamica talks about working on stability, there has to be a concerted effort made to ensure there is a united front! Enough with the talk!
This notion of stability has become increasingly prominent in our national dialogue, highlighting its importance for our future.
Should we be looking to the Government to work on reinforcing stability through trust?
How does that work out?
Communication?
A commitment to tackling corruption?
How does that even work given the big messages that came in the wake of the 2006 coup about fighting corruption! We reflect on the mixed messages that followed that!
Perhaps clear and consistent messaging moving forward?
Actions would definitely speak louder than words!
Perhaps we should all share a vision for a better Fiji that is based on trust and stability.
Now that will demand our efforts and accountability.
It will demand transparency and unity.
Trust may be lost now, but we can either sit back and do nothing about it, or collectively work on restoring faith and trust in our systems and our future!
This is no walk in the park!
