Amenoni Nasilasila runs out in the green and gold of the Wardens in Nadi in their first pool game during the Fun Flavour Super 7 Series three weeks ago and the can of worms is ripped open from all ends.
There has been a lot of dialogue, exchange of opinions plus social media keyboard warriors firing from all cylinders in relation to the inmate, Nasilasila, who was let off to play 7s rugby and is on the team list for the Wardens for the Super 7s Series in Lautoka this weekend.
The man has been convicted and is doing his time but in prisons the world over there are various rehabilitation programs for inmates to help them prepare for life after imprisonment.
Nasilasila was a superstar and at the top of his game but what happened after that was all disaster — just before Christmas in 2018, he was charged with rape and then in October 2019 he was sentenced to eight years imprisonment.
In a perfect world (if he didn’t commit this crime), the fleet-footed play-maker was my bet to be in the Fijian men’s side to the Tokyo Olympic Games and he would have gotten a gold medal too.
He was magical with his technique and skills and the brilliance he displayed at fullback for Nadroga in 2018 during the Skipper Cup 15s provincial competition even had me make several calls in TV commentaries that he needed to be considered for the Flying Fijians to the 2019 World Cup.
The rest is history as John McKee went with the tried and trusted and Fiji was humiliated at the tournament — I still feel Nasilasila had the qualities to inject our open Fijian style of play in the 2019 Flying Fijians backline.
If the Namatakula man kept playing, he probably could have made the Fijian Drua squad and would have been in Brisbane getting ready to face the Reds tonight in the Super Rugby Pacific match.
That deal would have seen him earn money from the sport that he loves dearly and provide for his family.
All of the above that would or could have happened — came crashing down and the man, who many would say dug his own grave, was broken, crucified, locked behind bars and every dream he had was over in the blink of an eye.
In no way am I glorifying Nasilasila or support his actions on December 2018.
In my view, when a man (or woman) is down — our society is known 99 per cent of times to judge unwittingly and many fire away opening their mouths because they have a platform or because they are in positions of power where they can do that while others are super keyboard warriors who forget that every person who is down has family who read and hear these things dished against the person.
Can you imagine how they would feel? Women NGOs or people fighting for women’s rights had a field day.
What an opportunity to drum up support for the cause or when a man is already crucified but has some life left in him — ask your band of supporters to stone him to death.
Yet, many pray every day, go to church on Sundays (others worship in their own faiths) but they do what they do — it is what it is — it is a job for them and the majority of them are stereotypical.
I guess the more noise they make will probably boost their coffers with more donor funds and obviously their bosses keep getting paid a nice pay package, attend workshops and enjoy five-star treatment and all the other perks that come with the role/profile of an organisation when the opportunity comes up.
And fair enough – they have the right to voice their concern – this is a free country and everyone or any organisation should be allowed to do that.
No pangs there. But how will that help a man like Nasilasila?
My understanding is that all those against Nasilasila playing rugby while he’s serving his time is that they want to see him locked up and given the harsh punishment he deserves because he raped a woman.
Again, this man is locked up but he only gets time out under strict warden’s supervision to play rugby.
Imagine a man ruined, his dreams crushed because of one mistake. I have been told that he has gone through a program in Naboro that all child or adult sex offenders are put through.
The Fiji Corrections Service worked on this carefully and while they probably jumped the gun in the early days of his sentence — they took the approach more carefully this time and introduced Nasilasila into competitive rugby nearly 28
months into his term.
It must be strongly pointed out that because Nasilasila is like a cult hero in the country and many people idolise rugby players like gods, the woman in question copped a lot of flak for reporting the rape to the police.
We know that many rape cases go unreported — it comes down to the social stigma that our women face and sometimes they are abandoned by their own close family and friends.
Before writing the piece, I obviously reached out to a lot of people from all cross-sections of life, a close family member felt that letting Nasilasila play rugby is sending the wrong message to the many men and society at large.
She also pointed out that this country is known for the glorification of rugby players — which is widely entertained in our society — and this latest twist of allowing Nasilasila to play rugby perfectly feeds into that.
In a report about the rehabilitation of inmates, an inmate said, “I am responsible for my own actions and I know that what I did back then wasn’t good for the victim. They don’t deserve it.”
In Fiji, the Fiji Corrections Service runs a Yellow Ribbon Program and in the past inmates have gone handcuffed to record songs at prominent recording studios, they have created some great paintings which were featured at an art exhibition at a hotel in Suva.
There was a rugby referee’s program that was run for inmates at the Nasinu prison and once they passed the test, were allowed to control Suva club rugby games on Saturdays while serving their time behind bars.
I stumbled on a picture on the Fiji Corrections Service website, where women inmates had showcased their clothing designs — guess what? The show was packed with men and women who are familiar faces at social functions of any sort. Some would argue that these events were held on some occasions within the confines of the prison.
The underlying fact remains that rehabilitation programs are a must if we want to reshape an inmate and prepare him/her when they’re ready to go free and get back in the community.
We all make mistakes and no one can say that he/she is perfect — giving a second chance at life to convicts and helping their successful reintegration back into the community will augur well for our beautiful Fiji.
I say — let Nasilasila play rugby. He can do prison work on other days and must be dealt with just like any other inmate.
I have seen great character in this man.
Imagine what he has been through and what he still goes through but when he wears the boots and runs out to play, he is outstanding.
Full marks to the Fiji Corrections Service for doing what they are qualified to do best.
There are two sides of a coin — so there will be individuals and groups who would take this on the offside and call it a foul and still call for him to be withdrawn from playing … life goes on.
I hope that Nasilasila and any other inmate learns from his/her mistakes, becomes a better person and when they get back into the community, they are given a fair go at life.
- SATISH NARAIN is a sports commentator with the FBC. The views expressed are his and not necessarily of this newspaper or his employer.
