Deans final flashback!
Tickets for the Deans Championship and the Raluve are selling fast, and fans have been urged to purchase tickets to avoid disappointment. While Ratu Kadavulevu School looks top bet in the U18 grade, the girls from Mahatma Gandhi are hot contenders for the Raluve Championship. The side beat Nasinu Secondary School 16-0 in the final of the Southern Zone Raluve U18 final. I’m impressed with their fitness level, team-bonding and fighting character and spirit. They are energetic and passionate about winning the trophy. The side beat Bucalevu Secondary School 23-10 in the quarter-final and will play defending champions Natabua High School which beat Jasper Williams High School 22-17 in extra time at Lawaqa Park last year. As we build-up to the semis of the Super Deans and Raluve Championship, I loved the pieces titled ‘Deans final flashback’ and ‘Victory to QVS’ by John Chetty (FT 14/08). I was in Year 10 when Queen Victoria School pipped archrivals RKS 13-11 to win the U19 trophy. Those days the Deans trophy was contested in the U19 grade. That spectacular final was all about pride and passion, mental stability and defence. Both teams displayed fine basics and a high standard of fitness. Vinaka vakalevu, John Chetty and The Fiji Times sports team, for the Deans final flashback. It builds momentum! Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam Nadawa, Nasinu
Let us rise together
Fiji is a land of warmth, tradition, and resilience but beneath our beauty lies a quiet struggle. Families are stretched by rising costs. Youth are searching for purpose. Climate change threatens our shores, and many feel unheard. As we say, “Na vuli e taukeni, e sega ni yali”, — education that is owned is never lost. Let’s give our young people tools they can carry for life, language, identity, and emotional strength. We must do more than admire our culture, we must activate it. Let’s build classrooms that not only teach English and Math, but empathy, wellness, and pride in our heritage. Let’s support leaders who listen, not just speak. Let’s protect our elders’ wisdom and our children’s futures. Too often, we wait for change to come from above. But real change begins in our homes, our schools, our kava circles. It begins when we choose compassion over competition, and courage over silence. Fiji deserves more than survival — we deserve joy, justice, and unity. Let this be the year we rise — not just in headlines, but in heart. Taina AdiBai Link Rd, Lautoka
Injustice treatment
In response to Dewan Chand’s criticism of former PM Voreqe Bainimarama’s attempt to seek gratuity payments despite his past actions that included the FNPF pension cut, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said that he respected Mr Chand’s views and urged Bainimarama to reflect on the pain and unjust treatment he inflicted on some FNPF pensioners at the time including himself (FT 11/8). He seems to have conveniently forgotten the hardship that was caused by the 1987 Coup, when the public servants pay was cut by 14 per cent and the Fiji dollar was devalued by 35 per cent. And the sufferings of the parliamentarians who were forcefully removed without any consideration for their wellbeing? They were never compensated for their loss. SELWA NANDAN Lautoka
Soccer effort
The Bula boys and the Kula girls had a bad year at international level this year. The youth development that used to be held at district level are not happening now which directly shows the dismal performances. Some districts in the West are no longer interested in training the youth and girls teams any more and only concentrate on the main team. This is the reason for the poor performance by the team. Geoffery Chand Lautoka
Litter campaign
Litter/garbage and dengue fever are interconnected. PM Sitiveni Rabuka has called for a “united front” against the worsening dengue outbreak and the country’s escalating litter crisis. (FT Editorial 09/08) Just recently, dengue fever has sadly claimed 8 innocent lives. Due to the aforementioned, a national clean-up campaign is been organised. Why do we need to wait for such? Doesn’t Government have its salaried representatives in the various municipalities around the country to ensure overall cleanliness such as maintaining side overgrowth along pathways/walkways, cleaning out blocked drains, ensuring responsible collection and disposal of garbage, etc? Do we have to crank into action when innocent lives are lost? Aren’t the salaried reps supposed to be proactive? Are they waiting for more deaths to occur to awaken from their ‘salaried slumber’? What’s happening to all those community awareness programs and the initial monitoring of such? It’s obvious that those salaried government reps are sleeping on the job and as one Member of the Opposition quipped, “I think the Government machinery itself is not working the way I say it”. (FT 09/08) Absolutely sad. Sivia ga na vamacala kei na va fancy wavoki. Sad. Anthony Sahai Levuka, Ovalau
It’s back!
Floodlit grog sessions and dinners. Manoj Lal Patel Drasa Avenue, Lautoka
Retirement at 55
This was one of the famous slogans in the Fiji Police during the beginning of the military commissioners’ terms in the institution. Be careful you can be 55 very soon, meaning you can be sacked any time if one does not follow directives or verbal orders. We joked about it among ourselves that the walls had ears and eyes but as a true blue police officer, we had to endure all these and continue to do what is best. Despite the challenges, we maintained our service to the public. Juki Fong Chew Nadawa, Nasinu
Priorities right
In Fiji politics, the only thing which matters are the entitlements of politicians, the permanent secretaries and civil servants. Entitlements to high salary, travel allowances, driver provided cars and other perks. I believe that is top priority. Everything else is lower down the order. Isn’t that obvious? But one thing never changes, the people of Fiji remain truly blessed. Jan Nissar K’gari Island, Queensland
Bus station upgrade
Lautoka City Council have raised the city rates by 5 percent to carry out work at the bus station in the city. The Ba bus station was painted some weeks ago and now the same bus station is being renovated costing ratepayers 5 percent more. Who will be held responsible for the extra cost of painting and labour cost? This is just wastage which will cost ratepayers 5 percent extra now. Geoffrey Chand Lautoka
Using proxies
This concept of using proxies to wage war or “eliminate your enemies” used by nations has now become contagious even in Hindi TV serials . Before, families will have negative (bad) characters as villains. Now families hire hoodlums or thugs with loads of money to carry out their sinister schemes. Dangerous indeed ha! Rakesh Chand Sharma Nadi
No water
The Fiji Times interesting news of “$3.2million project, no water” (FT 7/8) is like “saying water, water, everywhere, not a drop to drink” when we are surrounded by well blessed water. Safe drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Let’s promote our Fiji water, even if it comes to spending millions. Natural Fiji spring water is natural medicine. Tahir Ali Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamas, tribute to Mar
Palestinian issue
Recognising Palestinian statehood under Hamas is like giving a Nobel Peace Prize to a deranged butcher who’s still holding the knife after raping and slaughtering innocent civilians. The ink was barely dry on Australia’s announcement, echoed by certain other European nations before Hamas leapt at the chance to claim victory. Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of Hamas’ co-founders, openly applauded Australia’s move. Then in the same putrid breath he declared it as vindication for their October 7 massacre and rape of innocent Israeli civilians. Read that again: they see international recognition as justification for slaughter, rape and torture of innocent civilians. Hamas doesn’t operate under any code of human ethics or decency. Their ideology is rooted in a warped, militant misinterpretation of Sura 9:5 from the Quran using it as a divine licence to erase Israel from existence. There’s no remorse. No shame. Just an unrelenting campaign of bloodthirsty rampaging, rape and terror. And yet, some in the West think this is the moment to hand them the keys to statehood. To reward the butchers while some Israeli hostages still languish in inhumane conditions in captivity. Let’s be clear: I don’t give Israel a free pass. Their alleged blockade on food and humanitarian aid, and some of their military actions, have claimed innocent lives. That’s also unacceptable. But make no mistake, without Hamas’ calculated murderous rampage on October 7, without their decision to take civilians as bargaining chips, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. To grant legitimacy to Hamas now is to endorse terror as a pathway to statehood. And history will not forgive that. Nor should we! Colin Deoki Australia
Jackson fought the good fight
FNPF pensioners deprived of substantial portions of their pensions by the very organisation that was supposed to provide them with old age security lost a dear friend, and tireless advocate with the passing away of Jackson Mar last Sunday. Jackson, as he was known to his close friends, served in various managerial capacities in the tourism sector for decades. I met him three years ago when I joined a group of FNPF pensioners who hoped that the newly elected Coalition Government led by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka would respond to their pleas for the restoration and restitution of their pensions. This group was founded by Jackson and a handful of other pensioners who were painfully aware of how the class action brought by David Burness and his group was brought to an abrupt end by decrees imposed by an illegal military backed regime. Jackson used his financial acumen to systematically analyse FNPF’s annual reports and assess the Fund’s financial health since its inception. He tirelessly researched the provisions of the FNPF Act and its amendments. He had an unparalleled understanding of Decrees 51 and 52 as well as the provisions of the 2013 Republic of Fiji Constitution that had been imposed to block the fundamental human rights of Fiji citizens to seek legal remedies to the misappropriation of pension funds. He researched contract law, ouster clauses and ultra vires case laws in other Commonwealth countries in preparing grounds to challenge the ‘pension theft’ that had continued for 13 years since 2012. I, and other members of the pensioners’ group had the highest respect for his efforts. together, we successfully rebutted the arguments presented by the FNPF. Jackson was a deeply religious man with high ethical standards. He led by example. He boldly and rationally wrote about the FNPF reforms and how they deprived pensioners of their rightful entitlement. Affected pensioners have lost a courageous leader who coordinated their collective efforts at seeking pension justice. In advocating for the reinstatement of our pensions, and compensation for misappropriation of our pensions by FNPF, Jackson kept reminding both the Government and the Fund that the matter should be resolved expeditiously as time was not on the side of the elderly pensioners, and that pensioners were dying. Very sadly, Jackson passed away without seeing pension justice done. It is incumbent on us to continue his legacy. My sincere condolences to his family. May Jackson Mar rest in peace. Professor Vijay Naidu Suva