Repeat policy a concern NAVNEET RAM (TD) LAUTOKA
FAILURE in school is unacceptable as per ministry. Well that failure will affect you for the rest of your life with regards to upper education and intern prospects, that’s the demented part about school, and a very infuriating realisation when you get into college. The majority that fail on purpose lose their purpose in life. Failing in school at the moment has minimum benefits. These are real problems with solvable solutions. May I suggest that do not label the child as unteachable. Poverty, drugs, booze …very difficult to care for children. Many could end up on the streets. It is part of reality we should all remember this.
Rabuka’s confession SUKHA SINGH LABASA
SITIVENI Rabuka told the TRC he went to see the Governor General in 1987 to have the election results overturned just like what happened in 1977. The Governor General refused. Did the Army Commander in 1987 know that Mr Rabuka had gone to the Governor General? So does it mean to carry out the ‘87 coup, he had to let the Army Commander in ‘87 know his intention to overthrow the Government. Could the TRC call him again and ask him about this. By the way I would like to thank the 1977 NFP politicians for not making the Government in 1977.
Perpetrator and survivor KIRTI PATEL LAUTOKA
A QUESTION I asked my eye doctor several times was, “should I be worried?”, is the same question lingering on the minds of many after hearing from Dialogue Fiji on the restrictions of speech on the Referendum Bill 2025. Should I or we be worried?
GCC impact WISE MUAVONO BALAWA, LAUTOKA
SOME tend to think that the Great Council of Chiefs was established under Section 116 of the 1997 Constitution. Wrong! Two years after Fiji was ceded to the United Kingdom, the British colonial rulers established the Council of Chiefs as an advisory body in 1876. I wonder what they did for the common people that was so relevant and noteworthy to require adding the term “Great” sometime later in the twentieth century. Now they are tasked with looking after iTaukei interests and safeguarding matters for all Fijians. Have they? The council now seen by many as insignificant, was once viewed as the living embodiment of a unified iTaukei people. Wara o Jisu!
Influential player FLOYD ROBINSON MICRONESIA
IS Ardie Savea the most influential rugby player of 2025? His ability to motivate and trigger a massive level of confidence in the Moana Pasifika in 2025 makes him a standout player on the rugby paddocks. His leadership and ability to inspire the All Blacks is likened to a rare gem. Meanwhile, I wonder who would be the most valuable player for the Flying Fijians?
Healthy heart TAHIR ALI HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND
The Fiji Times news “Aspen Lautoka Hospital scheme achieves first cardiac stenting operation” (FT 13/11). Dr Bhartavash Bali in a picture with patient Nilesh Kumar is heart-touching for many heart patients patiently waiting for treatment. At times they desperately have to pay for expensive treatment abroad at the mercy of kind donors. God bless these doctors and the team as they have a heart for all of us.
Deadly mix NISHANT SINGH LAUTOKA
THIS new trend of mixing meth with blood (Koda) is genuinely alarming (FT 12/12). Very innovative these drug addicts. Well as for me, I’ll just stick to the safest “high” I know — a refreshing bowl of “kokoda”. Fresh, delicious, and the only side effect is salivating for more. Now that’s a habit I’m happy to keep, without ending up in emergency services, a mental institution or worse, six feet under!
The wars MOHAMMED IMRAZ JANIF NATABUA, LAUTOKA
WHILE the rest of us are engaged in different wars such as the war against drugs, do you think the elite are having their own war? That is, against each other.
Picture of Modi RAJEND NAIDU SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
RAKESH Chand Sharma informs us that “even President Trump mentioned that no one can corrupt PM Modi” (FT 12/12). Trump is no doubt a fine judge of who can and cannot be corrupted. His own track record speaks for itself.
Reduced FNPF pension AJAI KUMAR WAQADRA, NADI
SEVERAL FNPF pensioners have been relentlessly lamenting the arbitrary reduction in their pensions with multiple letters boringly appearing in both newspapers. My friends, you are not the only ones affected by the FNPF reforms, there were others who ended up withdrawing their savings fearing that if they did not, the near bankrupt entity would never be able to pay them later. So my advice to the affected pensioners is that your letters will do no good to you. FNPF will not budge nor would the government of the day. If you are serious, take the matter to a court of law for adjudication, full stop. And to the rogue entity, the least you could have done was to implement the reduced pension rates to new members and let the existing members to fade away over time.
National club championship! RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM NADAWA, NASINU
A LOT more needs to be done to promote the national club championship (NCC). This weekend’s Dayals Sawmillers PTE Ltd National Club Championship was poised to bring exciting football action as top clubs from around the country competed for national glory. Six giants – 4R FC, Friends United, Combine Brothers, Ray United, Combine Verata and the defending champions Northpole featured in the competition. I grew up watching soccer and listening to Raymond Stoddart’s commentary and I reckon the national club championship those days attracted huge crowds and teams displayed high standard of soccer. Because soccer at club level was contested fiercely, tournaments were a joy to watch. In Savusavu, we would wait for the Bhartiya tournaments because we witnessed exciting soccer. We loved to be ball boys and water boys, of course free of charge because we felt that we were part of soccer itself. I hope to see the NCC revival to another level as it would boost soccer at the grass root level. I miss those good old days reh!
HIV crisis demands actions INDAR DEO BISUN SAKOCA HEIGHTS, TAMAVUA, SUVA
THE recent revelation in Parliament by the Minister for Health that HIV has now reached crisis level in Fiji is both alarming and deeply concerning. The report that over 20 babies were diagnosed with HIV in just the first six months of this year, infected through preventable mother-to-child transmission, highlights a national emergency that can no longer be met with silence or hesitation. Equally distressing is the surge in cases among young people aged 15 to 34, who now account for 80 per cent of new infections. Fiji recorded 1226 cases in the first six months alone, a number some countries do not reach in several years. This is a national crisis that demands a national solution. Stigma, shame, and lack of widespread testing continue to undermine the fight. As the Assistant Minister rightly stated, “Stigma is killing our people before HIV does”. When nearly half of those diagnosed are not in care or treatment, Fiji is running out of time. To stop this crisis from worsening, Fiji needs urgent and unified action. National measures that must be implemented immediately: 1. Mandatory antenatal HIV testing for all pregnant mothers to prevent mother-to-child transmission. 2. Nationwide free testing campaigns with mobile clinics, workplace testing, school-based awareness, and community outreach. 3. Rapid enrolment into antiretroviral treatment (ART) for every diagnosed person, with follow-up systems to ensure no one is lost to care. A national anti-stigma campaign led by government, faithbased organisations, civil society, youth groups, and community leaders. 5. Intensive awareness programs for high-risk age groups (15–34 years), including safesex education and condom accessibility. 6. Strengthening data systems and surveillance to identify hotspots quickly. 7. Partnerships with NGOs, international health bodies, and the private sector for funding, training, and technical support. HIV is preventable, treatable and manageable, but only if Fiji confronts it boldly and together. Silence is no longer an option.
New Bill KIRAN KHATRI SAMABULA, SUVA HAVE the 55 elected members of Parliament even read the National Referendum Bill before unanimously passing it? Or have democratic principles become an afterthought? Section 23 of the Bill makes it an offence to hold any discussion or campaign for or against a proposed referendum. Such a restriction stands in direct contradiction to the very foundations of democratic participation. It is also far more draconian than the laws of comparable democracies such as Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom — nations where public debate around referendums is not only permitted but protected. What makes this even more alarming is the manner in which the Bill was pushed through. There was no meaningful public awareness, no consultation, and no open dialogue. It arrived suddenly and was passed without the people ever having a chance to understand or question it. This approach raises a troubling concern: if the Government is willing to silence debate on referendums, what will stop them from forcing through constitutional amendments without genuine public scrutiny? To this day, the government has not stated what constitutional changes they want to introduce – yet the very law governing public discussion on those changes now threatens to criminalise citizens for speaking about them. Our democracy must not be allowed to move from the frying pan into the fire. Fiji deserves transparency, open debate, and respect for the people’s right to participate fully in decisions that shape our nation’s future.
The whole heart ASHNEEL JAYNESH PRASAD SHINAGAWA-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN
IN a couple of days, 2025 will close its eyes. Another year. Another classroom. Another set of tiny lives I got to hold for a moment before the world took them back. Grade 2 this time. Seven years in total. Hundreds of children. New Zealand, UAE, Kuwait, Japan — different continents, different faces, different smiles but the longings of a child sound the same everywhere. And as Christmas creeps closer, my heart does this quiet breaking it always does. It drifts back to the kids who never had much to drift toward. The ones who walked into class barefoot without blinking. The ones who ate the crackers from my cupboard because hunger doesn’t wait for recess. The ones who didn’t ask for praise but waited for it with a stillness that made my chest tighten. The ones who stared at a classmate’s new eraser like it was a rare jewel. The ones who watched someone unwrap a KitKat and swallowed their longing like it was part of the lesson plan. The ones who listened to vacation stories as though they were fables from another universe. The ones who pretended to be indifferent when others talked about grandparents bringing gifts. The ones whose eyes followed every parent at the gate, hoping — just for a heartbeat — that maybe today would be the day someone showed up for them. I noticed all of it. God, I noticed. And sometimes I wish I could have done more than fill their notebooks and tie their shoelaces. I wish I could have rewritten their winters, fed their growing aches, replaced the things life kept stealing from them. But all I could do was give them what I had — my safety, my voice, my patience, my small daily attempts at love. I don’t know if it was enough. I hope it was. There are nights when I sit in a quiet apartment in a country far from where I started, and I wonder where they are now. Are they safe? Are they eating well? Did life ever get kinder? Do they know someone once loved them with the ferocity of an older brother who still thinks of them with a hollow heart? I will probably never know. But in my heart, they never left the classroom. They sit in those tiny chairs forever — restless legs, ink-stained fingers, stubborn hope. Mine. Always mine. People think a teacher wants good grades or clean books or perfect behaviour. But a teacher only ever wants one thing — that their kids grow into a life that doesn’t hurt. That’s it. That’s the entire prayer. The whole heart.
The Fiji Times shapes our history! RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM NADAWA, NASINU
THE Fiji Times rich history enables us to appreciate the journalists who toiled sweat, blood and tears to build a newspaper which we are presently enjoying. The Fiji Times was established on September 4, 1869, in the Old Capital by George Littleton Griffiths. Fiji’s oldest newspaper, which has braved ordeals, coups, extreme turbulences, media decrees like MIDA, criticism and scolding, continues to exist, providing Fijians a platform to raise their opinions and voices. The Fiji Times is an archive, full of information and one day the next generation will look back at time and appreciate the existence of the newspaper. It is important to look back to chart our path forward. The Fiji Times which lifts the spirits of thousands with credible news is worth buying and reading. The Fiji Times informs, inspires, educates, encourages and motivates.
