Nabua Secondary inducts junior prefects
THE words of the chief guest, Inspector David Ritesh Kumar, the coordinator community policing at the Nabua Police Station: “Leadership is based on inspiration and not domination, it is based on co-operation and not power”, set the platform as the junior prefects attending Nabua Secondary School received their badges and celebrated their new positions of responsibility. The school rejoiced in unity and love as they had their junior prefect’s investiture ceremony on Wednesday, September 23, at the Nabua Methodist Church. The occasion was solemn and emotional as the prefects were showered the responsibility by their parents and they received the blessings of the church. The prefects looked neat, smart and elegant in their school uniform and school blazers. The prefects were reminded that leadership was not about titles, but about responsibility and setting a good example. The chief guest urged the student leaders to set a positive example for others. He pointed out that effective leaders prioritized integrity, teamwork, and their duty to serve others. The chief guest concluded with optimism, emphasizing the importance of teamwork between schools, teachers, parents, and the community in addressing social challenges like mental health, substance abuse, and school dropouts. Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna stressed the importance of the “three-legged stool”, and if we work together, we should be able to address the shortfalls in schools. Our prefects are future leaders. They need to be groomed well in schools, so they can lead with confidence!
RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM
Balgovind Rd, Nadawa, Nasinu
Media plays pivotal role
SPEAKING at the opening of the Pacific Media Summit in Savusavu, the Acting British High Commissioner Steph Lysaght said, “journalists played a fundamental role in good governance by bringing people together, providing accurate information and helping communities make better decisions”. He is too right. One other key role of journalism is holding power to account. That is the core duty of public service journalism to ensure authorities explain their actions, prevent abuse of power, and serve the public good. What this role entails: m The watchdog role: Acting as the fourth estate, independent media monitor governments, corporations, and leaders. m Asking hard questions: Moving past press releases to challenge official statements and demand evidence. m Protecting democracy: Exposing corruption, systemic failures, and flaws in public policy (AI Overview). When journalism and journalists fail to do this without fear or favor, they abdicate their responsibility. Journalists must keep this in front of their minds as they do their onerous job of upholding the people’s right to know and protecting democratic good governance.
RAJEND NAIDU
Sydney, NSW, Australia
Accountability over scapegoating
I REFER to my letter last week where I had speculated that the ongoing saga of the “stolen FNPF entitlements” of some remaining 1400 members by the previous “two-man government” was the members’ own fault. They must take personal financial accountability. When members elected to receive their retirement savings as full lump-sum disbursements, they took total ownership of their capital. How that money was subsequently spent – whether through ill-advised investments, giving the money away to family and friends or to the church, poor investment choices, or rapid drawdown — was entirely within their own discretion. Blaming the previous government or seeking institutional recompense years after the capital has been exhausted misplaces the blame. Seeking a scapegoat for the predictable outcomes of personal investment decisions and choices sets a dangerous precedent for individual responsibility in public policy. I thought I would be receiving a wave of rebuttals, but I did not see anything for a week. Can I safely conclude: My theory was correct all along?
JAN NISSAR
Sydney, NSW Australia
Rugby question
ARE the Flying Fijians or Fijiana XV performing better on the international rugby paddocks? To make a fair and objective decision, one should compare the amount of financial and technical resources available to both our men and women. In addition, one has to also consider depth of players at professional level, to select from. All in all, I will let the readers decide but for now, it appears that our women are performing better given their circumstances. With due respect, our Flying Fijians looked lost in their two most recent encounters, including a painful defeat to Japan. More importantly, our women deserve more support, including coverage in the media.
FLOYD ROBINSON
Micronesia
Cane payment
UNITY Fiji has promised to deliver total cane payments with three months of cane delivery. It is better than the current cane payment system where cane farmers wait approximately one year to receive total cane payment. I had once suggested a system where cane farmers can receive total cane payment on delivery of all their cane to the mills. I’m sure a political party can improve on the three months cane payment system suggested by Unity Fiji.
DAN URAI
Lautoka
