Flaws may distort reality
THE recent opinion poll by the Centre for Democracy and Dialogue (CDD) which claims the People’s Alliance Party (PAP) leads with 27.5 per cent and positions Sitiveni Rabuka as the most preferred Prime Minister, must be taken with a grain of salt.
In a national context, a sample size of just 1673 respondents is entirely inadequate to represent a diverse population.
Furthermore, the public has not been shown the methodology behind this survey. We remain in the dark about its random nature, divisional and regional breakdowns, or whether urban and rural voices were genuinely balanced. Without transparent data collection methods, such surveys cannot be relied upon as legitimate national guidance.
True scientific polling must capture the views of those sitting on the fence or the unaligned. Naturally, a committed PAP supporter will back the PAP, just as partisan camps will rally their own. But if you talk to the average person on the street, market vendors, or taxi drivers, who are far more attuned to the actual pulse of the nation, anecdotal evidence suggests a very different reality.
Conversations on the ground indicate that Prime Minister Rabuka remains deeply unpopular. Given the compounding issues surrounding how governance processes and procedures have been handled, public support has visibly eroded.
When a survey paints a picture that starkly contradicts the lived frustrations of ordinary citizens, it becomes unfair to other political parties and personalities. Presenting unverified or poorly sampled data risks distorting the democratic landscape and painting a misleading picture of Fiji’s true political sentiment.
Dr SUSHIL K SHARMA Lautoka
Primary schools IDC
THE 49th Fiji primary schools football IDC concluded in Ba on Friday.
I congratulate Labasa for winning the final of the U-14 girls division, making it back-to-back, and commend Bua for finishing third after outclassing Lautoka 2-1 in a pulsating, thrilling and nail-biting third-place finish.
As a passionate football fan, I also commend The Fiji Times and the Fiji Primary Schools Football Association for the fantastic coverage on our tiny tots who braved challenging conditions to give their very best.
Association executives also deserve a thumbs up for organising the event and bringing the competition to a fitting conclusion. There was talent galore, no doubt, and what we need now are development officers to mould these natural talents into gems
FFA should start negotiating contracts early for these young talents with overseas clubs. It must also develop a five-year strategic plan focused on early youth development and closely monitor how far these young players can progress.
Football needs to move up the ladder and emulate the rise in local men’s and women’s rugby.
We need to reignite the passion on the field and restore our footballing glory days in Oceania. It all starts with getting the basics right.
RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM Nadawa, Nasinu
Democratic freedom
A STRIDENT protester at a recent Trump rally in Mississippi silenced Trump with a heckle that tackled his gaudy gold makeover of the White House vanity project. The heckler boomed: “Shove that ballroom up your fat a—!” (Daily Beast 27/10/26). That’s the beauty of America’s democracy, where an ordinary citizen can feel free to take a critical verbal shot back at the powerful president without fear, when he feels what the president does is patently absurd.
RAJEND NAIDU NSW, Australia
Strengthening ties or shameful
I WOULD like to refer to the headline “Strengthening ties or shameful : why Israel’s new Pacific status is splitting the region” (by Kelvin Anthony and Susana Suisuiki) which appeared in The Fiji Times on 28/10/26.
How can the purported partnership between Israel and PIF be a case of strengthening ties?
The veteran media academic, Professor David Robbie, couldn’t have argued the case against this partnership more succinctly and forcefully.
He said “the move undermines the Forum’s founding commitment in 1971 to regional decolonisation” and that it is “shameful “.
It clearly is.
As editor of Asia Pacific Report he wrote: “In what is probably one of its most shameful acts ever, the Pacific Island Forum has betrayed its founding principle in admitting Israel – already a global pariah state – as a development partner in the middle of the genocide of an Indigenous people, the Palestinians “.
Professor David Robbie has eloquently articulated the voice of all Pacific people opposed to this diabolical partnership.
There is clearly a need for PIF leadership to rethink the partnership if it is to uphold its credibility, integrity and regional and international standing.
RAJEND NAIDU Calgary, Canada
Saving our iTaukei youth
THE recent disclosures at the Ba Provincial Council meeting by Police Corporal Waisea Bolabiu, who revealed that 80 per cent of annual drug offenders are iTaukei, heavily impacting young men aged 18 to 35, should alarm every citizen in our country.
When paired with rising social challenges, public health concerns, and pressures within our correctional facilities, it is clear a deep crisis is unfolding at the grassroots level.
For years, government initiatives and affirmative action policies have aimed to uplift the iTaukei community.
The sobering reality on the ground indicates that key institutions — including the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs and the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) — cannot function as mere ceremonial bodies.
They must actively look after their own, by addressing the socio-economic decay destroying our families and future generations.
Much of this crisis stems from the breakdown of traditional culture, customs, and community structures.
As families migrate from rural villages to urban centres for economic survival, young people frequently fall outside the traditional oversight of village elders and chiefs.
Away from these foundational support systems, vulnerable youth from broken homes find themselves trapped in cycles of unemployment, substance abuse, and crime, which police reports show can tear households apart and force children into premature adult roles.
Fiji cannot afford to lose an entire generation to drug addiction and institutional neglect.
If our cultural leaders, government ministries, and community structures fail to bridge the gap between traditional governance and modern urban realities, well-intentioned policies will continue to fall short.
It is time for our leadership to move past rhetoric and enact robust, ground-level interventions to rescue our youth before it is too late.
Dr SUSHIL K SHARMA Lautoka
Every life matters
THE annual Paddle for Cancer event, which undertook a challenging 36-kilometre journey from Castaway Island Resort to Aquarius on the Beach at Wailoaloa, Nadi, united Fijians to support those battling cancer.
Every paddle and every stroke carried a message of hope, love, resilience and compassion.
I thank the chairman of Paddle for Cancer, Steven Andrews, the former goalkeeper of Savusavu, for his involvement in an initiative that gives hope to those still fighting the disease.
Andrews lost his nephew Christian Pesamino. Every contribution helps make a meaningful difference in the lives of families affected by cancer, particularly leukaemia.
The article brought tears to my eyes. I loved the descriptive and rich literature that moved my emotions. Thank you so much The Fiji Times (29/10) for the beautiful piece.
The words, ‘The moment of truth on a day of fun and joy for a life so loved’, remind readers that there are some amongst us who need support, words of encouragement, unconditional love, warmth, care and kindness!
Awareness has been raised, and now people must take the next step by coming forward for screening and testing.
Early diagnosis is vital as it can improve treatment outcomes and save lives.
The rising cases of cancer are worrying and must be addressed.
We must not wait until it is late. To the team at The Fiji Times, thank you for raising awareness on cancer.
RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM Nadawa, Nasinu
Popularity poll
IN a pre-election popularity poll conducted by the Centre for Democracy and Dialogue former Attorney General and “Minister for Everything”, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum came last – at the very bottom of the list – on the question of the preferred prime minister.
That should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Fiji politics after the 2006 Bainimarama military coup.
Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum was widely perceived by critics as a key figure in shaping and overseeing the policies and decisions associated with political repression of the Bainimarama regime.
Many political commentators even say Bainimarama eventually lost power and Rabuka returned to power primarily because of Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
This seems to be substantiated by the fact that despite not being eligible to stand in the coming election Frank Bainimarama has been ranked third as the preferred prime minister in the CDD poll.
RAJEND NAIDU Calgary, Canada.
