Seruiratu’s response
Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu’s response regarding his presence and role at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau raises more questions than it answers. If Mr Seruiratu attended the meeting in his capacity as an Ocean Champion and was funded by the Australian Government for that role, one is reminded of the old adage: “Whoever pays the piper calls the tune.” This naturally raises a legitimate question: was Mr Seruiratu attending primarily in his capacity as an Ocean Champion, or was he also there in a manner that aligned with Australia’s regional interests and agenda? It is, therefore, somewhat surprising that there appears to have been little reported about any major contribution, intervention or noteworthy comments made by Mr Seruiratu during the meeting. Given his position as an Ocean Champion, one would have expected him to make a meaningful contribution to discussions concerning climate change, ocean governance and the future of Pacific Island nations. Australia is, of course, an important development partner for the Pacific. However, its climate policies have also attracted criticism from Pacific governments and civil society groups, particularly where Australia’s domestic fossil-fuel development appears to conflict with the region’s calls for stronger climate action. This raises an important question for our Ocean Champion: what were his views on Australia’s continued development of gas resources, including the Beetaloo Basin project, and what implications does this have for the ocean-climate nexus and the Pacific’s efforts to preserve the 1.5°C temperature limit? The Pacific has consistently argued that the 1.5°C threshold is not an abstract political target. For many Pacific Island countries, it is directly connected to their survival, their oceans, their communities and their very existence. Reports and analysis surrounding the Beetaloo Basin have raised concerns about the potential life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions associated with large-scale gas development. These concerns deserve serious consideration, particularly when such projects are viewed against the Pacific’s long-standing calls for wealthy and high-emitting countries to do more to reduce emissions. It is also notable that Australian media coverage of the Forum highlighted dissenting and strongly worded interventions from Pacific representatives, including Vanuatu and Tuvalu, as well as voices from civil society. ALTAUF Chand NSW, Australia
GCC expenses
Wise Muavono in his trademark critical analysis asked “How much has been spent on the GCC and how has their reinstatement benefited the common iTaukei people?” ( FT 5/9 ).
I am not sure the GCC was set up to benefit the common iTaukei people but the common iTaukei people feel blessed to have the GCC restored. I suppose that is how they have benefited. The tangible benefits have of course gone to the chiefly class in the GCC. Rajend Naidu Sydney, Australia
Guardians of our money
The Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) exists as the guardian of workers’ retirement savings. Yet the recent revelation that more than $8million in legacy employer contributions remain outstanding is startling. It reflects not only the negligence of defaulting employers but also a lacklustre attitude within FNPF’s management team, whose duty is to protect members’ income with vigilance, not complacency. The fact that debts dating back as far as 1995 are still unresolved is unacceptable. A proactive management team would never have allowed arrears of this magnitude to accumulate. Instead, thousands of workers now face diminished retirement balances because employers deducted contributions but failed to remit them. Many of these companies have since been wound up or liquidated, making recovery virtually impossible. Once a “fly by night” operator disappears, there is little anyone can do to claw back lost funds. This is not merely a financial lapse; it is a systemic failure. FNPF’s leadership should have acted decisively from day one, enforcing strict compliance and prosecuting defaulters without hesitation. Allowing debts to linger for decades undermines confidence in the Fund and erodes the very principle of compulsory savings. The solution lies in structural reform. Fiji must legislate a system where employer deductions are automatically transmitted to FNPF at the same time salaries are paid. Australia has already moved in this direction: from July 2026, all superannuation contributions must be lodged with the tax office concurrently with wage payments. This eliminates the risk of employers pocketing deductions or delaying remittances. Fiji should adopt a similar model, ensuring that workers’ retirement savings are secured at the source. The Amnesty Campaign 2026, which has recovered $2.8million to date, is a welcome effort but ultimately reactive. Amnesty should not be the default tool of debt recovery. It rewards delinquency and signals to employers that statutory obligations are negotiable. What is needed is a culture of zero tolerance: immediate enforcement, automatic transmission of contributions, and prosecution of defaulters. Workers contribute to FNPF in good faith, trusting that their savings will be safeguarded. Management must honour that trust by closing loopholes, tightening compliance, and ensuring that every dollar deducted from wages reaches the Fund without delay. Anything less is a betrayal of the very people FNPF was created to serve. The lesson is clear: retirement security cannot be left to chance or to the goodwill of employers. It requires strong laws, proactive enforcement, and a management team that treats every unpaid dollar as an urgent breach of trust. FNPF must rise to its role as guardian of workers’ money. The time for laxity has passed. Dr Sushil K Sharma Lautoka
Remain calm
PM Sitiveni Rabuka urges us to “remain calm” as we ponder our rights under the proposed constitutional changes. We read in Rolling Stone (3/9/26) that the feminist trailblazer ‘Gloria Steinem taught us to be angry’. We need to stay angry when it comes to protecting our rights and freedoms. Rights have historically only been secured when people stand up to fight for it. Not by remaining calm. Rajend Naidu Sydney, Australia
Palau trip
Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu says the Australian Government paid for his trip to Palau and is covering the costs of his participation there in his capacity as the Pacific Envoy for the Oceans for COP31 (The Fiji Times, September 5, 2026). This raises a simple question: If, instead of Australia, the Chinese Government had covered all of Mr Seruiratu’s expenses for the Palau trip and his participation in the same capacity, would we find that equally acceptable? If the answer is no, then we need to ask why. Transparency, consistency and public accountability should apply regardless of which foreign government is paying the bill. RAJEND NAIDU Sydney, Australia
Fiji football
Can the very good president and CEO of the Fiji Football Association please explain to me the purpose of bringing in island players for short-term gains during tournaments? Is the purpose simply to score goals? Because, from the outside, that appears to be the only objective. While on the subject of football, I would also like to ask: Where have all our once “most deadly and scientific strikers” in the Oceania region gone? Where are the results of your development programs, if indeed they are producing results? And while we are talking about football development, could you also advise us how many registered clubs currently exist in each district in Vanua Levu and Taveuni, and how many official club matches have been played this year — both 11-a-side and futsal? Let me give you a clue: none in any district here in the North. None. Not even in Labasa. There have been no club games. If that is the case, then surely the question must be asked: Are all these teams being disqualified under your own regulations? If the rules require clubs to fulfil certain competition requirements, then the same rules should apply consistently to everyone. And if these teams are not being disqualified, then I want to know why not. Football development cannot simply be about assembling teams for tournaments and looking for short-term results. It must also be about developing our own players, creating regular club competitions and giving young footballers meaningful opportunities to play and improve. So, FFA, I would appreciate some clear answers. Where is the development? Where are the competitions? And where are the next generation of Fiji’s strikers?A. Shariff Shah Savusavu
Worker loopholes
The ongoing strike at Ram Sami & Sons is more than a dispute between one employer and its workers. It is a stark warning of what happens when the government relaxes foreign worker entry rules without rigorous vetting. Employers are now emboldened to walk over local workers, deny them their fundamental rights, and threaten them with overnight replacement by overseas labour. The facts speak for themselves. Forty workers exercising their legal right to strike have been undermined by the company’s decision to recruit replacement labour. Ram Sami & Sons currently employs about ten foreign workers, despite previously convincing Immigration that local labour was unavailable. This duplicity exposes the double standards at play: when workers demand fair treatment, employers suddenly find no difficulty in hiring replacements from abroad. The Union’s draft Collective Agreement has languished for more than two years, with meetings reduced to token gestures lasting mere minutes. Such behaviour demonstrates bad faith and contempt for collective bargaining. Worse, it reveals how the government’s laxity in granting foreign worker permits has created a weapon for employers to break solidarity and deny workers their rights. This is not an isolated case. The broader danger is systemic. By allowing companies to import workers freely, without transparent justification, Fiji risks creating a two tier labour market: one where local workers are deprived of fair wages and union protection, while overseas workers toil below award conditions in silence, fearful of deportation if they resist exploitation. Such practices erode collective agreements, weaken unions, and destabilise the very foundation of industrial relations. Fiji cannot afford this trajectory. We are a multi ethnic society where social cohesion depends on fairness and respect. Allowing employers to bypass local labour and undermine collective rights invites instability and strife. It is not reform; it is exploitation. Government must act decisively. First, foreign worker permits should be rescinded where employers are found to be undermining strikes or collective agreements. Second, strict vetting must be introduced to ensure overseas recruitment is justified only when genuine skill shortages exist. Third, labour laws must be strengthened to protect workers against “scab labour” tactics and to guarantee that collective bargaining remains the cornerstone of industrial relations. Felix Anthony and the National Union of Workers are right to call out Ram Sami & Sons. This case is a clear example of an employer who does not respect fundamental rights. If Fiji continues to allow employers unfettered access to overseas workers, we risk not only economic injustice but also social instability. Workers deserve protection, dignity, and respect. Government must close these loopholes before exploitation becomes the norm. Dr Sushil K Sharma Lautoka
Do you think it is fair for teachers to return to classrooms without pay after their appointments expired?
I THINK they should be paid because they have families to feed.
JOSEPHINE LAL Nakasi
IT is not fair, they also need to survive. SUBHASHNI SAMI Caubati
IT is not fair, teachers should be paid even though their appointments
have expired. TAVENISA TINAI Suva
IF appointments expired than they won’t be able to work but their dues should be paid. JITEN KUMAR Ba
NOT fair, they have families too. VIKASH CHARAN Ba
NOT fair, they have already carried out their duties, they should be paid.
ROHIT SHAH Ba
