Cancer courage TAI SMITH NASINU SEC SCH RD., KINOYA, NASINU FORGIVE my ignorance about the cost of equipment for the use of radiation and immunology in the treatment of cancer but I am imploring our government to seriously look at acquiring whatever is needed to get what is needed to help deal with the scourge of cancer. Do these costs outweigh the price on a human life? I know how devastating cancer is and I have watched my loved ones succumb to this vile sickness that often leaves one to die a slow death in extremely horrible pain. I am linked to a family of 12 siblings out of which 7 died of cancer and one still surviving because she was able to have her cancer detected on time and she lived in a country where the equipment was available to administer treatment to attack the cancer. She also has the financial resources to continually get the checkups — she is now 81. This disease deprives people of a dignified death and often leaves loved ones and carers traumatised. All of this is linked to the fact that we don’t have the financial backing to afford a preventable death. Cancer, if detected in its early stages, can be fought and life can be enjoyed just as my aunt has proven now since her first being diagnosed over 35 years ago. I read with much sadness the feature article in The Fiji Times on January 2, 2026 on how a 48 year-old woman was diagnosed with cervical cancer in September of 2025, but nothing could be done to help her. Her family is now watching her fade away as there is nothing they can do to help as well. Could radiation or immunology have helped? I’m no expert and I don’t really know. My nephew has now been diagnosed with cancer. He is a father and he is of the bloodline of the family of 12 that I have indicated earlier. We as a family are doing all in our power to have him sent to India for radiation treatment to prevent the spread and to ensure he gets to live to see his son grow into a young man. It will cost in excess of $20k and although we will attain the costs, how many others of our fellow Fijians can? Does the cancer society have the statistics on the number of cancer patients there are in Fiji? Do they have the statistics that tell us how many deaths are attributed to some form of cancer? Do they have the statistics that tell us how many could have been prevented with early intervention? Do they have the statistics that can make our politicians sit up and acknowledge that Fiji needs to get life saving treatment locally for our cancer patients? If the answer is yes to all these questions then please publish it. Let us help the cancer society put pressure on our government to help our vulnerable cancer patients. There is also the early detection of cancer especially in families that have cancer as a common medical concern. A senior member of the family of 12 went to Melbourne and took a DNA test that helped us identify a common gene in our family that was found linked to the cancer sufferers in the family. Many were tested and proactive measures were taken to deter the cancer from forming. Unfortunately, many were untested and the results have all been death. Perhaps the cancer council may try and be an advocate for genetic testing on cancer patients especially those with family history. My plea to Government, please give us the equipment we need and to the cancer council, please be a proactive advocate by making genetic testing affordable.
Making life simple WISE MUAVONO Balawa, Lautoka TECHNOLOGY is supposed to make life easier by automating tasks, improving efficiency etc, and allowing us to do things quickly. I called the red logoed bank requesting to untag an account from my phone banking app. Instead, I’m told that I have to walk into a branch to have it done and I’m already dreading wasting my valuable time waiting in the queue. Technology is meant to simplify life but some people often make it harder through over-complication. Sobo!
NFA boost DONALD SINGH Suva THE year 2025 saw plenty road accidents and building infernos, costing lives and properties, costs immeasurable. The National Fire Authority has been the first responder in most occasions. It’s time the NFA was given a super-sized boost with resources. That could include a supersized water cart with carrying capacity over 30,000 litres. I don’t even know what the other state-of-the-art equipment are called, but the NFA needs them all. Some of the troops returning from tour of duty could be incorporated into the NFA. They are fit and ready to go.
New Year’s TAHIR ALI Hamilton, New Zealand message Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s message as highlighted in The Fiji Times (FT 1/1) should be noted by all Fijians for peaceful living. His proven administrative achievements with unity in Fiji’s diverse society is evident during his term. It’s all about understanding the differences among Fijians based on their languages, culture, religion, festivals, food habits and clothing. God help us to be proud of Fiji, the way it should be, paradise of the South Pacific.
Victory at Entebbe JAN NISSAR Sydney, NSW, Australia AFTER the “Venezuelan Extraction” there is now talk of similar operations in Columbia, Cuba and Greenland. Lots of movies to look forward to is the way I look at it. There is one real life extraction movie which I commend which is called “Victory at Entebbe”. This true story happened some 50 years ago, well before most Fijians were born, and is worth watching. I will not give away the story line. Search it on Youtube and elsewhere on the internet. You can thank me later.
Justice system SACHIDA NATH NADI JIOJI Toronibau’s comment on what the late Bob Marley said on a justice system that does not always deliver (FT 03/01) needs further analysis. At least in a functioning democracy, the law is an instrument to provide legal solutions to human problems so that everyone gets justice. So we notice, generally, more laws enacted or amended frequently. There are laws that bring harsher penalties on people as they become more callous and vicious in behaviour. For example, recent proposed rise in LTA fines for traffic infringements. Through my anthropological lenses, I see; we humans have remained transgressors by nature, transcending time and cultures. Importantly all our problems cannot be solved by legal or justice system alone.
Vinaka brother DONALD SINGH SUVA VINAKA Thank you Rajnesh Lingam for your kind words. There are no coincidences in the world. We ran into each other on the same afternoon of his article. On bold writing, brother Rajnesh made a solid point, which I can’t write here. The writers do make a big family. The beauty of a family, any family, is that you don’t have to agree with each other all the time. Yet the collective voice of the family makes leaders and citizens listen. Let the diversities exist, let the pens continue spilling ink, let the minds continue thinking and let the letters pages grow stronger in impact and influence. Thanks again Rajnesh. Keep shining.
Government debt DINESH KUMAR BA AROUND 50 per cent of the Fiji Government’s borrowing reportedly comes from members’ superannuation savings held by the Fiji National Provident Fund (FT 06/01). A further substantial portion has been utilised to service the debts of Fiji Airways. This raises serious concerns about the security of members’ retirement savings. While contributors are largely prohibited from accessing their own funds except under limited circumstances, the Government continues to “borrow” from FNPF with remarkable ease, as though it were drawing from a conveniently bottomless petty cash reserve. Retirement savings are meant to safeguard the future of working citizens, not to function as a fallback financing mechanism for persistent fiscal mismanagement.
Drug problem NARAYAN REDDY LAUTOKA THE Fiji Police Narcotics Division officer, Inspector Usaia Donu said that nine people died because of drug overdose. This number is very challenging with all the recent deaths and the number of unreported cases by the media. I am glad that we have media freedom allowing us these kinds of news without censorship. Many people are saying that the drug problem has increased in the past three years, but I believe it has been like this for many years and the media started highlighting it with media freedom. The availability of any drugs on our streets is really something to be worried about as people as young as 15 are now involved in the drug trade. White, green or phatar can be found on any street in Lautoka. The question remains: “What are we going to do about it?” Do we keep quiet or should we all join the fight against drugs? The police cannot do everything by themselves and need people to start helping them and not hide these drug peddlers.
Fuel leak scare RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM NADAWA, NASINU 2026 has started with a leak — not a good sign for our environment! Firstly, the sewage spill in Nabua, that killed aquatic life, caught our attention. The toxic discharge killed eels. Ground inspections and drone surveys traced the source of the discharge to an underground culvert near the Nabua Sewerage Pump Station, and the inspections confirmed that raw sewage had overflowed from the culvert and was flowing directly into the stream, mixing with the bluish substance seen in the water. Added to that, reports of a fuel leak at the Petro Oceania terminal in Suva gave rise to the possibility of a government clamp down on high-risk industrial sites. Many were disappointed on Monday as Walu Bay came to a standstill, with businesses forced to close and workers evacuated as a safety precaution. The incident also exposed the need for stricter inspections, mandatory maintenance and stronger infrastructure checks in the heavily industrialised zone. Time to tighten laws for the safety of citizens and our environment. Authorities must come hard on industries that fail to meet requirements!
