Removing media blackout
I totally agree with Stanley Simpson on removing the media blackout before general elections (FT 12/25). In 2022, especially with young people, there was a lot of confusion about what was allowed and what wasn’t. If we keep the blackout, people, especially the youth and elderly, miss out on important information and can’t really make informed decisions. It feels like it’s just creating more confusion and limiting free speech. Simpson makes a good point that in today’s digital age, social media and online platforms are super powerful, and keeping the blackout just makes traditional media less relevant. Removing it would make the whole process more transparent and fair, giving everyone the chance to get the real story straight before voting. It’s about time we trust people to make up their own minds without unnecessary restrictions. Avenai Serutabua, Nabukelevu Village, Serua
Vanuabalavu woes
Thank you dailies for highlighting the difficulties and woes of people living in Vanuabalavu. The people agree: Vanuabalavu’s quiet struggles reflect a national failure to deliver national services to rural Fiji. One reason for the Vanuabalavu Expo held in Lomaloma this week, is for people to improve their lives using their current resources with whatever is being offered by the different companies or businesses being part of the expo. But the basics of life is the essence of every government and should be first priority and all other incentives by the people, like the expo, will build up to whatever is currently enjoyed. The 2026 General Election is coming up, get the water flowing in rural areas and the basics of life and this current Government will be blessed with the people’s votes. Other provinces in Fiji should organise their own expo, following Vanuabalavu, as part of its provincial plans to upgrade its resources and uplift the lives of the resource owners. A time should come when provinces will be able to handle the basics of life for their own provincial members. Savenaca Vakaliwaliwa, Tacirua, Nasinu
CWMH saga
While the whole of Fiji is focusing on the COI report, other major problems have eventuated. The Colonial War Memorial Hospital is a very old building and such an incident where lives were at risk is not a joke. Imagine the efforts to make sure the little infants kept breathing. I concur with Wesley on why and how this happened, in this day and age, and who is to be held responsible? How come the generators didn’t kick in the “right time?”. One thing in Fiji is very common, the authorities wake up when an incident happens only to go back to sleep until another arises. While it’s good to know no lives were lost and upgrades are on the way, nothing changes the fact that such incidents should never be allowed to happen. It’s not something to be classified as inevitable because of someone’s negligence. Let’s pull up our sleeves and get the hospitals in order, perhaps starting from the aged electrical work which should have been done ages ago. Better be late than never. Kirti Patel, Mohan Singh Pl, Lautoka
Recycling Fiji
We all can see that recycling in Fiji is well entrenched, and the country has become the leader in recycling. We have a recycled PM from almost 40 years ago, we have a recycled acting A-G, the GCC has been recycled and so has the PWD. Past policies of previous governments are now being recycled. The rest of the world should learn from Fiji on how one should move forward, back to the past. But one thing remains unchanged, the people of Fiji are truly blessed. Jan Nissar, Sydney, Australia
