Fiji 7s tournaments format
A close ‘second’ to win the 2025-26 Series was all the difference in the end. It was exciting to see Fiji 7s play with such flair, speed and intensity in the semis and final of the New York leg! Definitely a step in the right direction! Now, should Fiji adopt the current Series format for its local tournaments? Twelve teams/2 pools with top 2 in each advance to semis and final. I think it would better prepare the players (overall) in today’s modern day high-stakes competition. For bigger tournaments, maybe have Premier and Championship categories but maintain the 12-team format. Vinaka vakalevu Fiji sevens. Dan Paka Auckland, New Zealand
Heartbreaking loss!
Fiji suffered a heartbreaking 7-10 loss to South Africa in the final of the New York 7s. With both teams tied at 86 points, it was a ‘winner take it all’ final. Hence, the green machine was not only crowned champions in New York, but they also walked away with the 2025/26 HSBC SVNS WRSS overall title. Down 0-10, Fiji put up a brave fightback, having scored a converted try. It all boiled down to the dying seconds. We had the perfect opportunity to score a try and wrest the Cup away from the team who had already won three tournaments. However, the ball was knocked on and the rest is history. The boys played well. Having been thrashed 12-31 by Argentina in the opening pool match, the boys won both their pool matches beating Great Britain 24-19 and hammering Spain 43-12. In the semis, Fiji thumped Australia 28-7. They were imperious throughout the season being the only team to feature in all the Cup semis and winning either a gold, silver or bronze medal. This is history. We won bronze medals in Dubai, Cape Town and Vancouver, silver medals in Perth and New York and a gold medal in Singapore. I’m proud of the courageous efforts put in by the boys. Viwa Naduvalo is also the top try scorer. To Osea Kolinisau, you did wonders as coach. To the boys, you are our heroes. I understand what you are going through. I’m gutted, having the same feelings. I would have loved a double icing on the cake. However, it’s not over. We have three grand 7s finals to go — Hong Kong, Valladolid (Spain) and (Bordeaux) France. It was not our day, but we can make up for the loss. Vinaka vakalevu cauravou! Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam Nadawa, Nasinu
Uphold honesty – Tudravu
We read in The Fiji Times that “Fiji Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu has urged officers to restore public trust by acting with honesty and integrity, addressing ongoing perceptions of corruption and mistrust within the force” (FT 16/3). This is a very good message the police chief has sent out to the officers. It’s one of the best I have heard from a high state official. It’s a very relevant message because honesty and integrity, which traditionally had utmost importance, has today become in short supply in Fiji society. It’s a regrettable decline. Hope the Police Commissioner’s message brings about the needed change, arrest the institutional decay and restore public trust. In fact the message is relevant to the whole of government and non State actors in today’s Fiji. Rajend Naidu Sydney, Australia
Government lease
I want to raise my concern to both the Minister and the Assistant Minister of Health. It is about a government lease in Navetau Village, Tikina o Tunuloa, Cakaudrove. It was supposedly to be a nursing station or any other government institution as service provider. Today, nothing is done since it was leased in 1989. Natewa Health Centre and Tukavesi Health Centre are quite a distance from us. Please think of our earthlings. Jioji O Toronibau Navetau, Tunuloa
No upgrade in years
Many bridges in and around Nadi have not changed in structure or size for many years. For instance, a bridge that was originally built as a one-way crossing with wood and steel still remains the same. A tragic event illustrates this problem: a rural bridge collapsed, causing a car to fall with it. When the bridge was fixed, it was rebuilt using wood again instead of being upgraded to stronger concrete. Likewise, a one-way bridge close to the crowded Nawaka Village continues to function for the community without any updates or modernization. Even after several generations — probably the fifth or sixth by now — no government has taken action to improve these bridges to meet safety standards or accommodate the much higher traffic volumes over the years. Rarely have we seen upgrades to the western rural bridges. This is unacceptable as it indicates that taxpayer money is not being used for these important improvements; instead, we witness corruption and misuse of funds within government departments. We have not yet witnessed a government dedicated to providing the essential infrastructure development and enhancements in the country. That is sad. Suresh Chand Nadi
New York Sevens
In the men’s cup final, Fiji was only one whisker away from claiming top of the ladder finish. We did our very best. It wasn’t meant to be. Sevens rugby can be very cruel. Congrats South Africa. To our cauravous, please hold your heads up high. You did us proud. To our women, our sincere thanks must go to you too. You did Fiji proud too. You reached cup semi-final. That’s a remarkable achievement. Ronnie Chang Martintar, Nadi
Tunalia road
Please Fiji Roads Authority, I will be extremely glad if you could fill up the potholes on the SVC/Tunalia road. There are more than 2000 students, parents travelling by car or bus apart from pedestrians every morning and afternoon. During the day, the road is busy as well. There is high probability of an accident on the bend near Malolo FSC Lane when motorists try to dodge the potholes. Rakesh Chand Sharma Nadi
FNPF saga
Reading through fine prints of a letter to the editor in The Fiji Times by Colin Deoki (FT 9/3) “FNPF reform”, I feel we loyal FNPF members have a strong case to present to fight for our rights. Justice will prevail eventually. Secure your future with FNPF. Tahir Ali Hamilton, New Zealand
Fun in war
Haaretz Daily Brief March 16, 2026 reports “Trump says US might continue strikes on Iran’s ‘totally demolished’ key oil hub ‘just for fun’.” Interesting. Wonder if Trump also found the bombing by the US military of a school in Iran in which 168 schoolgirls were killed a source of fun? Now I know why some critics have been calling Trump a psychopath. Rajend Naidu Sydney, Australia
Party signatures
How many parties can one person support by providing his or her signature? Sukha Singh Labasa
Trump warning
“Trump warns of ‘very bad’ future of NATO over Hormuz” (CNN). NATO and EU know that entering Middle East war will result in civil war within European nations because of the refugees they have allowed in who are mostly from Islamic countries. Many have already begun speaking of a civilisational war. Rakesh Chand Sharma Nadi
Maths and drugs
Teaching mathematics
Saturday’s The Fiji Times (14/3/26) noted a report in Parliament about the alarming number of schoolchildren who are below proficiency in English and maths. According to the Education Minister, this shows an urgent need for reforms in our education system. Indeed, there is an urgent need for reforms, but continuing to require young children to acquire knowledge through a foreign language is not a reform, it is more of the same. The only reform needed is for us to teach our children in their mother tongues, as indeed is the practice all over the world. This is not a novel idea – mathematics was taught in Fijian from the beginning of western education around 1840 until the 1930s, and of course there is a long tradition of mathematics in Sanskrit and Hindi, which incidentally is where our “Arabic” numbers originate from. We have inherited from 1930s New Zealand the idea that education can be conducted only in English and that vernaculars should be eliminated by punishing children for using them. New Zealand has moved on, we haven’t. We still believe that a child who can say “wan plas wan is tu” is cleverer than one who says “dua kei na dua sa rua” or “ek aur ek dui he”. We must start using our rich linguistic heritage as a tool for education, rather than considering it an obstacle, and we will regain our place among literate and numerate nations of the world and produce citizens who can actually read and count. Paul Geraghty USP, Suva
Understanding the enemy!
More than 2500 years ago the Chinese strategist Sun Tzu offered a warning that still echoes today: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” It’s a lesson some nations forget when confronting the drug trade. Drug trafficking isn’t simply a street problem. It’s a vast and burgeoning enterprise. Behind every packet sold is a network of suppliers, financiers, recruiters and distributors operating with cold calculated efficiency. Like any successful business, it studies its market, adapts quickly and exploits weaknesses wherever it finds it. If it wasn’t for the destructive effects of their enterprise you’d be forgiven for thinking how strategically clever and innovative they are in growing their business and fortunes. Tragically, their preferred market is the most vulnerable in society. Young people searching for new opportunity. Communities struggling with unemployment. Families already under pressure and struggling to survive. These are the cracks through which the drug trade seeps into society and spreads its poisonous web. If governments are serious about defeating it, they must do more than chase small-time dealers and celebrate occasional arrests. They must understand how these networks think, how they recruit, how they move past border control mechanisms and how they launder money through legitimate business channels and how they quietly embed themselves in communities through respectable social networks. Because the uncomfortable truth is this: the drug trade studies society far more closely than society studies it. Sun Tzu’s warning therefore remains painfully relevant. You cannot defeat an enemy you refuse to understand and really get to know. And until we truly understand the complex machinery of the drug trade, we will remain not one step ahead of it but always 10 steps behind. Colin Deoki Australia
