Marist 7s set to thrill
I have fond memories of the Fiji Bitter Marist 7s tournament which embodies the essence of grassroots rugby. The 50th edition of the Fiji Bitter Marist 7s tournament kicks off in Suva this weekend and is expected to bring out the best from our local 7s sides prior to the thrilling battle in the Happy Valley. I vividly remember the excitement with which the national 7s team was announced for the Hong Kong 7s after the Marist 7s concluded. Fans would wait with bated breath for the names of warriors who would battle for the elusive title at the So Kon Po Stadium. Last year, Devo Babas were crowned champions after defeating Dominion Brothers 10-5 who struck first through national rep Iliavi Masori but Aisake Peni and Rusiate Matai powered over for the Babas. In 2024, DXC Army Green was crowned champions after defeating DXC Barbarians 17-5 in the Men’s Cup final in slippery wet conditions. In 2023, Police Blue was crowned champions after their 15-5 victory over the Fiji Select 7s. It was the second loss for Fiji after going down 14-7 to Tabadamu. The national 7s side started well, but the Police unit was solid in defence and rattled the national side. Inia Tawalo scored first for Fiji, but then it was Police all the way, as former Fiji 7s playmaker Livai Ikanikoda and Peni Kurusiga scored two tries. Terio Tamani nailed any hopes of a comeback, as he converted a penalty. Lawrence Tikaram and his team have a mammoth task ahead of them. I thank them for giving the legends of the 7s game the much-needed respect and appreciation. Seeing the ‘burning train’ Sireli Bobo, the 7s Guru and Master Waisale Serevi and Saiasi Fuli (FT: 24/03) brought memories from our glorious days on the 7s field. Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam Nadawa, Nasinu
My response
Rajend Naidu believes that if one quotes Western journalists/professors, their opinion becomes legitimate. I don’t think so. Also, it’s a trait of RN to belittle and denigrate people when he doesn’t have much to contribute to the issue in discussion. This is a reflection of his frustration. Moreover, RN’s frustration is that his most admired country, China’s economy and influence is on a rapid decline. Jan Nissar brings out his “victim card” or tries to demean people by calling them names as always. It’s a sign of frustration. I am still waiting for his response to my earlier two LTEs. JN, please remember we Fijians drink grog openly and enjoy conversation with laughter, chuckles, giggles, guffaws etc. We do not hide in our homes to consume alcoholic drinks. My advice to both Rajend Naidu and Jan Nissar is to look into Australia’s domestic problems of high cost of living, fuel prices exceeding $A3 ($F4.65) in some areas for unleaded and diesel, last December when temperatures went beyond 32 degrees, older people unable to afford cooling systems ended up in hospitals, domestic terrorism, living conditions of Australia’s First Peoples, the Aboriginal people and the list goes on. Rakesh Chand Sharma Adelaide, Australia
Aussie support
People in Fiji should not be bagging ‘Wonderland’, as some people refer to Australia. Without direct support from Australia in all sorts of ways including direct cash support for the Fijian budget and charity and aid of various sorts, Fiji and Fijians would be in a very bad state without Australia. So do not bite the hand that feeds you. And those who believe that Fijians will never starve because they can all go back to their villages, I suggest that you pack up and go back to your villages and stop whinging about cost of living, lack of housing, rent, unemployment, hospitals, education, traffic jams, potholes and the like. I believe packing up and going back to your villages will solve a lot of these problems which will exacerbate in coming days and weeks due to what is happening around the world. So, please do not delay as living in urban areas does not suit certain people. A traditional and cultural life will suit you better. Just ask the government and the GCC. So, pack up and get lost back to where you came from. Jan Nissar Sydney, NSW, Australia
Only in Fiji
In the annals of Fiji’s colourful history, some very unpalatable chapter, is this cruel reality. The former Prime Minister, his brains — trust in the former Attorney-General — Minister of Finance, — “their law” fully recognised by the Fiji National Provident Fund, arbitrarily made it “legal” to amend and/or “steal” senior pensioners irrevocable fiduciary benefits. This betrayal stands to this day — 14 long and painful years later. How absurd? The financial institutions are watching, very intently. As heart-breaking as it may seem, this cruelty exists to this day. This was no democracy. It was dictatorship … it clearly exposed their inhumanity, power and total disrespect for Fiji’s elderly senior members of the Fund. FNPF today, still condones this. It must be painfully acknowledged, FNPF remains Government’s “cash-cow”. I make a fervent appeal to our hard-working Prime Minster, to right yesterday’s wrong. We understand managing a Coalition is an enormous task. Please, PM Sitiveni Rabuka, we the surviving betrayed 1400 senior pensioners, lean on you. You hold that “golden key” to unlock that door to this “dark nightmarish dungeon” – please free us from this misery. Allow us to live happily, again. We deserve pain-free deaths. The urgency cannot be over-impressed. Tomorrow, could be a little too late for one of us. Our lives are filled with enormous prolonged and aggravated stress. This is our SOS. This pain and misery needs to end now. Ronnie Chang Martintar, Nadi
Flood risk
Nadi flood risk Australian aid, declared by PM (FT 24/3). I believe $35million has been allocated to tackle the flood risk in Nadi. Is this not similar to what was done by previous governments? The Nadi River dredging, realignment and flood weirs provision? These were the few solutions given by foreign specialists, in my view. Were ‘follow ups’ carried out by the respective ministry? Or were they completely abandoned, prior to being revived again, as usual? Natural disasters, I believe, can’t be controlled or predicted, but we can prepare ourselves accordingly, to minimise economic loss and social disruptions. And obviously, flood prone settlements and residents, in my view, need to understand such risks, not to always become victims. Foreign financial aids’ purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence, in my opinion. However, let us be hopeful that the Fiji Climate Adaptation funded program, is objectively utilised. What a time to officially unveil it. Samu Silatolu Nakasi
Tabua value
Someone posted a ‘tabua’ (whale’s tooth) the size of a Rewa Life packet at a price of $2000. I’d rather buy a whole whale without its teeth than buying this cultural artifact.’Mei cavai?’ Pita Soroaqali Tavua
Minister’s challenge
It is ironical that the former Sugar Minister is moved to Public Enterprises and within a short span he announces that six State owned enterprises are not making profit. Will Minister Charan Jeath Singh’s leadership repeat the debacle of FSC. Rakesh Chand Sharma Nadi
Expensive kava
It’s interesting to read in The Fiji Times-LTE- that the price of kava has gone up with the oil price rise. Let’s go for less expensive food, healthy basic food for survival. We should always be aware of addictive drinks and food. Spend less for more years to your life with healthy food and drinks. Health first. Tahir Ali Hamilton, New Zealand
Kaiviti Silktails
Have we forgotten our Kaiviti Silktails? With all due respect, the media limelight appears focused on our Fiji Bati, Flying Fijians and the Fijian Drua. Our Kaviti Silktails participate in the 2026 Jersey Flegg Cup commencing in March. These are our young men playing competitive rugby league with a dream of doing the nation proud and securing contracts with other professional clubs. We are a rugby crazy nation but let’s not forget our less prominent sides and lend our support. To our Kaiviti Silktails team, the sky is your limit and may you unleash the best of rugby league in 2026. Floyd Robinson Micronesia
Fiji Hindi debate
Areh yaar, I’m probably the last person to wade into the Fiji Hindi debate. But perhaps that’s exactly why I feel compelled to say something. If we truly want to understand how people speak in Fiji, we don’t need committees or consultations. Just sit around a tanoa or basin of kava, spend time at Indo-Fijian gatherings, listen at social or sporting events and simply observe. The answer is already there, alive and unfiltered. In all my years, the only place I’ve consistently heard anything close to shuddh Hindi is on formal broadcasts like Radio Fiji where I once worked. Out in the real world, people communicate differently. What you hear is Hinglish, Finglish, or a natural blend of the two shaped by history, culture and every day interaction. And that’s the point. Language isn’t something frozen in textbooks or imported wholesale from elsewhere. It evolves. It adapts. It becomes a living reflection of the people who use it every day in their interactions with others. Fiji isn’t India. The Indo-Fijian language has evolved and grown into its own identity, rich, practical and inclusive. It works seamlessly across communities, especially in a country as beautifully diverse as ours. So perhaps the real question isn’t what should be taught but what is being spoken. Teach the language people actually use to connect, to relate and to understand one another not something that feels distant or foreign to their lived reality. Because in the end, a language only truly matters when it’s understood at the point where it’s spoken. And if you really want to help the integration and cohesion process to gel, make the indigenous Fijian language and culture compulsory in primary school up to Year Five or Six. When non-indigenous children learn about indigenous language and culture there’s a very good chance that it will bode well for the development of race relations. “Right hei.” Colin Deoki Australia
Capital City
Coming down Waimanu Road, one can’t help but be dazzled. Bravo to the new shops, the modern glass, and the ‘new and improved’ Ratu Sukuna Park. It’s truly heartening to see the ‘oldies’ and students enjoying the view. The Yatu Lau Arcade committee also deserves a standing ovation for their renovation; it’s a lovely island of class in an ocean of clutter. However, once you move past the initial glamour, the ‘real’ Suva tells a much more fragrant story. Our traffic system is clearly doing its best to accommodate every new vehicle brand on Earth, but the real star of the show is our collection of designer rubbish. The windy stretch past the market by the Ports is a scenic masterpiece of mess. The overfilled skips by the Nubukalou bridge and the market food stalls are a sight to behold. Who do we thank for this? The vendors? The council? Or is it our own collective effort to turn the capital into a landfill? And let’s talk about the ‘morning perfume’ in the carrier stand by the bus stand. The stench from the overspilling Carry Clean skips is a lovely way to wake up. With all due respect, could we perhaps suggest the revolutionary idea of emptying these skips at night while the city sleeps? Maybe pay the boys some overtime so the rest of us don’t have to start our day gagging? It’s a world-class welcome for any visitor, to be real. While we are at it, let’s applaud the ‘open-air’ hygiene at the market food stalls. Is a food cover for a samosa or a pudding too much to ask, or is the road dust considered a free garnish? And a special shout-out to Carpenters Shipping: your pad-yard is a triumph of ‘urban decay’ chic. It looks less like a shipping yard in a Capital City and more like an abandoned backyard in a ghost town. As locals, we’ve become experts at pretending this is normal, tossing our Twistie packets and soda bottles as if the ground were a magical self-cleaning bin. Visitors see it, even if we’ve chosen to go blind to it. It’s time the Suva City Council and contractors started acting like they’re managing a capital, not a scrap yard. Let’s stop treating our home like a bin — unless, of course, the goal is to be the world’s most modern-looking dump. Peceli Alistir Waitolu, Naitasiri
