Appreciate their sacrifice
As I read Selwa Nandan’s letter titled “Plea from a chief” (FT 20/05) and Hon Filimoni Vosarogo’s advice to push for girmit learning, I reiterate the editorial titled “Remembering the hands that built Fiji” (ST: 17/05) in honour of the girmitiya whose journey is one of remembrance, reflection and honour. I echo the sentiments from the editorial, “That is why Girmit Day matters; not as a symbolic holiday to tick off the calendar, but as a national stock of who we were, who we became and who we still aspire to be.” The hardship, resilience, blood, sweat, labour and hard work of the girmitiya helped build Fiji. The girmitiya, who left their motherland with hope and dreams as they crossed waters, left behind their homes and loved ones, carrying faith, strength, courage and the will to survive. The girmitiya survived to build a tomorrow for us. I am proud to be their descendant. As a nation, we must appreciate their sacrifice. I salute the Gone Turaga Bale na Tui Nayau Ratu Tevita Mara, for honouring the girmitiya and their descendants as an integral part of the country’s history and future. I quote Ratu Tevita, “Their loyalty to Fiji has been tested many times. Their resilience is a source of national pride. In these trying times in our nation, when division is easily sown and unity must be actively tended, Fiji’s diversity is not a burden to be managed — it is a blessing to be celebrated.” These lines, “To our Indo-Fijian brothers and sisters, you are not guests in Fiji. You are Fiji. The sacrifice of your forebears has purchased your belonging here, in full and forever”, warmed my heart. Thank you, Ratu Tevita! RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM Nadawa, Nasinu
Well-known flip-flopper
I believe the Prime Minister is a well-known and well documented flip-flopper. So, there should be no surprise about the uncertainty regarding local government elections. The consistency of his flip-flops is consistent. What should not be surprising is that the people of Fiji want exactly that kind of PM. The PM is a perfect fit for a country like Fiji and its people. I believe it must be a cultural and traditional thing which some of us will never be able to understand. The God-fearing people of Fiji are blessed that the country is moving forward, back to the past with such great exuberance. Jan Nissar Sydney, Australia
Into a corner
I believe Fijians are being blackmailed into a corner by Energy Fiji Ltd (EFL). The national utility’s impending threat of controlled load shedding from June 1, framed as an unavoidable act of God due to global fuel shocks and dry–season hydrology, is nothing more than pre-crisis choreography. I believe this coercive bargaining is highly unethical, designed to soften public resistance before higher tariffs or government bailouts are announced. Fiji has weathered fuel volatility and seasonal El Niño drought cycles for decades; these are predictable, cyclical risks. The deeper crisis is one of internal corporate governance and an asymmetrical privatisation model that shifts all downside risk on ordinary citizens while completely insulating private interests. When the State sold 44 per cent of EFL to a multi-billion-dollar Japanese consortium in 2019, the public was promised access to world–class risk management, explicitly including fuel hedging instruments. Today, that hedging narrative is met with absolute silence. If fuel hedging was active, why is it not cushioning Brent crude volatility? If it was never activated or quietly terminated, why was the FCCC left in the dark, and why was the public misled? A national utility cannot claim unexpected shock from fuel prices when its primary structural justification for privatisation was to hedge against exactly this scenario. Most egregious is the total invisibility of this 44 per cent foreign shareholder. In its desperate media releases, EFL repeatedly reaches for the public begging bowl — demanding emergency surcharges, tariff hikes, and direct Government fuel subsidies. I believe not once has EFL demanded that its deep-pocketed foreign partner inject equity capital or provide shareholder loans to absorb the losses. This is not how corporate partnerships work. A foreign conglomerate cannot sit silently at the table to reap lucrative dividends when profits flow, only to vanish when the infrastructure requires financial stability. The status of this silent partner, who treats our national grid like an insulated ATM, must not fool Fijians. Both the Government and the FCCC must reject this manufactured crisis. Before a single cent of taxpayer funds or tariff adjustments is approved, an in-depth independent investigation must be opened into EFL’s opaque management practices, its hidden hedging history, and the complete failure of its regulatory compliance. The public must no longer carry the asymmetric burden of corporate incompetence. Dr Sushil K Sharma Lautoka
Drug fight
Do commend the Western chiefs for joining the fight against drugs in partnership with the Joint Task Force. When our vanua stands together with law enforcement, the message is clear: drugs have no place in our communities. This leadership shows what’s possible when traditional authority and government work side by side. It would be awesome if chiefs and leaders in the Central, Northern, and Eastern divisions follow this example. The drug problem will not be solved by police alone. It needs the whole of Fiji — the vanua, the church, the schools, and every family — standing together. If every province made the same commitment, we would see real change for our children and future. Applaud the Western chiefs for leading the way. Mikaele Leawere Galoa Village, Serua
Fuel crisis
At least now everyone should start to work together, support each other rather than blaming and trying to pass the fuel cost to others. Crisis like this is when people need to unite. Narayan Reddy Lautoka
Election questions
Beyond platitudes, will parties in the next general election actually have policies and policy details to spruik? And is talk of postponing local elections a harbinger of what’s to come at national level? Christopher Griffin Perth, Australia
Customer service
Honourable Viliame Naupoto and PS Aliki Salusalu, can you both get off your high horse and organise refresher courses for your Immigration officers based at Robertson Rd on customer service, Immigration policies familiarity and system upgrade. Their service is below the standard and displeasing. DAVID DAWAI Suva
Fuel usage
Comments by Professor Biman Prasad in The Fiji Times alerts us to use fuel wisely, cooperating with authorities in this global fuel crisis. We are all struggling to survive. Let’s take up the challenges to solve this problem by budgeting and planning for future. Secure your future, save fuel today for better tomorrow. Live for less! Tahir Ali Hamilton, New Zealand
Thank you
Thank you very much Floyd Robinson for your letter regarding girmitiya celebrations. The work ethics that our grandparents instilled in us are serving us well wherever we are. My grandfather used to line up all the grandchildren during holidays and talk about the hard times they endured and the need for us to rise higher. Today, the descendants of girmitya are all over the world carrying on the tradition. Oliver Vinod Sydney, Australia
Women in politics
Patricia Mateiwai tries to make her case in her letter (LTE FT 21/5) on women in politics. She seems to have written the letter under a cloud of anger and frustration. I totally agree with Patricia. I have always believed in women empowerment and equal opportunity. However, that should come through meritorious means and not by way of reserved quotas for women. So, yes, we do encourage more women in politics and actually in Parliament. But you must fight as a candidate, fair fight, no favours. Donald Singh Nausori
Polls, electricity and drugs
Voter burnout
PM Sitiveni Rabuka claims that “voter burnout” is a threat to democracy after shelving local government elections, yet the bigger concern here is whether the public was ever genuinely consulted before such a major decision was made. The people had no say in postponing these elections, but now Rambo is assuming that frequent trips to the polls would somehow weaken participation and damage democracy itself. Seriously? That argument feels quite premature. Very undemocratic indeed! If the Government truly believed public support existed for delaying local elections, then the fair and democratic approach would have been to hold a transparent referendum or a nationwide consultation process and let the people decide. That is how democratic governance is supposed to function, not through assumptions made on behalf of the voters. I firmly believe that citizens are mature enough to determine whether they are willing to vote more frequently. Removing that choice while claiming to act in the interests of democracy sends the wrong message entirely. Come on “Stee”, utilise the $5million already allocated for the elections as confirmed by your Finance Minister. The excuses are already running thin. Nishant Singh Lautoka
More for power
When the lights continuously blink, more off then on, fuel, gas and the very basic food items are beyond our reach, is a clear indication of where we are as a country and explanations and supposed consultations are really just an insult. EFL has given submissions to escalate on electricity bill and trapping us to pay sky-high bills. What they don’t want you to know is that they are using our hard-earned money to our monthly bills to subsidise their fuel stocks. This isn’t because you’re using more energy and in fact, you might be cutting back on usage or other expenses to pay the growing bills. EFL cannot take their businesses elsewhere because the utility is a monopoly, there’s no alternative provider. And we have no choice but to pay the bill month after month because the fact of the matter is we all need electricity to power our appliances, keep the lights on, and cook our meals. As if jacking up our bills isn’t bad enough, what utilities are doing behind the scenes with our hard-earned money is even worse. NAVNEET RAM (TD) Lautoka
Drug crisis in Fiji
As a concerned citizen, I was surprised by the growing trend of drugs in this nation. It is a pandemic that ravages our nation and it takes time to heal or control. The very institutions that are supposed to uphold the law and stop the movement and sales of drugs tend to undermine their roles and take sides to be part of the drug trade in Fiji. However, it’s not the Fiji Police Force that is bad, it is individual choices that tarnish the reputation of the institution. The power of money speaks volumes of its detriment as the Bible states that “Money is the root of all evil”. However, I was so thankful to the Fiji Military Forces for boldly stepping up to assist the Fiji police in the fight against drugs. I believe the three-legged stool concept namely the vanua, Government and the churches is needed to join efforts to stop this ongoing drug crisis. As a member of the Methodist Church in Fiji, I established my faith through Jesus Christ. U believe it is not a time for us as believers to remain stagnant in our own comfort zones. But to reach out to these drug peddlers, drug addicts, drug pushers and drug lords, to pray and preach the word of God, so they could change their evil ways and turn to God. This is the most active and better solution to protect our nation, especially our youth from this drug crisis. Waisale L Seru Sigatoka
