Best games
We must admit that this year has got to be one of the best Coke Games Athletics Fiji Finals ever.
Suva Grammar deserves praise for their innovative way of winning races by diving.
It was a “Do or die” battle in the 400m final and Tokikivunuku gave it his all.
He will be remembered in history for a very long time.
Perhaps, better than the Banuve Tabakaucoro 100m sprint records.
The same can be said for the RKS 4 x 400m relay team and Setoki Turuva.
What a sweet revenge.
How else better than to do it in style in the grand finale to close off a great secondary schools athletics season.
Great many thanks to the underdogs like MGM, St Vincent, Korovuto, Nakasi, Namosi, Penang, Dreketi, and Nasikawa for putting up a great competition and winning a fair share.
You all were equal winners!
And you all showed what a great resilience the Fijian spirit is to bounce back from COVID-19.
Utiko Nabunobuno, Lautoka
Suva, ACS stand tall
As the curtains drew to one of the most competitive Coca-Cola Games, Suva Grammar School and Adi Cakobau School stood tall in the boys and girls division.
The Veiuto Lions, who last won the title in 2011, won 11 gold, six silver and six bronze medals.
They edged QVS by two gold medals.
ACS, on the other hand, grabbed 13 gold, eight silver and eight bronze medals.
Suva Grammar finished second with four gold, seven silver and three bronze medals.
Suva Grammar and ACS had two best coaches – Jone Delai and Antonio Raboiliku.
The “Grammar Rise Up” motto paid off as Jone Delai, who has been coaching for 15 years, declared that time was up.
This year’s game was tough and the medal tally was tight, but the smaller and not so prominent schools made the difference.
I just wish athletes on the maritime islands and those in the north and rural schools had the facilities that those in urban areas had.
Imagine the impact they will make on the medal tally!
The games ended on a high note as we build up to the Pacific Games and Melanesian Games.
I hope to see athletes, burning the tracks, in the Fiji team.
Once again congratulations to the Lions and ACS and I thank those athletes, who took part, but did not win a medal!
They are all winners.
Congratulations to MGM High School’s Kesaia Boletanakadavu and Waisale Inoke for winning the blue ribbon event.
They created history which will be talked about in years to come!
Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam, Nadawa, Nasinu
Heart surgery
It’s great news that finally Lautoka Hospital is almost ready to commence open heart surgeries by the end of this month which is less than two weeks away.
Well I guess the burning question in the minds of the public now is how much it will cost to access this service.
So far there has been no word on this issue.
We were told earlier that the services that are currently being provided free will continue.
Thus, indicating that any new or additional service will be subject to fees.
Will there be any special provision for funding assistance or subsidies for those who are unable to afford the charges?
What about the members of the Fiji National Provident Fund?
Will they be eligible for any rebate?
My humble plea is if some preference could be accorded to those heart patients who are currently raising funds to travel overseas for their treatment.
SELWA NANDAN, Lautoka
Lost glory, and other losses
Welcome home Sister Teresia, you have raised a sad and serious issue, the loss of the traditional iTaukei hairstyle buiniga.
From my first days in Fiji, 60 plus years ago, I have admired this unique and beautiful cultural glory.
There is much else that the iTaukei have lost or are losing, and perhaps the most important is the use of their indigenous language with its varied dialects.
The need to communicate in the public spaces such as the media in one of the most irregular languages with its vast vocabulary is a difficulty for many people.
Even in Parliament English is the only language that is permitted.
I do not wish to denigrate English – it is vital for those who wish to pursue higher education.
However, as Richard Naidu pointed out in his article, “Racists” and “rhetoric”, Ms Warid could have expressed her problem less controversially.
It is a genuine problem.
Our level playing field is extremely rough and uneven.
Many iTaukei fall behind while others race ahead and win the ‘medals’ of many areas of development.
Another loss is the iTaukei gift of genuine talanoa.
Mr Naidu also draws attention to our loss of the freedom of speech, that affects us all in whatever language we use.
We have to be careful about what we say in public and share in the media.
We can no longer freely share opinions, discuss issues, agree, and disagree.
This valuable indigenous word talanoa is also being brazenly misused here and in the world-wide public space of climate change discussion.
Traditional iTaukei dress, such as the sulu, is gradually being pushed out of daily use and kept for special occasions.
Before more is lost: Time for change.
Tessa Mackenzie, Suva
Heart surgeries
With open heart surgeries about to commence momentarily at the Lautoka Hospital, can the A-G please ratify whether these extremely delicate procedures will be executed by our local doctors or by the heart specialists from abroad?
Since botched surgeries leading to unforeseen deaths are not rare in our “top-notch” hospitals, I would be awfully tentative to go under the knife if the operation was to be performed by our so-called local “trial and error” medical experts for obvious reasons.
I do not wish to “expire” on the operating table.
Nishant Singh, Somewhere in the Mamanuca Group
Be the change
After long talks with appropriate actions, what we have achieved so far is we all are aware of.
With close co-operation of all mankind we have to change our attitudes towards climate change positively that matters most.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Tahir Ali, Hamilton, New Zealand
My gratitude
This is to express my gratitude for the level of care and attention, provided to my wife during her admittance at the Levuka Hospital.
I understand the medical fraternity has been coping a lot of flak in the media since time immemorial but credit must be given where it’s due.
From the security to the most senior medic personnel, team Levuka medics have been awesome.
Many many vinaka and keep up the good work medics.
“Sai Levuka ga.”
Anthony Sahai, Levuka, Ovalau
Peoples paper
The extensive exciting coverage of the 2022 Coca-Cola Games by The Fiji Times and The Sunday Times tells you why it is popularly regarded as the people’s paper in all corners of the country.
The paper has a real feel of the pulse of the people.
Rajend Naidu, Sydney, Australia
Something good
I couldn’t help noticing the camaraderie amongst the athletes at the Coke Games.
Thank you to the athletes, the trainers, the supporters the teachers and volunteers and officials.
Good to also see out side schools winning medals.
Vinaka all.
Allen Lockington, Kava Place, Lautoka
Buy direct
Now it is much better to buy root crops and vegetables from the farmers instead of going and buying from the market middlemen or middlewomen.
The load in the sack is much bigger and suits the money we bought the items with.
It is about time we buy directly from the farmers and maybe even empowering rural people and slowing down the rural to urban rush.
Much better we just buy our own farms and plant whatever we are buying from the market in the first place.
Even now and moving forward the cost of things will keep on rising with the ever-increasing fuel cost.
Meli Matanatoto, Suva
Booster shots
Mandatory or choice!
Tahir Ali, Hamilton, New Zealand
Positive side of things
Another secondary schools athletics meet has ended.
While it brings out the positive side of things on to the front stage, I think there is a lot that happens in the backstage which later has everyone concerned.
Some may not hit the headlines but there is no denying that they happen.
It is discipline related and could be due to school rivalries being taken a bit too far.
Just observing the closing ceremony, I wonder if organisers have ever thought of replicating the Olympic style approach where all participants from various schools walk in as “one school, one nation” instead of in separate batches carrying their respective school banners.
It could send out an extremely positive message to students.
Mohammed Imraz Janif, Natabua, Lautoka
Vulagi issue
My name is Jioji M Cakacaka and I’m registered in the VKB as my village is Susui, in the district of Lomaloma on the island of Vanuabalavu, in the province of Lau.
My tree is the vesi, my fish is the salala and my traditional role is kingmaker.
I migrated with my parents to Suva in 1970 for greener pastures a few months before our independence.
We first settled in Veisari, Lami before moving around the Suva-Nausori corridor and bought a permanent home at Kalabu Housing Estate, Nasinu otherwise known as Saioni in 1974, where I grew up with rest of my siblings and extended family members.
Our family house still remains there.
While the land is being leased to the Housing Authority for 99 years, traditional owners of the land are people from Kalabu Village, of Naitasiri Province.
I will always consider myself as a vulagi in Viti Levu because I live in their land under their generosity and care.
I moved to Nadi in October 1999, and settled in Votualevu until now and I always consider myself as a vulagi here because I live on land traditionally owned by the people of Saunaka but leased out to institutions.
I will always pay my respect to the vanua of Navatulevu, and Saunaka for giving me a place to stay for the last 20 plus years and find employment in their domain.
I eat from the produce toiled on their customary land which has being passed on from generation to generation.
I will always be a vulagi in Nadi and other parts of Fiji because my birthright powers and claims are in Susui, Vanuabalavu, Lau.
That’s my understanding of the word vulagi to an iTaukei interpretation as I was taught in the vanua and school.
Any other interpretation of the word vulagi as racist is wrong and politically correct to suit your true vulagi narrative by non iTaukei experts?
You will only understand the meaning of word vulagi if you are an iTaukei?
Even to the extent, if I lease on any mataqali land for agriculture purposes as a sign of respect to the landowner, I will present my first harvest known as ai sevu (iTaukei dialect) to its landowning chief and church to my God every year at the end of February.
It’s my iTaukei culture and tradition associated with the word vulagi!
Jioji M Cakacaka, Tadra, Votualevu, Nadi