7s rugby on Kadavu
The Fiji Bitter Kadavu 7s, which was played over the weekend and won by Wardens Gold defeating Peagus Lavidi 17-15, added spice to life on the beautiful island.
Our sports reporter John Chetty, who was in Namalata, Kadavu, provided a great insight into rugby life on the island, the villagers welcomed the guests to their shores despite the bad weather conditions to the extent that the players had to help drain water out from the ground.
Kadavu is the cradle of rugby talent, having nurtured and produced big rugby names like Sireli Naqelevuki, Setareki Tawake, Sale Sorovaki and our strength and conditioning coach Naca Cawanibuka.
The Minister for Women and president of Kadavu Rugby Honourable Lynda Tabuya emphasised the importance of showcasing and nurturing local talent in rugby, with the hope of Kadavu becoming a dominant force in rugby. I salute Hon. Tabuya and her team for the theme, ‘Say no to drugs’.
The resounding promise, that the winds of rugby will inject new breath on Kadavu, is welcoming as the Namalata 7s aimed to help raise the next generation of players who will elevate Fiji’s performance.
Osea Kolinisau was in Kadavu to look for new and young talents, and he hinted the selection of few players (ST: 20/10).
Our national 7s teams should intensify their preparations for the 2024/25 HSBC SVNS WRSS.
Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam Nadawa, Nasinu
Worrying crime stats
I concur with the editor in relation to the above that we should be more engaged in meaningful discussions and initiative to reduce crime and nurture an appreciation of safety and peaceful coexistence!
On the other hand a note of appreciation to the Fiji Police Force in highlighting the rise in crime rate stats.
The onus is now on us as citizens of our beloved Fiji to work together and be more engaged in meaningful discussions and initiate ways to reduce crime and nurture an appreciation of safety and peaceful existence.
Losalini Ulacake Pacific Harbour
Legal assistance
I am concerned about the delay and absence of accessing justice in rural places like Vunidawa in Naitasiri.
Despite the existence of legal justice services like the Legal Aid Commission, these services tend not to spark interest in expanding facilities across remote areas like Vunidawa.
At the moment, Vunidawa is considered a government station and a rural town, yet, there are no legal services provided.
On January 20, 2018, the former director of the Legal Aid Commission Shahin Ali made a statement during a staff workshop, confirming that a few new locations would be opened across rural areas including Vunidawa.
So, imagine, that was six years ago, until now, no progress has been made, still no Legal Aid office is available in Vunidawa.
As disturbing as it is, how will villagers in the greater Naitasiri area access justice?
Transportation is quite costly when trying to access other Legal Aid locations like Nausori.
In fact, these people are left vulnerable to most legal issues in Fiji, as they have little to no knowledge about court procedures, legal processes, and on top of that they are limited to seeking legal advice and seeking justice.
I urge the Legal Aid Commission to reconsider opening an office in Vunidawa, and also try enlarging its services like creating legal lifelines and SMS-services, conducting seminars, workshops and public consultations in remote areas.
Lilieta Seru USP, Suva
Road accidents
In the wake of road accidents in the festive season, let’s ask ourselves how careful are we to prevent these.
Drinking and drug related issues are evident. And in many unfortunate ones, carelessness and not following road rules are major issues.
Careless use of mobile phones while behind the wheel is also serious.
We all have a role to play, cooperating with police and authorities concerned.
Save your self and save others when on the road as passengers, drivers or pedestrians.
Safely enjoy the festive season with blessings of God.
Road safety is life safety.
Tahir Ali Hamilton, New Zealand
Congratulations are in order
Congratulations Lions on your outstanding victory in the 2024 soccer IDC! Your hard work, dedication, and teamwork have truly paid off, and you have made all of Labasa proud.
This achievement is a testament to the team work and the unwavering spirit you’ve shown throughout the tournament.
You’ve not only brought home the trophy but also inspired our community and united us in celebration. We are all thrilled to see your efforts rewarded and look forward to many more successes in the future. Enjoy this well-deserved victory.
Abdul Janif Nakasi
Good on you
Yesterday I visited the Fiji Roads office at mid-day in Lautoka with some interesting issues about roads, gardens, streetlight maintenance, seriously Jinnu Rd too. It was great help knowing that Jinnu Rd will be upgraded by the end of the financial year while Natabua Stage 1 later in the next year.
They were very kind in explaining and giving feedback about many raised issues which I considered.
Fiji Roads needs more hard working citizens like Krishnesh who is a official office bearer in the roads department.
Having said that, it made me more confident that in the future many roads and street lights will be maintained by 2025.
NAVNEET RAM (TD) Lautoka
Unwillingly to school
Readers may be familiar with the monologue from Shakespeare’s As you like it that begins “All the world’s a stage”. The speech goes on to describe seven stages of life, the second of which is “the whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school”.
I am sure there are many reasons why a typical English schoolboy at the end of the 16th century might be unwilling to go to school, but would suggest that one of them might be that he would be dreading spending the best part of the day hearing a schoolmaster droning away in a foreign language, in this case Latin. Incredible as this may sound to us today, in Shakespeare’s time English was considered an inferior language, and education in England was conducted in Latin or French, mostly by teachers who were perfectly fluent in English.
A century later, all of Englishman’s Isaac Newton’s research was conducted and published in Latin for the same reason. English was considered impoverished and inadequate for scientific research. Such a mindset continued into the 20th century, with Latin being required for entry to Oxford or Cambridge until 1960.
A similar mindset persists in Fiji today. Because of our latter-day colonial heritage, we consider Fijian, Fiji Hindi and other local languages unsuitable for education, despite the fact that the vast majority of countries in the world give their children at least a basic education in their own language.
So when politicians, civil servants and concerned citizens, as reported recently in The Fiji Times, look for reasons for the high dropout rate, they should include the fact that children are denied a basic education in their own language, and are forced to sit and listen to someone who is able to speak their language inflicting on them a foreign language.
This is not education.
I invite readers from Australia, New Zealand and other English-speaking countries to consider how keen you would have been to go to school if you were required to understand French or Latin in order to learn anything.
You would probably have dropped out fairly quickly!
We will see a further decline in educational standards if we continue on the same path. The vast majority of our children speak either Fijian or Fiji Hindi, so we must develop effective education in these languages in order to impart knowledge and keep children interested in acquiring it.
Paul Geraghty USP, Suva
With the family!
With so much juvenile crime, does this mean that the traditional family unit where respect for elders has been eroded and is possibly breaking down?
It’s sad that young people are involved in so much criminal activity. In our day, if anyone stepped out of line we were given a ‘kuita’ to remind us that our behaviour was unacceptable and that we were accountable to our elders for our actions and our behaviour.
There was a level of respect for our elders that was never taken for granted. If we continued to disobey our elders there were ways that we were disciplined that prevented us from following the same path of unruly behaviour. And it worked. What’s changed?
I’m aware that we’re living with the liberalistic ideals and environment of the 21st century where a lot has changed in the way we’re supposed to discipline our children.
Yet there’s rampant violence, illegal substance abuse and a breakdown of law and order. Everything has a cause and effect. So what is all of this saying?
If we’re reading the signs correctly, perhaps we need to rethink some of our views about discipline especially regarding our children.
Because youth crime is symptomatic of the breakdown of the family unit and a breakdown of discipline and order in the family.
It starts in the family and ends with the family.
Colin Deoki Australia
Political party
SO many political parties for such a small country as ours. I hope they are all vying for a seat in the august house to act on behalf of all Fijians and protect their interests. Sobo!
Wise Muavono Balawa, Lautoka
Opportunistic move
While a group of disgruntled staff of USP are boycotting work for seemingly no clear-cut reasons, it is best for us to stay clear, maybe stray clear even if some of us are able to read into the details. It is totally opportunistic of former PM MPC to show up to support the boycott gang amidst all the uncertainty and jeopardising of lessons. No good man!
Donald Singh Suva
$200million write-off
It is very generous of the Cabinet to write-off $200million debt owed by FSC. Can they show the same empathy towards the poor sugar cane farmers who are struggling to pay off their loans to Sugar Cane Growers Fund?
SELWA NANDAN Lautoka
Reddy on new mill
The FSC chairman Nitya Reddy’s appraisal that a new sugar mill in Rakiraki that was promised by the Coalition Government is not commercially feasible (FT 22/10), demonstrates the mismatch between election rhetoric and ground reality. Reset is easier said than done.
Rajend Naidu Sydney, Australia
Termite problem
With widespread termites house infestations around the country, I’d rather stay in a typical Fijian bure and enjoy my life rather than in mansion with a worried life.
Pita Soroaqali Rakiraki
Safe spaces
Can Government be the driving force behind a new initiative creating ‘safe spaces’ in our cities, towns, villages, settlements and homes?
Seeing that everyone builds initiatives around themes, can we have ‘Safe Spaces’ as an annual all year round theme and celebrate it once a year with success stories!
Noleen Billings Savusavu
Power of money
LTE correspondent Dan Urai enquired (FT 22/10) when would human beings realise that they cannot eat money.
This may be true but people would certainly consume lots of food purchased with money and generally enjoy life if one has this resource in abundance.
Just saying.
Emosi Balei Suva
