Letters to the Editor: letters@fijitimes.com.fj
Give Tinai a chance
OUR hearts go out to former national sevens playmaker Ilai Tinai for his plea for forgiveness.He definitely let fans down when he was dropped from the team but I believe he has learnt from his mistakes.
He is a fine playmaker who, when under immense pressure, can create something from nothing.I hope Ben Ryan gives Tinai another chance as we desperately need a playmaker of his calibre.Like Tinai himself said: “I am only human and we all tend to make mistakes in our lives”.
WALLACE SAMUELS, Suva
Foreign policy
AUSTRALIA and New Zealand’s decision to eat humble pie by ending travel bans and trying to reconnect with Fiji is welcome news, even if it is a bit late.
With seven years to think about it and only six months to run before elections, this was Australia and New Zealand’s last chance to keep a foot in the door.
Had they seen what was really happening here, years ago, as opposed to seeing only what they wanted to see, relations would not have come to the current pass.
Clearly, what is at stake now for both countries, and the US, is geo-political influence and need to repair damage done to tripartite foreign relations. Now China is the major player.
And as Anthony Bergin of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute admits, likely “to remain so”.
Equally clearly, the self-inflicted damage of their policies dawned on our neighbours some time ago.
We, therefore, shouldn’t credit Julie Bishop and the Abbott government, whose activities in Manus and Nauru speaks volumes about their attitude towards the Pacific Islands, with political wisdom, they had no option. It was a fait accompli.
Distorted reporting, especially The Australian, continued for years and fed a Canberra picnic.
Along with the kind of pathological character assassination of Bainimarama and his A-G, I once heard tripping off the tongue of a senior Australian diplomat (no longer in Fiji), the PM had little option but to look North.
In the interests of all, may the slow work of recovery begin.
CHRISTOPHER GRIFFIN, Rakiraki
Expired visa
VISA conditions are the same in all countries.
This is what Savita Devi (FT 7/4) must do immediately:
(1) Go to the FRRO office in Bangalore or Delhi and fill a form and be registered as a foreigner. It is hoped that her Fiji passport is valid. If asked why her visa had expired, tell the authorities truthfully and then ask if it’s possible to be registered as a foreigner until she leaves India and that has to be say in two weeks time. Her relatives could buy e-ticket for Savita for a selected and mutually agreeable date and then she could leave India.
(2) If she is not allowed to be registered (in extreme cases) then her relatives should visit Indian Embassy in Suva and apply for a re-entry visa or some sort of letter then this letter should be sent to Savita by registered post immediately.
(3) If the Indian Embassy does not issue any letter but insists on seeing her passport and affixing visa on this then her relatives should fly to India and take her Fiji passport back with them and then apply (on Savita’s behalf) for a re-entry visa to India and (make sure the relatives also have a valid Indian visa).
(4) Her relatives could buy e-ticket for themselves and for Savita for a selected and mutually agreeable date and then leave for India.
(5) Once Savita has completed all her transactions in India, then she may leave with her relatives and make sure there is a minimum four days left before her visa expires.
I am a former Fiji citizen having resided in Samabula, Suva, but now residing in Lucknow (UP), India, and I can be contacted on my mobile +(91) 894-869-7001.
DR SARVESHWAR PANDE, Lucknow, India
Airline profits
IT’s good to hear that Fiji’s own airline is doing well financially and the return on FNPF loans is reaping benefits.
The CEO and his team must be congratulated for that.
I’m sure the airline with its team has embraced a more dynamic strategic planning and positioned itself favourably to prosper financially in the face of uncertainties and complexities especially with fare competition in its larger markets.
However with the growing global concern for airline safety the unforeseen grounding and maintenance of one of its A330 in Sydney reflects primarily on poor socio-technical human factors. If not handled properly in future, this can translate into loss of customer, market shares and above all loss of human life.
In such a safety-sensitive customer service-oriented industry, such an event should not be tolerated. The company’s human resource expertise is required more than ever to align its recruitment and performance activities so that experienced air pilots are in control of large flight destinations like Sydney.
Apart from that the airline seems to be charting a flexible roadmap that suits the realities of the business as it unfolds.
AMENATAVE YACONISAU, Lami
FEA compensation
HASMUKH Patel, thank you for your reply.
I’d just like to tell you that the coconut tree was no danger to your power lines as the tree was far shorter than your power lines.
Even if it fell in a hurricane, it would have never touched the power lines.
The explanation your engineer gave for the removal of the tree was that the new 33 Kilo Volts line was discharging through the coconut tree in my compound. I knew he was lying.
You said that you had to seek the assistance of the Commissioner Northern to remove the tree.
So you are admitting that you had the approval of the Commissioner Northern but not the owner of the tree.
I am not worried about the compensation of the tree, I am more worried about my property rights as per our Constitution.
When you cut the tree, why didn’t FEA inform me to be there at the site.
I still maintain FEA should not have removed the tree unless it had a court order. You had no right to cut and remove tree and the fruits.
If you had wanted to compensate me, your engineer should have told me about the compensation before he cut the tree and not after.
I worked for FEA but inside a powerhouse for 22 years.
I admit I never knew FEA has to compensate the owners for tree removal.
By the way, did you compensate my neighbours?
SUKHA SINGH, Labasa
Football discipline
WE are proud of the fact that we have two of our soccer teams taking part in the OFC tournament and also the venue is our country.
Ba team has really made us proud of their performance so far but on the other hand we are a bit disappointed with Nadi’s performance.
Soccer is a game and winning or losing is part of it but discipline is very important.
It does not matter how good the team is, they cannot win if they don’t have discipline.
NARDEO MISHRA, Suva
Public debate
AS we are gearing for election, may I suggest that a live debate between the interim government and the other political parties be conducted. This way voters can hear arguments and points by the different parties and the interim government and can make an informed decision when they go to the polls. For so long we have had the war of words in the papers, radio and on TV, so why not do it live. We can have this streamed overseas for our citizens abroad.
APISALOME WAQATABU, Nasinu
Nothing’s free
THANK you Dr Jiko Luveni, the Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, for letting the public know where the government was sourcing money from for projects – taxpayers (FT 3/4). The youths of today should learn that nothing is free in this world, not even their education. Someone, somewhere paid the bill.
KORINA WAIBUTA, Suva
Poll process
I WONDER if all our DPOs in each division are informed about election procedures. Civil servants are the people who will carry out the difficult work and as yet not all have been trained on the processes.
MIKAELE LEAWERE, Suva
Better online
I SAW a guy yesterday wearing a t-shirt with “you looked better online” printed on it. Made me wonder about the person that came up with the phrase and who was it being directed to? Social network users? I hope not because I could be chatting online with a bird but in real life it’s a bloke.
WISE MUAVONO, Lautoka
Soccer sarcasm
I GUESS the fine art of sarcasm is lost on so many.
PRANEET SINGH, Sacramento, US
Privacy laws
REFERRING to Saturday’s letters (FT 12/4), I counted two letters from the FEA. Is the “Your Fiji, Your Voice” section the appropriate place to sort out disputes or make clarifications? There appears to be details in the letter, that as a reader, I feel I should not be privy to. Are there privacy laws in Fiji?
B SMITH, Auckland, New Zealand
Chopped tree
SO finally Hasmukh Patel decides to put to rest Sukha Singh’s claims about that unlawfully chopped coconut tree in his compound. I wonder what took the FEA CEO so long to reply and rectify Mr Singh’s query. Or do you only surface when things get really heated up?
NISHANT SINGH, Lautoka
Let them worship
IT must be nearly Easter, Rajesh Lal is back again with his crusade against Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Easter and Palm Sunday (FT 13/4).
Everyone to his own beliefs, but please let others also follow theirs.
Back in 2008 (FT 25/3/2008), he was offering a $5000 reward to whoever could find the words Easter etc in the Bible.
Now Rajesh’s reward has climbed to $25,000.
Obviously, Rajesh’s fortunes have done well over the last six years.
Possibly because of him working hard while the rest of us are enjoying our religious holidays.
TERRY HULME, Eastwoode, Australia
Two sets of rules
BROTHER Rajesh Lal is true that the words Father’s Day and others including Christmas are not found in the Bible (FT 13/4).
However, he should be careful with his offer of $25,000 because satan knows his time is short and one of his projects is to slowly insert generally accepted Christian terms into the new modern English Bible translations.
My 2014 LICI Calendar at home shows Monday as the first day of the week, making Sunday the seventh day of the week.
We all need to wake up because when Christ’s disciples asked Him about future and end time events, His first response was, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matt.24:3,4).
With all due respect, Christians who teach that God had a different set of rules for people in the Old Covenant to us in the New Covenant are being deceived.
Christ’s death on the cross is for people covered in both covenants, therefore there cannot be two sets of rules for those before and after the cross.
SAVENACA VAKALIWALIWA, Nasinu
Praise all the time
THOSE words may not be found in the Bible, Rajesh Lal (FT 13/4), but what they represent and stand for are all based on the Bible.
You need to understand the Bible is not enough.
If it were, we wouldn’t need the Holy Spirit to give us revelations or preachers to explain to us biblical text.
By questioning such things, it shows your lack of the Holy Spirit to guide you on such matters.
Also, the Bible does not say we should only worship God at a specific time.
It says, “Everything that hath breath praise the Lord!” Psalm 150: 6.
That means we to praise all the time we have breath – morning, noon and night.
God bless you, Rajesh.
SAMUELA SAVU, Canberra, Australia
Focus on God
ARCHBISHOP Peter Loy Chong’s encouragement to members of the Catholic Church to remain focused on God should go without saying!
And this goes for every Christian denomination in Fiji. It is rather sad that many followers are lukewarm and in it for all other reasons but God.
Walk the talk people and walk it out loud. Your devotion to your faith ought to show in your actions.
SIMON HAZELMAN, Savusavu
Question to self
WHEN I read the report by Luke Rawalai (FT12/4) “Catholic church to focus on God” I said to myself, “And what were they focused on before this.”
ALLEN LOCKINGTON, Nadi
