Tabadamu 7s champions
The Tabadamu sevens team once again proved themselves in their own tournament after beating Police in the final. I believe Tabadamu were the best in 2018 and are again starting to dominate sevens rugby in the country. Congratulations Tabadamu. Tomasi Boginiso Nepani Rd, Nasinu
Truth and accountability
I would like to thank Laisa our beloved singer. She is a wonderful woman of tremendous courage and integrity. I admire her even more now that she has spoken out to all of us. The behaviour of our soldiers in that dark December was inexcusable, even if dictated by their bosses. Like Laisa, I have lost all my respect for what I had once considered our honourable force and the pride of our nation. Let us be honest, Laisa was not the only one to be subjected to such inhuman treatment. When Laisa spoke out against the regime that December in 2006, she was a voice for truth. Now, her recollections call for truth and reconciliation. Today, social media muddies the waters with its lack of integrity and respect. I pray that we find more genuine voices to speak out and hold people to account when necessary. Tessa Mackenzie Suva
Fight for life
The front page story in Saturday’s The Fiji Times touched many hearts. The face of mother Ana Naviri in vain making a desperate plea for her son’s urgent kidney transplant moved many and I am sure that our readers will join hands to save the young boy, who is just 14 years old and has some challenging days ahead of him. Reading the story by Arieta, I must say that Ravouvou needs urgent attention and this is the time donors must rise to give him some assistance. The son of former Navua rep Sailosi Livatalo also needs our prayers and support. In addition, I acknowledge Renu Snowsill for helping the family with a fundraising drive. Ladies and gentlemen let’s work in unity and reach out to save Ravouvou’s life. Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam Nadawa, Nasinu
Enabling education
The 2019 education year is set to start. With Government doing its utmost to see that no child is left behind in accessing education there still remains some challenges. The child’s right to education is very well enshrined in the Fijian constitution and the government is deeply committed in seeing that this is realised. Government through many policies has targeted to bring about educational reforms so that we remain on par with other developed countries in improving quality education. Sceptics may argue that some policies may have not been that successful, however, overall our education system has progressed a lot. Although increased enrolment rate and more students attending tertiary institutions are not the only indicators of educational success but this at least points out that we are heading in the right direction. Major progress has been made towards improving gender parity index, technical and vocational education and inclusive education. One of the glaring things that really struck me was that Government through its National Development Plan has elucidated very eloquently of how they are going to achieve all this. This is then successively aligned to sustainable development goals. In my view this is a very good thing. Obtaining quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and sustainable development. However, the biggest challenge for the Government remains to be how with the resources they have will allow them to push for new boundaries in promoting sustainable quality education which is going to take us to 2030. I wish all the teachers and students the very best for the new academic year. Pranil Ram Votualevu, Nadi
Hospital visit
We were at the Lautoka hospital the other night. A friend had gotten ill and we were surprised with the amount of people at the A and E section. One of the heartbreaking things is to see worried parents with sick children. My plea to the people studying to be doctors and nurses to please remain in Fiji for a while and supplement the staff. Don’t just graduate and leave Fiji. And to the people who pay these people it would be awfully nice if they could
be retained by offering good pay. These people know the way of life, the language and the people. ALLEN LOCKINGTON, Kava Place, Waiyavi,
Lautoka Beach clean-up
WAILOALOA Beach, in Nadi, went through a cleanup campaign last Saturday. Members of the Fisheries Ministry, catamaran Race for Odyssey and other NGOs were part of the fruitful exercise. With the news article, there was a picture of satisfied, elated participants and loads of yellow trash
bags full of collected refuse. I wonder if such a cleanup was organised at the same location this Saturday, would the participants have nothing to collect
or have full trash bags of around the same number as last week? MOHAMMED IMRAZ JANIF, Natabua, Lautoka
NCDs kill
Our Minister for Health and Medical Services revealed that 38 million people die from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) annually across the globe (FT:13/01). He goes on to comment that we are not alone in the fight against these killer diseases. For us Fijians it is important to note that about 88 per cent of our annual deaths are because of NCDs, about six per cent of deaths are because of other causes such as suicides, accidents, etc, while the remaining six per cent die from old age. The causes of the diseases are plain to see. The types of food we eat and the types of beverages we drink, coupled with the lack of exercise, and the outright ignorance of caring for our wellbeing, has brought the nation to its knees in sickness! We sob with despair and we console each other when a family member, a work colleague or a friend dies well before they should and we advertise and post condolence messages of sorrow of those who passed on from a disease that could have been avoided. Such despair and heartbreak can easily be avoided if we make drastic changes to our life. We are surrounded with healthy food and beverages and most of it is way cheaper than the processed foods and beverages that are so prevalent in this time and age. At the end of the day, the choice to live a short, unhealthy life over a long, healthy life, is ours. We alone decide what we think, what we do, and what we are! The fact remains that we have become a sick nation, simply because we have become enslaved to an unhealthy life in the way we eat, the way we drink, the way we walk, and in each we’ve become so irresponsible for the life given to us. We certainly have little knowledge and appreciation of just how precious life is! Simon Hazelman Rava Estate, Savusavu
Rolls Royce tuna
Thanks to Mr Hazelman (FT 12/1) for his letter on these magnificent tunas. Northern bluefin (or Pacific bluefin) belongs in the genus Thunnus, along with six other species. They all spawn during the warmer months of a year, and are what we call “batch spawners” — i.e. they release eggs and sperm in several batches during those warmer months. Whereas almost all fish are “cold-blooded” (i.e. their body temperature is the same as the water in which they swim), Thunnus and their relatives are remarkable because they have evolved a counter-current heat exchange system that allows them to retain metabolic heat, so making the fishes’ bodies warmer than the surrounding water. Overfishing of large tunas like Pacific bluefin, Southern bluefin, and Bigeye tuna is due in part to their large maximum size, long time to maturity, and different fisheries targeting both juvenile and adult life stages. And also, of course, because they’re darn good eating! Regional fisheries management authorities however, regularly assess catches and make rules to ensure the sustainable harvest of these and other fish stocks. P Kailola Suva
A challenge
I believe the greatest challenge to multiracial and multi-religious existence is the perception of loyalty. Dan Urai Lautoka
Against Dan
I believe Dan Urai is ungrateful and appreciates nothing our Government positively delivers for all Fijians indiscriminately. I believe it is good practice to appreciate the good and correct the misconception or wrong. It is also great for this newspaper to print letters where we criticise Dan for his claims and I believe misleading statements against Government. Tukai Lagonilakeba Namaka, Nadi
New resolution
Isa! It took my mate Cameron 11 days to break his new year’s resolution of no grog. Three days longer than last year. I see that as an improvement. Well done mate. Wise Muavono Balawa, Lautoka
Stolen vehicles
ONE way to find out if more stolen vehicles have been smuggled into Fiji would be to get their details from Australia and New Zealand and check them against our LTA registration record. On the same token, I believe the possibility of vehicles stolen in Fiji being shipped out to other countries under the same modus operandi cannot be ruled out given the control on exports. SELWA NANDAN Lautoka
Back to school
As the 2019 school year starts today, I wish all our students and teachers all the best for the academic term. To the teachers, please prepare well for the challenging term and be good role models! To the students, please work hard and set attainable goals. Your journey to a successful career starts now so respect your teachers, study hard, listen to your parents and make use of government’s initiatives! Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam Nadawa, Nasinu
Faith-based
To all the faith-based schools who are not happy with their Government appointed teachers, I believe the remedy is very simple. Don’t accept government money; appoint your own teachers and pay their salaries. I believe this was how it was done in the early days with the church footing their own bills and maintaining their integrity. By the way, why is the Government paying the salaries of the teachers in the faith-based schools? I thought Fiji was supposed to be a secular state. Gabriel Simpson Rakiraki
