Letters to the editor – Sunday, 19 March, 2023

Fijijan Drua win

Oh the feeling! Similar to when the Coalition parties won. Dan Urai Lautoka A sell-out is a must With bated breath, fans are looking forward to the huge clash between the Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua and the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua versus the visiting Melbourne Rebels at the HFC Bank Stadium on April 1 in a double-header. No Super Rugby Pacific game that the Drua has hosted has failed to live up to expectations. Last weekend’s sell-out battle between the Drua and Crusaders was a hit in terms of crowd attendance and showing the true Fijian spirit. Reading Meli Laddpeter’s story titled A Super Drua victory for the ages drove positive vibes as I reflected on that historic victory. That first match has set the platform for the other five matches. The Western Division has proved itself and now the onus is on the fans here in Suva to show that organisers made no mistake in bringing games to Fiji. A sell-out Suva crowd is a must. The sea of blue will inspire our Drua to deliver another phenomenal performance.
Rajnesh Ishwar Lingam

Budget support
Please do not give us budget support, just subsidise lamb chops, milk products, butter and fruits. I

Peace and military
might Looks like two of the most well armed forces of the allied power have now made an agreement with the Australian government about nuclear submarines in regards to the fear of expansion of the Chinese economic and military developments in the Pacific Ocean as stated in The Fiji Times’ 17/03/23 article. Now Fiji has been in a good partnership with the Australian administration for a couple of years and we are restoring that same friendship at this time. If I dare to ask, will Fiji be involved in such agreements? The location of our nation is definitely a target for any foreign military to start establishing their own military encampment on our soil. Just a reminder, we are people who promote peace and care for humanity, our soldiers are not meant to carry guns but instead a flag of respect and love. We cannot allow such a military elaboration to influence our politics and economic environment. We are men of compassion, not war. We put down such discriminations and lift up equal rights for everyone. For past years, our leaders have done their best in succeeding everyone’s rights and prosperity for all races and at the present time, we shall continue that same courage. “All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.” – John Steinbeck.
KELEPI DAKUIYACO Waikalou, Serua

Resignation issue
Why are they resigning? There can be so many reasons. To me the best reason is those that have resigned know in Fiji the Opposition is useless. But for most of us the $50,000 pay is quite a big amount considering the amount of work a backbencher does. My advice to those who want to resign please look at Professor Biman Prasad who remained a backbencher for eight years even though he could have earned far more if he had resigned.
Sukha Singh Labasa

No shame
The Assistant Minister of Woman, Children and Poverty Alleviation Sashi Kiran hit the bullseye when she said that many social welfare recipients don’t deserve the assistance (FT 14/3). While her comments may have ruffled some feathers the reality is that is an undeniable fact. They are so obsessed by their greed and selfishness that they only think about themselves and have no empathy for the wellbeing and livelihood of others who are living in poverty. I know of many retirees who have the means to support themselves but are enjoying the benefits such as bus fare subsidy, social welfare assistance and free medicines. When confronted if they really needed the assistance the common response is “well the government wants to give it to us so why should we refuse it?. Everybody is taking advantage of it and there is nothing wrong with it.” They don’t seem to realise that the addiction to handouts only perpetuates a culture of dependency. On the contrary there is a growing belief that they are rightfully entitled for it. And they tend to take it for granted that it is the duty of the government to feed them. There was a time when people were shy to ask for things from others especially money. But now they not only unashamedly borrow but they never bother to pay it back. Where are our moral values and self-respect? Given the scarcity of the funding for such assistance it should be reserved for the poorest in our communities who are unable to fend for themselves. Let me leave you with this thought provoking quote from Mahatma Gandhi – I cannot conceive of a greater loss than the loss of one’s self-respect.
SELWA NANDAN Lautoka

Potholes and all
I suggest to all Fijians (sorry, the people of Fiji) that just like they turned out in numbers to fix the problems at CWMH a few weeks ago, they should do the same in even bigger numbers to fix all the potholes on Fiji’s roads. They should all turn up with their forks, spades, gumboots and whatever else is required and with the same degree of happiness, love, and exuberance that we all saw was the hallmark of the CWMH episode. To showcase the exuberance, I believe they should turn on the ‘master blasters’ and video the repairs being done while people are dancing and enjoying the civic pride so that it can be put on social media for the whole world to see. I suggest that they do it while the exuberance, love and happiness is still fresh. These things tend to go stale after a short while. That is, there is always a use by date for these types of things. So better make the most of it while you can.
Jan Nissar NSW, Australia

Repairing potholes
Thank you FRA for your effort to repair potholes in the Lautoka area. Please can you repair the junction of Ram Sami and Bavadra Rd? Everything shakes while driving that potholed road.
Navneet Ram Lautoka