Rugby bonus
I received with delight the news that Richie Gray, who is a renowned rugby forwards specialist coach, is itching to come to Fiji to join national fifteens coach Vern Cotter.
Richie will be part of the Flying Fijians team management for the November Europe tour and his area will be to assist the forwards, especially in the breakdown area such as the rucks.
Vern Cotter has brought a sense of belief that our Flying Fijians can make the 2023 RWC quarters since our last quarter-final appearance in the 1999 RWC.
Gray will join former Crusader Daryl Gibson, Crusaders forwards coach Jason Ryan and former international Test referee Glen Jackson.
Indeed an explosive coaching panel that we got!
RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM Nadawa, Nasinu
Stuck on you
The situation we find ourselves in with Fiji Airways is indeed worrying.
Basically, we have to bet on the outcome of this crisis. If the situation deteriorates globally (it seems to be the case) then we are currently flushing more money down the drain before bankruptcy; if things improve quickly in our region, we may have a chance to save a large company likely to generate very little profits in the near future.
It seems that New Zealand is our only hope now. Considering that the Cook Islands might be accessible only later this year, it all comes down to our ability to convince our friendly neighbour that Fiji is already a safe destination.
Since we have to push in the same direction, I believe we should at least match our commitment towards Fiji Airways with some sort of advertisement in New Zealand when the time is ripe. We need to remind Kiwis about our beautiful landscapes, ideal location and friendly people.
Perhaps Fiji Day could be the time to go big on advertisement.
MATHIEU PELLTIER Namosi
Max 8 lease
I note a nine-month deferment of lease payments for the white elephant Max 8 aircraft.
Why in the world are we paying for these aircraft when they have been grounded worldwide as unsafe? Boeing should be paying the losses accumulated by Fiji Airways in not being able to operate their assets.
Do those who lease motor vehicles pay the leases if the vehicles are unserviceable?
A thorough investigation is needed into the whole Max 8 issue.
ALLAN LOOSLEY Tavua
Social distancing
Some places are practising social distancing and some are not. Some are only doing it as the instructions came from above and it’s just for show.
Some are bothered and some are not. Some are trying their best but circumstances are not allowing them especially in places such as buses and other public transport, small overcrowded shops and sporting arenas where even at the halfway social distancing is being considered when already people have come into contact with others.
Either this has to be very strictly imposed and adhered to or not be taken into consideration at all.
We all know at the present stage; how important it is to do our best in these terms.
It seems like this process has become more like a joke where people take it very leniently. For those who are trying their best, good job but it’s such a waste when other places and people are not on the same track.
This system will only work if all join hands to be in it otherwise with some following it and some not, it will not take us anywhere. Let’s not make a mockery of processes which cannot be followed as per protocol everywhere and anywhere. Some serious consideration is really needed.
KIRTI PATEL Lautoka
Aircraft issue
And the air plane investment is now a fiasco! Amaqu levu, a sausaumi levu i na’oro! Chiuu!
ALIPATE TUBERI Suva
What else
What else can we say Fiji Airways?
You need $38 million a month to meet your recurring costs?
How many mouths are you feeding? There are thousands of people out there who would appreciate a meagre $38-a week to feed their families.
Send those planes back Fiji Airways and go into liquidation.
And Government, invest $38m a month on the people and watch that economy soar.
KURAI VAKALALABURE Christchurch, NZ
Madua situation
I raise the question to who the Attorney-General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, is referring to when he stated that “it’s a very madua situation” when Fiji has to inform Australia and New Zealand that only 50,000 Fijians have downloaded the careFIJI app. (FT 10/08) Who is ‘very madua’ in this situation, him or the Fijians?
If Mr Sayed-Khaiyum is referring to us Fijians, I just cannot work out a justifiable reason for why we need to be madua if we do not subscribe to the careFIJI app.
First the A-G must understand that not every Fijian can afford to buy the standard mobile phones wherein one can download the app.
Secondly, during this time of COVID-19 where many are unemployed, working on reduced hours, working on reduced rates, it is unreasonable to spend a couple of hundreds on a phone just to download an app while there is no food on the table.
My humble conclusion is this; I believe when the A-G made the statement his main focus was on business and money and not people, for if he really considers the situations of many Fijians today he would not be saying that “it’s a very madua situation” when many do not download the app.
KOSITATINO TIKOMAIBOLATAGANE Vuninokonoko Rd, Navua
Bug in the system
I thought if 50,000 people can download the careFIJI app according to the Attorney-General (FT 10/07) then surely I could, too.
In fact, I wanted to do it for the very reason the name of the app implies.
I did what one does to download any app and, in the case of my android phone, that was to go to Play Store and search for the app. It didn’t appear.
On a subsequent attempt, I received a message that my phone was not compatible to install the app. I never saw that message again. After reading the story “A-G: It’s a madua situation” (FT 10/07), I Googled how to install the careFIJI app into an android phone.
I ensured I had sufficient data and space in it. The Google instructions were the same as I had followed previously although I learnt that one receives 100mb free data upon installing it.
That’s nice but the downside is that it will ‘latch on to’ whatever data plan you are using. You can only enjoy that new data until the other data expires. I called my internet service provider (ISP) who walked me through the process. I was told to turn on flight mode for 30 seconds to reboot the system before doing a search for the app in Play Store but it still didn’t appear.
I then called back and spoke to someone else who talked of having enough data and space. They suggested I go into one of their customer care offices, otherwise they had no answers.
I travelled from Tamavua to Raiwaqa to speak with an ISP customer care consultant face to face about this. I was informed that no-one had complained of this difficulty before. (I wondered if anybody else would have been as persistent?) This declaration did not mean others were not experiencing the same problem.
In conclusion, after informing me there was nothing wrong with my phone, it was suggested that the careFIJI app is not perfect and that there is a ‘bug in the system’.
Perhaps there are many out there who have tried to install the careFIJI app but the problem does not lie with their phone or their ‘madua’ attitude but with the imperfect technology we are expected to use.
JULIE SUTHERLAND Tamavua, Suva
