Fuel prices

Nardeo Mishra, Valelevu

As expected the fuel prices have gone up for this quarter.

However, the increase in fuel price does not look to be fair for super. The landed cost of super and diesel are almost the same. The only difference is the duty for each.

The actual rise should have been about 10 per cent (19 cents per litre) for super as per the rise in world crude price.

Finally there should be good news for the motorist, which is the next quarter prices will go back to the old prices (super-$1.90 cpl and diesel-$1.67 cpl) because the world crude price has also gone backwards to the previous price.

Let’s wait and see. Meanwhile, just enjoy your ride.

Tourism priority

Tukai Lagonilakeba, Nadi

If there was a plane crash or a bus load of tourists involved in an accident in Nadi, will the Nadi Hospital have the necessary modern medical equipment, capacity, facilities and the professional expertise to cater for such crisis and emergencies.

It is critically important that our tourist town must be prioritised by our Government and be well equipped to maintain some degree of dignity in anticipation, should such a tragedy occur.

I missed out on the visit of our consultative team for the Government’s formulation of their five and 20-year national development plan, but I would like to ask their team leader to urgently consider the above as my submission for the Government’s five-year plan. The Government’s November 2014 budget gave our Tourism Fiji marketing team a whooping $30 million and we are now targeting a billion tourists to visit our beautiful country.

Can we imagine the losses and backlash the country will incur if we are not ready proactively to protect our own interests? It will cost the country irreparably damage and it will take years with a lot more monies to bring it back on track Though tourism is our largest foreign exchange earner in terms of its contribution to our national coffers, it is in reality a very fragile industry.

Tinted screens

Ashleen Singh, Nadi

It is very frustrating how Land Transport Authority officers treat the public service vehicle (PSV) drivers here.

On Thursday, July 16 I was travelling in a minibus from Suva to Nadi. On the way to Sigatoka at 5.30pm our driver was stopped at an LTA checkpoint. In rude manner the LTA officer demanded the driver’s licence and started checking the vehicle. After checking he did not find any defects in the vehicle, so he pointed out on the vehicle’s glass, which had a very light tint.

Then the officer gave him a defect notice saying that the van has the dark tint. Interesting thing was that a Pacific Transport Bus passed by and it had a very dark tint, probably black from the outside.

When the minibus driver asked the LTA Officer about the buses having dark tints, the officer replied rudely: “It is none of your business and if you talk too much I will also book you $50 ticket”. How long will LTA officers victimise the public?

Lazy parents

Allen Lockington, Nadi

Sending children to the shop is a norm in Fiji.

I often see little children, as young as those in kindergarten, going to the shop. Little children going to the shop to buy cigarettes! Oh yes, I’ve seen them. I keep an eye out for these things. In Waiyavi a child in kindergarten came to the shop with a $100 bill to buy something.

The shopkeeper told the child to go back home and tell his dad or mom to come to the shop. The man came and started arguing with the shopkeeper.

I can’t see the logic in what some parents do. They assume everything will be ok. One time a child dropped the change and the dad came to the shop and argued with the shopkeeper for the short change the child had.

When I go to the shop I usually stay a while and have a yarn with the shopkeeper.

Then we see a little girl coming to the shop. Some parents are so careless. One thing good about the Waiyavi shop is that the shopkeeper never sells tobacco products to minors. Now we have a case where a child was attacked as she was returning home from school.

My plea to parents is to get off your chairs and go to the shop. Don’t send the little children. We now live in dangerous and unusual times.

Girl 9, Victim Of Sex Attack

Talei

Praying for the little girl as she did not deserve this and as far as this tragic incident that took place …justice needs to happen in a severe manner so that next time a guy thinks before doing something like this. I hope the govt is doing everything to find these two guys.

ANALYSIS: More Lawyers Face Misconduct Charges

David Naylor

Jyoti, as you correctly identified, the FLS (and every Law Society or Bar Association in the world) is established to promote and protect the interests of their members. This includes providing education, counselling services and mentoring for junior lawyers. Every Law Society in the world also has codes of conduct. In the same way bad doctors lower the public perception of all doctors, lawyers who are incompetent, or, worse, commit a crime, lower the public perception of all lawyers. It is therefore in the interests of all lawyers to have effective disciplinary systems. The administration, investigation and prosecution of complaints against lawyers is complicated, time consuming and expensive. Your criticism of FLS is unwarranted. If you give a man a tea spoon and ask him to dig a deep hole he may never be able to complete the task. Give him the right resources and he can accomplish whatever you ask. He can do it without slandering anyone too I’ll warrant.