We are a few days into the Vodafone Hibiscus Festival and already social media is running rampant with criticisms of our queen contestants.

The criticisms ridicule the comments made by the contestants during the public judging on Monday night. The critics greeted some of the things that contestants said with ridicule.

They made a mockery of the event with a scathing analysis of what the contestants said and how they expressed themselves.

These are armchair critics who have nothing better to do. They live in cyber space and take potshots at innocent people with a total disregard of the damage they do.

It is a pity that this kind of reckless behavior goes on unabated and it has now spread to the Hibiscus Festival.

These young women they are criticizing have shown great courage, sacrifice and compassion for a worthy cause.

The winner gets a crown and an opportunity to contest the Miss Fiji title. Whoever wins will represent Fiji at the Miss South Pacific pageant later this year.

They get no financial rewards, but just an opportunity to stand before the public and advocate a cause that they believe in.

If the critics were watching, they would see that some of the issues included climate change, the road death toll, domestic violence, child exploitation, and women in leadership.

These are all serious topics and can be daunting if you are on the big stage for the first time. Gaffes are not uncommon. Even some of the most accomplished speakers are known to have made some embarrassing blunders in public.

Our young women, many with limited public speaking experience, get on the stage for a common cause.

The money they raise from the festival will go towards the Fiji Kidney Foundation, the Fiji Cancer Society, the National Heart Foundation and other charities.

So it is unfair to criticise them.

How many of those critics have stood before a live audiences and answered questions on the spot.

The contestants deserve to be praised, not to be made fun of.

They do more than answer questions on live television. They spend hours raising money for their cause. They also raise awareness on issues that affect every Fijian.

Each one of them has demonstrated tremendous courage. They will all learn from the experience. Each one of them will become a better public speaker by the time Hibiscus wraps up. What they do not need right now is criticism.

It is surprising that when King contestants take the stage, they are not judged as harshly by the public as the Queen contestants.

What does this say about those keyboard warriors on Twitter and Facebook? Spare a thought for our young women and support them because of the worthy cause they represent.

Feedback:  jyotip@fijisun.com.fj