Inappropriate eulogy

Simon Hazelman,

Savusavu

It’s important to strike the right balance in eulogies in making personal reflections about the deceased.

Graham Leung, in his eulogy of the late Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi last Friday, used the occasion to offload political garbage which I believe was unwarranted.

There is a time and a place for everything and Mr Leung chose the wrong place and time to express his feelings of distaste and hostility!

How inappropriate at a very sensitive time for all and such disrespect for the liturgy!

Healing fee

Malakai Naduva,

Meneng, Nauru

I read that the leader of a certain church in Fiji is charging a fee for healing people. Jesus told the disciples, freely you shall receive, freely give.

The gift of healing from God is free and must be administered freely to the people. I am wandering where that power is coming from.

Customer service

Mataka Mafi,

Suva

Services by industrial areas doing business with the public, is too slow!

When the computer came into Fiji, they said it will speed up services.

With the some business their services are excellent. But for some, its just so bad.

People spend hours sitting or standing in queues awaiting their chance to be served.

Today’s standard is ridiculous.

To wait for more than five minutes to be serviced is still not good enough.

Yet managers and supervisors never have the decency to check their staff as customers keep on filling up waiting to be serviced.

Our BSP Bank services are one and this happens almost, every day.

They had five separate cubes for staff to service customers, and only two or three are occupied by staff.

Customers don’t want to spend hours in such places to be taken care-of.

Its better for the staff because they get paid by the hour.

Management should do better with this situation. Hospitals, Government departments and almost every working scenario, they have the same

But as Mahatma Ghandhi said, when you deal with private companies, they make sure they treat you well because you are the reasons for their business.

Fiji Day celebrations

Tomasi Boginiso,

Nasinu

Throughout Fiji, the Fiji Day celebrations were conducted in so many ways either on the Saturday or Monday.

Most of the villages had their annual soli which raked in lots of money and in other villages, it was a time of get together for a reunion which also brought in lots of fun and enjoyable moments.

The fundraising events were mainly scholarships for education, developments, getting shares or for repairing churches and community halls.

But the best story of this Fiji Day was in Naiyarabale Village in Cakaudrove when they bought a truck, brush cutters and pots for their community.

The village’s location is really in need of the truck to transport villagers back and forth to urban centres for selling their produces and providing transport for their children.

This is a very wise thinking on the part of the Nayarabale people. Compared to some other villagers in Fiji, funds are never spent wisely. Year after year, money was spent on mostly unprofitable and non-agenda issues.

Villagers will need the minds of their well educated people to start business approaches that would bring money back to the village. It could take sometime, but people should have patience.

Hopefully by the next Fiji Day we should have more villages like Nayarabale investing in something that would make the village proud.

Whistle blowers

Savenaca Vakaliwaliwa,

Surrey, BC, Canada

It is a smart move for Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) to call on more whistle blowers to curb tax evasion and to pay them 10 per cent of the amount of taxes recovered or duty recovered (FS 11/10).

We are told that a whistleblower was paid $22,000 for informing on a company that evaded paying their taxes to a tune of $220,000.

I believe that as it is, whistleblowers are limited to those who work in an organisation or company, who have access or knowledge of the books and all its dealings.

If FRCA is serious on curbing tax evasion, then it should open a unit for volunteer whistle blowers, inviting and training the unemployed who have an accounting knowledge, understand tax returns and tax laws.

These whistleblowers should be authorised to check the books of any company or individuals they suspect and are paid the 10 per cent as agreed if their suspicion becomes reality, but they can work out a deal with the company or individual being audited if they find that too much tax has been paid and a tax amendment is to be lodged for a refund.

FRCA gives approval for licensed tax agents authorised to prepare tax returns for individuals and companies.

I believe these authorised whistleblowers will not only create an employment opportunity for unemployed people in Fiji with accounting backgrounds, but it will put fear in tax evaders and ensure that tax returns lodged with FRCA are the complete deal.

Feedback: jyotip@fijisun.com.fj