COP23

Dewan Chand, Suva

COP23 epi-centre is in Bonn, Germany on the banks of the famous River Rhine.

The COP23 Team Fiji, consisting of top intellectuals and its support team has left our shores under the dynamic leadership of our Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama.

Bonn and Suva are thousands of miles apart. Suva, the capital city of an archipelago consisting of some 300 islands while Bonn is an ancient sprawling city of Germany in Europe. Our COP23 team is out to create Fijian presence felt on the world stage. I am sure that every Fijian heart is filled with pride for our Prime Minister, his team and our country. Who could have imagined that Fiji would play such a vital role in world affairs? Headed by our negotiators Voreqe Bainimarama, Ambassador Nazhat Shameem and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Fiji will be able to convince the world leaders that climate change is real and not a hoax, as some would like to claim.

Climate change is real as sure as the sun rises in the east. Glaciers are beginning to melt and the ocean levels are rising thus flooding the coastal areas of the vulnerable smaller islands in the Pacific. People are already being moved to higher ground.

The decision to put high on the agenda the rights of women and the children is commendable indeed. This will be a very powerful forum to advocate these issues. So delighted that a young Fijian boy will represent the children of Fiji. What a wonderful thought.

Our prayers and our full support are with the Prime Minister and his team. I have absolutely no doubt that they will return home as heroes having made their impact on the world stage and geared to make this Presidency a great success.

The world leaders have no option but to pull together and stop the calamity staring at us in the face!

Then and only then will we be able to say: ‘Fiji the Way the World should be!” – the talanoa way. God bless.

e-Ticketing

Ecelini Naivadra, Suva

e-ticketing has been a good learning experience for both the school children and adults.

Not only is it empowering for children to enter a bus and use an e-ticketing machine, adults also are brushing up on their maths and engaging in self learning and improved financial literacy through better budgeting, saving and better planning to ensure e-tickets are always charged.

At the same time, we are willingly participating in our cash and increasingly digital economy like the rest of the world. With e-ticketing there is no room for those who are lazy in body, mind and spirit unless they are prepared for the consequences of being left behind while the rest are happily catching the e-bus to a brighter future.

Road development

Mohammed Imraz Janif, Lautoka

Would it be feasible to build a proper strategic road through the centre of Viti Levu?

This project would be similar to the Hibiscus Highway in Vanua Levu. It shall meet all legal and environmental protocols and be from one city to another.

It will decrease travelling time and traffic congestion. It will decrease rural-urban drift and overcrowding in urban areas.

It will renew interest in the agriculture sector and reduce the price of locally grown produce. It will decrease the unemployment rate. It will increase the value of land in the interior.

The concept will foster productivity and economic growth. If it is not impossible, can there be a cost benefit analysis?

Minimum wage rate

Amrit Singh, Nausori

In the past few months a lot has been said about the minimum wage rate and how it can be addressed.

I am no economist nor do I hold a PhD in economics, but I feel that all parliamentarians should only be paid 50,000 per annum. Never mind whether you are A-G or the PM it is still tax payers’ money and a large sum of money is wasted every year on all parliamentarians – not forgetting the meal allowances.

Once the wages are brought down for all ministers, the minimum wage rate can be easily raised to $5 per hour. Our ministers are not doing a hard job that they are paid so much. The tax payers’ money should be spent heavily on the people and not on ministers. I feel ministers can survive with huge pay cut. $50,000 is a lot of money.

We should all vote for wages that our ministers should get, just the way we vote for whom we want to run the next government. The election is less than a year away, so why not add a voting criteria for how much our ministers are paid per annum. All under paid will get a pay rise due to the amount of money the Government will save.

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