Unforgiving beginning

Amrit Singh, Nausori

2018 has started with a bang.

I must say I am overwhelmed and shocked to what 2018 has to offer. Since a day old 2018 began it’s streak to see how this year was to unfold, it unfolded with house fires, rape cases, temple sacrilege and to many families’ condolences on road accidents.

Just a few days ago a fatal road accident at Davuilevu Housing took the life of a person.

My condolences to the deceased and his family members.

I also would like to condemn those who were updating their Facebook profiles with limbs of the deceased lying on the road.

Only in Fiji people are so much addicted to Facebook and tend to show the world what Fijians are good at. No one will help the needy, but when there is a fire at someone’s home all run to warm their feet and hands.

Our education system has failed to teach our young minds about their action in such situations. Shame on those who hit the like icon on Facebook for pictures of the limbs of the deceased.

Facebook is a funny application. When someone dies people hit the like icon. I am saddened by all this because our fellow citizens are supposedly educated.

2018, I must say is an unforgiving year.

This year has already warned Fijian citizens that it will punish our mistakes and that 2018 is here to stay for the next 10 months. So take heed of 2018, if you want to stay alive.

Pay the price

Savenaca Vakaliwaliwa, Suva

What will it take for us pedestrians and all drivers on our roads to do the right thing and follow road and traffic rules to the letter?

I am talking about the Davuilevu Road tragedy on Wednesday, especially when road safety was nearly the topic every week in this column for the past few weeks.

I guess not everyone reads this column, but all drivers and pedestrians listen to the radio and watch our local TV news, with warnings and instructions from the Police and LTA.

What is the speed limit from Nausori to Koronivia and down to Suva?

Our national speed limit is 80 km per hour but our roads are below 60 km per hour and the world thinks that we have less accidents and our road fatalities are low.

It just doesn’t make sense when they learn of the yearly statistics of road deaths and accidents in Fiji.

Our Police and LTA and all of us Fijians should join forces in dobbing in and cleaning up our roads of speeding drivers who have a no fear mentality.

Drivers and all of us need to be reminded that when we break the law, we pay the price.

Climate change

Wise Muavono, Lautoka

With the rapid changes in weather, it has dawned on me that the enormity of global warming has become extremely daunting and dispiriting.

Global warming continues to be a hot topic not only regionally but internationally.

And the taunting heat, the disappearing beaches and the bleaching corals continue to provide the evidence needed to validate the importance of both individual and governmental interventions in tackling the issues.

Even though some may think that climate change is too big of an issue to be tackled on an individual basis, there are actually personal lifestyle changes that you can make that, in some combination, can help reduce your carbon impact.

Not all are right for everybody. Some you may already be doing or absolutely abhor.

But implementing just a few of them could make a stark difference, such as using energy-efficient bulbs, unplugging your gadgets when not in use, carpooling, buying local food, planting trees, recycling, among myriad other actions.

We cannot wait until tomorrow; we must take strong action now to address the multiplicity of issues that climate change poses.

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