Baby grant

Savenaca Vakaliwaliwa, Suva

Thank you FijiFirst Government for the Baby Grant announced in the 2018-2019 National Budget and thank you Fiji Sun for publishing the story on Torika Tinai, who gave birth to her fifth child on Tuesday, which qualified her for the $1000 Parenthood Assistance Payment scheme. (Fiji Sun 2/8)

The story has clarified some misinterpretation Fijian women had in mind, thinking that this baby grant only works for women who have not given birth to three children.

It is now clear that all Fijian women who give birth after 1st August 2018, whose total income is less than $30,000, are eligible for the $1000 grant.

One reason the Bainimarama Government came up with the grant is to encourage Fijians to increase our population as we are still less than a million in numbers.

The Opposition may call this excellent incentive as a vote buying exercise but put yourself in a struggling child bearing woman’s shoes, like Torika Tinai and this grant is indeed a blessing!

As a Fijian, my heart is lifted up when I read of struggling families being given assistance by the Government, even though the opposing forces will see it as an Election freebie.

Any right thinking Fijian will vote for our current FijiFirst Government to continue moving Fiji forward.

Street lights

Amrit Singh, Bau Road, Nausori

I would like to thank the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) for making an effort to install street lights along Bau Road.

Now our roads will be lively with lights on and many crimes will be reduced during nights.

Thank you FRA and the FijiFirst Government for hearing our pleas. No other government has done what the FijiFirst Government is doing.

Keep up the good work.

I hope a few speed humps will be made on Bau Road in the future.

Bus stops are also a must because on rainy days people get wet waiting for buses.

Progress is coming home.

Dhanyavaad (thank you) FRA and the Government.

Confiscated fish

Narayan Reddy, Lautoka

According to the director of Fisheries, his department has confiscated two metric tonnes of banned fish including kawakawa and donu.

May I ask what happened to the fish after it was confiscated?

Waterways and environment

Tukai Lagonilakeba, Namaka, Nadi

Our Government must be commended in its foresight and prudence to separately have a Waterways and Environment Ministry to specifically deal with our country’s vast waterways

This is a very special department which will guarantee the livelihood of our people and country, its development and maintenance specifically in the agricultural sector.

I can see from the many visits of our Environment and Waterways Minister, Mahendra Reddy, to urban centres, the interior rural areas and maritime remote Islands, Fijians are now very enthusiastic and appreciative about the special role this Government department plays.

It is now being inundated with calls and visits from Fijians of all walks of life to seek their assistance relevant to the clogged, blocked drains that have been unattended for the past years.

Vinaka vakalevu (thank you) to the Government for recognising the positive impact this will create and contribute to the lives of all Fijians.

At the same time it complements our Prime Minister’s COP23 Presidency role with its policy of walking the talk and setting a precedence in leading from the front for our smaller Pacific nations.

It is the first time for our nation to have such a government department.

Complaints of bad drainage and now shallow or dried up rivers or waterways resulting from the heavy silt deposits that lead to flooding will now be a thing of the past because the Government puts special emphasis on prioritising this very important area.

It is also very interesting.

I am personally delighted to note that our hardworking Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister is also the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Waterways and Environment.

It goes to show how important this government department is to our Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.

I would like to ask Mr Reddy to please kindly put out a full advert in our media outlets to inform the public where your regional offices are based, the names of officers in charge together with their contact details – email and mobile.

Certainly the Fijian public has a very important role in this because they know exactly the areas in their community that require urgent attention than these civil servants.

NFP saga

Premila Singh, 

Suva

It’s rich to see Biman Prasad so focused on the taxi permit lottery, while irresponsibly turning a blind eye to the troubling problems in his own party.

Fijians are starting to see the type of people the National Federation Party chooses to affiliate with— one day an alleged rapist or two, the next, an alleged racist.

It seems Mr Prasad would have better luck pulling the names of his candidates out of a barrel draw.

Importance of voting

Avenai Serutabua,

Nabukelevu Village, Serua

As a concerned youth of Fiji, I am encouraging the people of Fiji to register themselves for the 2018 General Election and vote for the best leader.

As many may not agree with me, but let me assure you that voting is really important to us Fijians.

The importance of voting is; you can decide! Why let other people decide what is best for you when you have a voice?

Do you want politicians in office who represent your needs and concerns? Then vote! If you don’t vote, someone else will.

Our government was designed for citizen participation, so if you don’t vote – other people are going to make the decisions for you. It’s your money.

The legislators you vote for will decide how to spend your money. Vote for those who agree with your point of view.

You’ll need a good job.

When you’re done with school, you need somewhere to work and you’ll want job training, pay equity, fairness in hiring and workplace safety.

You may be thinking, “This voting stuff sounds great, but what can I do?  I’m not old enough to vote anyway”.

There are many ways to be a part of the voting process before you are actually old enough to vote.

Spread the word – Get as many people who are eligible to register.

This is our time Fiji!

Your vote counts!

Feedback:  jyotip@fijisun.com.fj