Nabou Accident

Praneet Singh, Sacramento, CA

It is a tragedy beyond comprehension for those who lost loved ones at Nabou.

What’s more tragic is the social media voyeurism prevalent these days.

There seems to be a need to publish everything on the web and being first to do it.

With various platforms available, every individual with a social media account has become a publisher.

However, the ethical standards and restraints that are demanded of the journalistic fraternity doesn’t apply to these “publishers.”

There is a very fine line between people’s right to know and peddling in what someone here calls “grief porn”.

We as individuals must decide how to conduct ourselves in situations such as these.

Are we going to be decent human beings and maintain a sense of morality and decency that separates us from animals?

The flip side of this equation is total censorship, which isn’t where we would want to end up.

Several countries have enacted laws to punish those who post such pictures on the web.

Our condolences to the families involved in this tragedy.

Minibus Travel

Tomasi Boginiso, Nepani, Nasinu

Travelling to the West now and then, the choice was always the minibus and the seats have become smaller.

I always request for the front seat on a minibus because it has more leg space, but in the recent Nabou tragedy the front seat passengers and driver died instantly.

I will now have to catch the bus. It could be late, but you will reach your destination in one piece.

The choice of transport is the people’s right, but the drivers need to drive accordingly.

Still on minibuses, at the Sigatoka stop-over at the cafeteria beside the bridge I find the items sold at this stop are very expensive.

The owners think that minibus passengers are tourists.

This is another reason I am not travelling on minibuses.

You get food or snacks at half the price in town if you travel by bus.

My condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the Nabou tragedy.

Race Against Time

Joan McGoon, Martintar, Nadi

In the wake of the recent road accident and loss of life, it is devastating to note the impact of improper time management thus leading to speed.

The race to beat time can be a race that may end our brief time on earth.

Maybe time is there for a reason.

For us to plan, use wisely and sparingly because attempting to cheat it is attempting to play games with the universe and her system, which can lead to so much pain.

Also, an effort to outrace each other on the roads and in this game of life can be quite detrimental.

In time, this will become a memory like the memories of past devastating accidents yet this time, may there be extra comfort and hope for the families who lost loved ones, that justice will prevail and their privacies will be respected.

Politicing Wainisavulevu

Timoci Gaunavinaka, Waila, Nausori

Some political parties are now quickly jumping on to the bandwagon in regard to the Wainisavulevu weir issue to score cheap political points.

Some are even claiming that they know the technical solutions, pretending to be scientists themselves.

Problems at Wainisavulevu are not the first of its kind and will not be the last if we continue to treat it like a political football.

In early 1999 Dr. Dick Watling made similar warning regarding the Savusavu foreshore reclamation.

Dr Watling clearly stated that a retaining wall must first be put in place before the soil is filled in.

That was not followed in 2000 and the developers bulldozed the soil direct into the open sea with no retaining wall.

Tens of thousands of tones of soil was washed into the Savusavu lagoon causing huge damage to their local fishery and to a pearl farm near the area.

Mahendra Chaudhry was Prime Minister then.

In 2002, proper precautionary measures were not followed and cyanide leakage from the second settlement pond on Mt. Kasi Gold mine killed thousands of fish and other estuarine and marine life on the Yanawai river. Qarase was Prime Minister then.

Whether it was the Labour Government, SDL, FijiFirst or Tom, Dick or Harry, when proper procedures are not followed then there is bound to be problems.

Most of the conservation NGOs in Fiji are offshore funded.

They all have Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) that states that they must assist Government on each of their specific fields.

This is why it is important for the Department of Environment as the “Conservation Focal Point” to regularly engage them as an extra arm of Government and not view them as its nemesis or competitor.

Government has worked closely with these conservation NGOs in the “Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas” (FLMMA) network and also in the “Sisi Initiative” at Tunuloa, Cakaudrove, and won international awards for both.

Please let this type of partnership continue in healthy terms and you listen to one another as we used to do in the good old days for the sake of our children and their children in years to come.

Library Rules

Apenisa Koli, Nadi Airport

As a student and a library user I feel disappointed and distracted most of the time in the library because a librarian cannot even understand the rules.

As usual she can talk in her loud voice while answering any call or whenever she talks to someone in the library. We students need to be respected in the library and we need to maintain silence because we need to focus on our studies.

Please librarian have some manners respect us, please.

Feedback:  jyotip@fijisun.com.fj