iTaukei scholarships

Timoci Gaunavinaka, Nausori

Both SODELPA and the Unity Fiji Party believe that affirmative action in allocating a certain percentage of scholarships for iTaukei students will level the playing field in uplifting the academic performances of iTaukei students at tertiary level.

This racist policy has already been tried before and it failed miserably under both the SDL (Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua) and SVT (Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei) governments

Our iTaukei failure in academic achievements is of our own making, and until we address the root cause, no one can help us.

Look at the recent three-week duration of the Deans Finals for example, and consider the amount of focus and expenses we spend on it.

The Kaji Rugby drained a lot of resources on iTaukei families and so do the Athletics zones competitions and the annual Coke Games.

If this focus and expenses were to be channelled to academia, of course we would have improved relatively, but we choose not to.

It would only cost a few dollars to engage a private tutor to assist our children in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and other subjects they are weak in for extra hours on Saturdays.

But we would rather spend that money in sending them to play rugby or netball, use it in our various soqo and its kalavata or even for buying yaqona, and then spend them for such a vital purpose.

Of course, many iTaukei families have benefitted from these investments in sports when their children make it into Super Rugby, European Top Rugby clubs or get employed by the British Army or security forces because of their physicality.

But when that happens, we do not hear Indo-Fijians or our local Chinese complaining that those contracts should be given on a fair percentage of ethnic distribution.

Why then shall we complain to share scholarships on ethnic lines victimising the Indo-Fijian student who worked so hard and scored good marks by denying him and giving it to a iTaukei student who spend long hours in sports resulting in his low marks ?.

This is how the ‘race card’ is now been played again by the same old group for political gains They believe that for our iTaukei race to thrive, other races must suffer as a consequence and through no fault of their own.

They have no idea on how all races can embrace each other, unite and climb up the ladder of opportunity, progress and enjoy prosperity together.

If an iTaukei student with lower marks is confident that he or she can still pass and graduate from University then that is what the Tertiary Education Loans Scheme (TELS) is for.

He or she is never a victim of anything as some opposition parties now try to claim.

Allocating scholarships in such a biased way like changing the rules in rugby where you make your opponent score on the try line while your team can score in your opponents’ 22 metre line.

We have seven children who all reached university.

Today there are three Bachelors Degrees and a Masters hanging on our sitting room wall.

Our youngest son is on his fifth year of the six-year MBBS programme at the Fiji National University. They are not gifted, but just work so hard.

They prove that we iTaukei can accomplish the same if we make the right choices and work hard in life.

Work together

John Brown, Lautoka

Can the Minister for Local Government and the Minister for Waterways work together to sort out the situation at the new Tavakubu (Kashmir) Subdivision.

I was told that most drains or waterways have been blocked by the developer.

The wet weather is about to start anytime soon, and Lautoka doesn’t need another flood or landslide up in the hills of Kashmir I can only imagine the damage if it rains.

India Independence Day

Amenatave Yaconisau, Delainavesi

Neelz Singh who wrote on the above topic (Fiji Sun 15/8) unfortunately forgot how the British (or representative) lied to the Girmitiyas and cajoled them with lies to get on the ship.

Descendants of Girmitiyas need to be compensated for such injustices.

Speed bumps and road signs

Taitusi Sokiveta, Phoenix, Arizona

The purpose of speed bumps in all residential areas and villages by the road side is to automatically slow drivers down.

Without these speed bumps, drivers who over-speed risk their lives and that of their passengers.

Large road signs along our roads warning drivers’ to slow down are also very helpful.

To set up radar speed detection zones, you don’t need Police presence as the radar will automatically take pictures of the vehicle number plate — revealing the driver’s identification.

This will show on the Police radars and computer records.

The radars can be hidden in bushes or high up on a hill where drivers cannot see them.

These radars are so good they can even take pictures of you driving your car and your licence plate are so clear that it can even read your expiration date.

Let me tell you a story about my experience.

Last Christmas eve, I spent it with my son, daughter-in-law and grand kids two hours away from where I live.

On Christmas day, I had overslept and got up at 2pm, rushed out of the house, into my car as I went to join my spiritual group Christmas Party.

Hoping to get there by 4pm, I was travelling at 60 miles an hour in a 40 miles an hour residential neighbourhood.

Trying to get to my Christmas party in Scottsdale, Arizona, almost three hours away from my grand kids, I looked around and saw that there was no car on this particular road as everyone was indoors celebrating Christmas.

I stepped on my speed at 70 miles an hour as it was 3pm by now.

When I reached the stop light it was yellow so I stepped on the speed again as there was no sign of any other vehicle on the road.

As I got on the cross roads the lights turned red, but I had been speeding.

Out of the blue hidden in the bushes was this radar.

It was like a German U-boat submarine with its periscope dead centre on me, except that I didn’t know I was watched.

Then I received a ticket in my mail from Paradise Valley Municipal Court.

I was fined US$242, which would be around FJ$484. So I had to pay $40.34 every month and just finished paying for my last speeding ticket, and boy did I learn my lesson.

The amazing thing about these radar detectors is that it snapped pictures of a grey-bearded me in my Santa Clause hat that Christmas Day.

The Phoenix Police Department uses these radar speed detectors detecting speed and its accuracy is so amazing.

If Fiji can get these radar machines and place them in radar detecting zones, it could be a way of solving over speeding incidents on our roads.

With this, plus the speed bumps and large warning signs to slow down drivers, it could really help prevent accidents resulting from over speeding.

I am glad they didn’t publish my speeding ticket in The Arizona Republican or The Gazette newspapers or it would be a bad example to all the children of the world that Santa Clause got a speeding ticket on Christmas Day!

Feedback:  jyotip@fijisun.com.fj