Between The Lines, September 11, 2018

$50M OFFER REJECTED?
There is talk among a small landowning unit in Suva of a $50 million dollar offer by an Asian company to carry out a housing development on the land they occupy. Some members of the landowning unit claimed they rejected the offer. But it is understood the main reason was that the land is still a subject of a dispute.
FUNDING EVENTS
Some nurses are standing their ground in a large hospital about soliciting of funds at work. It has become a tradition that nurses contribute cash when there is a farewell for a departing colleague or in the event of death. There is already talk for a Christmas party. The staff are told that they need to donate $145 a year for social events. One nurse is willing to buck the trend.
He is prepared for reprisals from the fallout. That could mean a transfer to another area and more workload at the current station.
CHURCH DISCUSSION PAPER
The Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma is currently studying a paper on “The decline in church membership” prepared by the Reverend Paula Tekei now in Australia. BTL has contacted Rev Tekei who replied that the Discussion Paper was a church document and it was with the church’s general secretary.
ABUSE OF VEHICLES
BTL supports Commissioner of Police in his crackdown on abuse of Police vehicles.
Some Traffic Police and Land Transport Authority Officers have been found using work vehicles for their tea and lunch breaks at two famous spots in Labasa.
BTL wonders if the officers are allowed to do this.
It has also been told that some LTA officers use the vehicles for going to drink grog at a neighbourhood near to where they conduct patrols in villages after 6pm.
Their wives have lodged complaints