Fiji Times ignore PM

Izek Lal, Acting Director Information

The Department of Information would like to respond to Naca Nabu­kavou’s letter (Fiji Times, Saturday January 12, 2019).

Mr Nabukavou made the claim that the Fijian public had not heard the Honourable Prime Minister address the Fijian people from Christmas un­til January 12, 2019.

In reality, the Prime Minister record­ed and released a New Year message to the nation on December 31, 2018 wish­ing all Fijians well in 2019.

Both FBC and Fiji TV aired the Prime Minister’s New Year message before the evening news on January 1, 2019.

The Hon Prime Minister’s message was also printed in full on Page 3 of the Fiji Sun on January 1, 2019 and a news article based on his message was prominently posted on the Fiji Village website.

The Prime Minister’s New Year mes­sage was flatly ignored by the Fiji Times, giving its readership, includ­ing Mr Nabukavu, the false impres­sion that the Honourable Prime Min­ister had not addressed the Fijian public since Christmas.

It is a serious lapse that a major na­tional address from Prime Minister Bainimarama received no coverage in the Fiji Times.

However, it is not surprising, given the long string of one-sided and unfair reporting from your newspaper.

Moving forward, we would hope that any national address from the Head of Government be given the news at­tention it warrants, because every Fi­jian rightly deserves to hear from our Prime Minister.

Fiji Police Force

Simon Hazelman, Savusavu

At a thanksgiving church service on Sunday at the Police Special Re­sponse Unit in Nasinu Police Com­missioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho commended all Fijians for the achievements of the Fiji Police Force through 2018.

It’s a great thing that our Police Commissioner is encouraging public co-operation and working towards strengthening trust between police and the public.

There is indeed a great need to in­crease public co-operation and sup­port for our Police force.

Many still view our Police Force as biased and unjust and are less likely to report crimes in fear of victimisation.

It is extremely important that our Police treat citizens fairly and impar­tially.

This will bolster shared morals be­tween the community and the force and enhance beliefs concerning Police legitimacy.

We need to live in a society, where, if we see or have knowledge of an indi­vidual or a group of people breaking the law, we need to be able to make a report to the Police without fear.

We all need to understand the impor­tance of making the decision to report crimes and the effects that it will have on our society.

We must also bear in mind that refus­ing to assist our Police Force is an of­fence in itself.

At the end of the day, our Police Force needs our support as much as we need them to do their job of protecting us and our property.

Mangrove forests

Tomasi Boginiso, Nepani Road

Mangrove forests can save lives in tropical storms. Studies have revealed that mangroves protect coastlines by reducing waves’ power.

In the Philippines 70 per cent of Man­groves have been cut down that’s the reason why a 2013 tsunami killed 6000 plus people there.

Where mangroves remained ,the trees save our coast and its people.

We have to start replanting the man­groves to help save our coast in the future storms and further erosion to our coast.

We need mangroves not only for our protection, but it provides some Fijian delicacy that is very mouth watering.

Let’s start planting more mangrove for the future.

Faith-based schools

Tukai Lagonilakeba, Namaka, Nadi

Let us face it, not all students who at­tend Catholic, Methodist, Muslim and Hindu faith-based schools around the country belong to that faith.

Look around you and you will notice that the PTA’s in these institutions are a mixture of Fijians with different re­ligious backgrounds.

The schools management is not in a position to enforce their religious activities on any student who does be­long to the faith.

And so should the appointments of its teachers.

But why do they have to specifically request that it should apply to their school principals only when other teachers in the school belongs to dif­ferent faiths where I personally feel that is a double standard.

It should be all about service delivery with the best teachers who can do the job in safeguarding the welfare of the students which is the priority.

I believe those schools should now start contemplating turning their faith-based properties to run privately like the Nadi and Suva International Schools and there is nothing absolute­ly wrong with it.

They employ and run their schools with a very special fee and do not rely on any handouts or assistance from our Ministry of Education.

They run it as a business where they attract many highly qualified Fijian teachers from different religious back­grounds but are neutral schools.

I personally feel Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of the Catholic faith in­cluding the President of the Method­ist Church in Fiji Reverend Epineri Vakadewavosa, should now imme­diately stop accepting the millions worth of three School Terms Grants to all their primary and secondary schools throughout the country.

They should then turn them into privately run-owned institutions and that would be the solution gentlemen.

It is called putting your money where your mouth is.

They can pick and choose teachers from their preference of colour, race, and religion, they can pay them ac­cordingly where it will solve the issue full stop and very simply put that’s is called “Putting your Money and Be­lief where your Mouth is”.

I guess the SODELPA gang will take note of this issue and will make it a political football come our 2022 na­tional elections very similar to their promise of no contracts for all civil servants including teachers and mu­nicipal elections during the 2018 elec­tion campaign.

Roy’s class

Pranil Ram , Votualevu, Nadi

Roy Krishna has certainly proven that he is one of the finest football players in the Pacific. I cannot recall anybody else who has achieved a simi­lar feat.

It would be wonderful to see him playing in the big league in Europe. He is probably the best footballer out of Fiji of all time.

I know many aspiring and current footballers in our country would cer­tainly like to emulate him.

He is also the club’s highest goal scorer. With the recent performance he was able to send his club support­ers and followers to a new level of eu­phoria.

Our Fijian players still have a lot to learn from Roy, especially in terms of discipline.

He is also second on the overall goal scoring list. I am sure with this kind of performance he has started estab­lishing a legacy.

Certainly a legend in the making with the magnitude of his achieve­ment.

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