World Press Freedom Day

Neelz Singh, Lami
World Press Freedom Day is annually observed on May 3 to inform the international community that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights.

This day reminds people that many journalists brave death or face jail to bring daily news to the public.
It is an opportunity to:

n Celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;

n Assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;

n Defend the media from attacks on their independence;

n And pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty

The theme of this year’s celebration is apt: “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation.”

It is focused on illuminating current challenges faced by media in elections, along with media’s potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes.

Furthermore, the UNESCO driven events will also examine the safety of journalists and how to combat disinformation. The event will be an academic conference on the safety of journalists which will allow researchers from different disciplines to share and discuss.

This will be aimed at bridging the gap between academic research, policy-making and journalism.

“A journalist who doesn’t bring a camera is like a warrior who doesn’t carry a sword” Quote by Lucio Tan. Wishing all journalists well for their perseverance and hardwork. Vinaka.
Eating Out

Simon Hazelman, Savusavu

It is always nice to regularly take the family out for a meal, but nowadays its impossible to find an above-average eatery that makes eating and dining out special.

Service is non-existent and meals are just the ordinary same old, same old thing and nothing special at all!

Even traditional dishes are prepared and cooked so bad that it doesn’t remotely resemble or taste like the original dish.

Not only is the quality of the meals poor, but the quantity as well is at its minimal.

It sure seems like food outlet proprietors are only concerned about one thing only and that is to get as high a return as possible regardless of the quality and quantity of their meals. The question I have is where are the controls that ensure these proprietors are not ripping customers off and that we get what we paid for?

When one looks at the meals being served and how much they are sold for, it’s not hard to work out that many of these proprietors are marking up between 500-1000 per cent on each dish.

Serve meals that are extraordinary and that makes it worthwhile for people to eat out!

I suggest that the Consumer Council of Fiji sets forth a food cost factor that proprietors need to adhere to that will hopefully improve the quality and quantity of food outlet meals.
Good Leadership

Jesoni Naga, Kinoya

I applaud all parents, guardians, teachers, school administrators and old scholars for their contribution to the successful management of their respective school teams during the 2019 Coca Cola Games at the ANZ Stadium in Suva.

I would like to encourage the wider community through church and groups, , the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Department of Heritage and Arts through the Ministry of Education and community-based groups to create activities for school children during the school holidays.

Capacity building projects for them during the holidays is almost nonexistent.

As a community we must provide a platform that will motivate and empower our young leaders to tackle challenging social and environmental issues.

It seems the most popular activities for many children during the school holidays is playing sports, unconsciously and unproductively killing time via social media and the common ‘roaming’ around.

This creates room for potential bad decisions and more often than not, made through peer pressure.

If a few families within one community plan activities that are fun and engaging, then values like determination, fairness, friendships, kindness, happiness, achievement, compassion, citizenship and the overall sense of community will be reiterated and validated.

Along with these, children will learn the importance of time, safeguard relationships among fellow Fijians and our relationship with our environment or Vanua.

Insufficient Parking Space

Norman Yee, Martintar Nadi

Uh oh, it’s a Saturday morning and I see a busy policeman booking all the cars illegally parked along the Market Road in Nadi where the yellow lines are.

Because the Nadi Town Council car park is always full on a Saturday morning people are forced to park opposite the car park bus stand area.

I can’t see why yellow lines are needed since the road is quite wide. And the parking meters don’t go far enough to cover this area.

I appeal to the Nadi Town Council to be sympathetic to its rate payers and install parking meters further along the road. But while you are ordering the meters to scrub off the yellow lines. Are there other nearby areas you could covert into car parks?

Please be proactive and solve some of the difficulties in the town, the flooding for instance in the same area and why with the one way alignment of streets there is still a traffic jam?

Feedback:  jyotip@fijisun.com.fj