One of the perpetrators of fake news that there would be unrest in the country yesterday was attacked by many people on social media.

There was no incident as predicted and parents who stopped their children from going to school were angry.

Many used harsh language and even swore at him to express their disgust. The perpetrator, identified as Savenaca Dauvunau and living in Sydney, was vilified and called names that were derogatory.

Despite assurance from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Land Force Commander, Colonel Manoa Gadai, that nothing would happen, some parents were still afraid to send their children to school and some workers stayed home.

All schools were open, but the attendance dropped. A random check showed some workers did not turn up to work citing the threat of unrest as the reason.

The question is whether the employers will accept it as a legitimate reason when the security forces assured the nation beforehand that there would be no unrest. If this is the case then those workers are unlikely to get paid.

Meanwhile, shops were open as normal.

Taxi drivers and buses had a slow morning but things picked up as the day went on.

Losses

Minister for Trade, Tourism, Local Government, Housing and Community Development Premila Kumar said businesses that failed to open on time suffered losses and this was a decision they chose to make.

She said the public needed to trust reliable news sources and be intelligent enough to identify what was fake news.

Suva Retailers Association president Vinay Kumar said business was slow and traffic minimal.

“These rumours help no one and people should not give in to it as it affects the economy,” Mr Kumar said.

School attendance was also affected, however, the rumour did not deter Year Eight students from sitting their external exams.

Apart from the exam class, schools in the greater Suva area recorded less than 50 per cent attendance.

According to the Ministry of Education, 712 examination centres were opened yesterday to accommodate 17, 365 students in Year Eight.

The ministry noted a 100 per cent attendance from Year Eight students.

Edited by Ranoba Baoa