2 weeks Ago By Fred Wesley
Fiji to host 2026 PINA media summit CONGRATULATIONS to our own editor-in-chief Fred Wesley for being re-elected into the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) board. I must thank Wesley for keeping us updated with whatever transpired in Okioki Mai in Niue with regards to the 2024 PINA annual general meeting. The good news is that Fiji will host the 2026 PINA media summit and that too in the Hidden Paradise.
This will be a huge boost to the Friendly North. I am adamant that Fiji Media Association president Stanley Simpson and the team will achieve their aim of having a complete free media by then. We have all witnessed the impact of media bias during the past regime and that must come to an end.
Indeed, Simpson in 2026, you will be taking the visitors away from the usual crowded Suva and Nadi centres to one of the most beautiful places in the world, surrounded by the serene environment, the lush and rich tropical rainforest and the beautiful sea and sandy beaches that attract a lot of tourists. All the best Simpson and Wesley for 2026. RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM Nadawa, Nasinu Show me the money! WATCHING the crowd numbers and attendance at all of the local Drua matches at the National Stadium and at Churchill Park, Lautoka since the beginning of the expanded Super Rugby franchise, I couldn’t help wondering why there always seems to be a shortage of funds for the FRU to meet its player obligations? To assist in our understanding and in answering the question, can the FRU board and/or the Fiji Sports Council please enlighten us on the gate takings/sharing formula used and an account of how much the FRU received from each local Drua game (if any).
Maybe that information could be obtained by the independent auditor. DANIEL FATIAKI Suva Sports and money SPORTS today has become very professional. It is business.
Generous sponsors need to get a fair return on investments. Unlike the good old yesteryears when sports were played for the love of it. Sportsmen and women are paid today.
Sporting bodies must be astute. Team members must be paid “on time; every time”. Anything less is a serious breach.
Overseas-based players are far better off. For years, allegations are FRU did not live up to expectations. Once again, Fiji Rugby Union is in the news again, for negative reasons.
Players demand justice. Please make good. RONNIE CHANG Martintar, Nadi Housing issue ALMOST all previous governments have had difficulties in “housing concepts” and today, such issues have become unbearable because of the increase in informal squatter settlements within our urban vicinities.
However, in my opinion, there are some solutions that can “balance off” the challenges in achieving affordable housing, besides rezoning laws and inadequate government funding. Shipping container homes have been on the rise in the USA, Japan, NZ, Australia and some European countries. Why can’t Fiji do the same? They are made of steel, more durable than wood, likely to withstand all weather conditions and eco-friendly.
The only price that varies for prefabricated homes is delivery, site preparation, foundation, assembly and connections to utility. Hence, the need for the Government to provide proper permits and building codes, is the essence of the exercise. We are so dependable on conventional building materials that it would not be possible to build homes without them.
Dependency is death to initiative, to risk-taking and opportunity. It is time to stop and fight it, like the poison it is. SAMU SILATOLU Nakasi, Nausori Housing policy review ONE notes the constructive and productive discussions during consultations on our National Housing Policy Review Public Consultation in Lautoka lately.
With due respect, I am sharing two queries for consideration. Firstly, to what extent does this review include climate vulnerability? For example, given the change in weather patterns in recent years because of climate change, how does this affect the reproduction of Asian Subterranean Termites and their expansion to other areas in western Viti Levu and northern Vanua Levu? This species is known to reduce the strength and durability of house structures which is a concern during increased frequency and magnitudes of tropical cyclones? Secondly, the cost of land these days is significantly high, with quarter acre residential pieces sold around $100,000. How many average income earners could afford this, let alone the cost of building material and building contractors which is even more costly nowadays? Is this leading more of our people becoming captured in big loans which are inherited by children once parents retire? All in all, one remains positive of in-depth consultations and an improved national housing policy.
FLOYD ROBINSON Micronesia Hospital services IF the Finance Ministry is spending almost $10million a month to pay ASPEN for its services, Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad needs to visit the Lautoka and Ba hospitals regularly to see for himself the state of the hospitals. 15 per cent VAT is a lot of money. The Government cannot all the time pay Grand Pacific Hotel for its services to tell the public about National Development Plan or Prime Minister launching a Foreign Policy White Paper.
I believe for the 50 per cent poor of this nation accessing government hospital services conveniently is more important than learn about NDP or a White Paper. RAKESH CHAND SHARMA Nadi Dormant association I WONDER what happened to the Lautoka Residents and Ratepayers Association, an organisation that once played a vital role in holding our local council accountable and advocating for the best interests of our community. In the past, this association was a formidable voice for the residents of Lautoka, actively engaging with the council and ensuring that our concerns were addressed.
However, it seems that the momentum has faded, and we are left questioning what happened to this once-dynamic group. I recall that the association was later managed by a one-man interim committee for several years, yet it never transitioned into a permanent structure. This stagnation has left a void in representation for our ratepayers.
I believe it is high time we come together as a community to revive the Lautoka Residents and Ratepayers Association. We have capable individuals in Lautoka who are passionate about our city and committed to its betterment. It is essential that we harness this energy and expertise to reinstate a functional association that can effectively advocate for our needs and interests.
Let us not forget the importance of having a collective voice in local council. I urge those who care about Lautoka to step forward and take action. Together, we can breathe new life into the association and re-establish it as a key player in our community’s future.
DANIEL LAWS Kashmir, Lautoka Henry Kissinger on India HENRY Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, before his death had said this of India and I quote ” ...
India will be a fulcrum of twenty – first century order. An indispensable element based on its geography, resources and tradition of sophisticated leadership in the strategic and ideological evolution of the regions and concepts of order at whose intersection it stands”. I believe Prime Minister Modi will prove Henry Kissinger’s words true.
RAKESH CHAND SHARMA Nadi Fiji’s debt KINDLY correct me if I am mistaken, but didn’t this Government inherit a national debt of approximately $10billion upon assuming office? After two years of budget allocations, each designating a billion dollars towards loan repayment, we somehow find ourselves at a debt figure of $10.309b (FT 27/09). I would be most grateful if someone could shed some light on this rather perplexing arithmetic.
Or perhaps we’ve inadvertently stumbled upon a new branch of mathematics? DINESH KUMAR Ba West wing memories IT’S just on 25 years since The West Wing TV series appeared on our TVs, showing an idealist presidency that, like The Brady Bunch, could solve problems within a single episode. There were a few earth-shattering events that needed two episodes but most problems were resolved easily. The world that I now see on my TV is so broken, so corrupt, so personality based and so many are lost but there is still hope, there are still some leaders of character and good intent with voices we must hear.
What we want is for the real to be as good as the imaginary. DENNIS FITZGERALD Melbourne, Australia PALM scheme WE hear and is good news that another 92 families have been approved by the Ministry of Industrial Relations and Employment, Youth and Sports for the above scheme and congratulations to all recipients as they will be contributing to our country’s GDP and economy through remittances. But why on the other hand the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare is not happy with the above news cause of the mounting problems faced by their families children during their absence working offshore.
This is normal occurrences now adding to the ills of many marriage and social breakdown. TUKAI LAGONILAKEBA Nadi Congratulations Raiders WHAT a game! Our Vusu Raiders just snagged the Fiji National Rugby Final title from the Navy Albatros, proving that we really do “bleed green and breed our own!” It turns out all that practice dodging our parents at the pub paid off! Congratulations to the team for showing us that tackling life’s challenges (and each other) can lead to victory. Go Raiders! AVENAI SERUTABUA Nabukelevu Village, Serua.
