Foreign Affairs Minister should not speak on behalf of the Australian Government on the matter of the expulsion of the Deputy D.P.P Peter Ridgeway from Fiji. Let the Aussies speak to the media directly, not through a default mouth-piece who is on the same side of the Bill supporters. Apparently Mssr. Ridgeway 'spilt the beans' in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Commission radio.
It is abundantly clear that the international community will not tolerate this Bill.
The tide is turning for SDL/CAMV coalition and opposition against the Bill is gaining momentum.
Even the Fiji President is calling for Qarase
to drop the idea of the Bill.
Qarase appears to be treading on everyones toes in Fiji for his own twisted agenda.
Last attempts by Fiji Labour Party to lobby sanctions against the Fiji Government has been ridiculed by Foreign Affairs Mininster Tavola who appears to be far divorced from reality; like his boss- Qarase.
The call to make Fijian the national language is another nationalistic rhetoric that lacks credibility. There are more effective avenues of strenthening Fijian culture than passing another law. It is the lack of creativity in the media and in Fiji Government that compounds the language problem.
Having Government official blaming drugs for the decline in cultural and traditional values is the most convenient scape goat.
The real Fijian landowners are not happy campers, especially with N.L.T.B's trend of playing hookey.
Or the fact that in crucial negotiation for mineral resources, the Fiji Government are sidelining the input of landowners by not acknowledging them as a stakeholder.
Their seat on the negotiation table has ben taken up by the oligarchy called N.L.T.B.
That is precisely the reason why landowners are not thinking twice about taking legal action against the ancient organization.
Letters to the Editor-Fiji Times that appeared in Sat June 25th issue.
DPP hype
THE latest hype regarding the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions was anticipated.
Last year in the Senate a senator questioned the motives of the prosecutor's work and labelled him as having a foreign influence on the DPP's office. This was when many prominent figures were awaiting trial on coup-related charges.
It can be easily assumed that the senator was not happy with the way the prosecutor was bringing coup perpetrators to justice. The senator went on to ask where were the Fijian lawyers sent to study overseas, supposedly to return to man such positions.
The same senator is now on a compulsory supervision order somewhere in the country. Does this possibly relate to anything?
Neelesh Gounder
Nausori
Cheap cards
I REFER to the letter by Iliana Ranadi (FT 21/6) regarding call charges. I am astounded because I can't believe ATH could have a card that is so cheap and yet we are being charged so much for international calls.
If ATH can offer these cards at such a cheap rate, Telecom doesn't need to decrease its international rate.
Let's keep everything the same, cancel the determination, keep our line rental as it is, keep our call charges as it is and just use the ATH cards for international calls.
What do you reckon Commerce Commission, Telecom, ATH and people of Fiji?
For the people of Fiji, I think it is a fantastic offer for us because finally we get an opportunity to save money.
Elizabeth Dyer
Suva
View of churches
IF the churches were misled (FT 23/6), then they have themselves to be blamed for being gullible.
Why push the blame on others?Reading the article, shows that most church leaders if not all, are still in the dark about the content of the Bill and I hope they will make the effort to understand the Bill of their own accord and not jump the fence and believe those on the other side.
Those who have presented their views about the Bill have done so from their own professional point of view. What we want to hear is the view of various churches, individually or collectively.
It would make interesting reading.
A Naigulevu
Suva
Cause of distrust
THE mobilisation of bias by the TV and print media must be debated in the Promotion of Reconciliation, Tolerance and Unity Bill.
I note with some disquiet the emergence of hand-picked actors being pushed by non-government organisations to oppose the Bill.
The choice of Suliana Siwatibau and her group of concerned mothers to speak for the Fiji Law Society, accountants' association, unions and so on, appeared to reflect this on Close Up on Fiji One last Sunday.
While I respect Ms Siwatibau's intelligence and ability and her group's right to express their concern, I do not believe she is a typical representative of the kind of rabble rousing coalition opposing parliamentary revisions to the Bill and question the choice of her as spokeswoman.
This sort of disrespect for the parliamentary process will hamper the growth of a viable civil society with genuine local roots, beyond our 200 years history since colonisation.
Fiji needs civil societies that represent 3500 years of history to solve our coup problems rather than having to constantly face the situation of media "squatting" and domination by urban-based elite NGOs, shrilly singing for the donor "supper".
If you include 3500 years of history and context, Fijians are also victims of a system that tried to defraud them of their rights when Mahendra Chaudhry tried to usurp presidential power over the return to the Fijian mataqali, reserve land held in trust and place that power in the hands of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet by virtue of an attempted constitutional amendment - Bill 1 of 2000, section 10.
This was the key cause of the uprising in 2000 and the issue at hand.
In this regard, by accepting Fijians as the victims in such cases, the design of amnesty or promotion at source, to prevent the coup culture is a strategic provision under statutory powers.
Unless you address the cause, through the Bill, the problem of distrust of the Fijian people will continue into the future.
Mere Samisoni
Suva
Apt quotes
I WONDER how many politicians read The Fiji Times comic and service pages on Monday, June 20.
There were two classic quotations on the pages which apply to the country's situation.
The first quote is from the Ginger Meggs cartoon.
It read: "The meek shall inherit the earth after the politicians are through with it."
The second, which was the Thought of the Day, stated: "The farsighted tend to get blindsided by the nearsighted."
The quotes were spot on.
I believe it is not too late for our politicians to lead us to a better and brighter future if they are not blinded by the short-term gains of their actions.
Wainikiti Bogidrau
Nasinu
Ridgway's departure
I REFER to the controversy surrounding the sudden forced departure of Peter Ridgway.
It is interesting to hear the immigration department's pathetic excuse of a junior officer writing up the 24-hour order for Mr Ridgway to leave the country without the knowledge of the management.
The news of him being ordered to leave the country was aired on almost all major radio stations and television.
Immigration had more than enough time to offer an apology to Mr Ridgway or take other appropriate action such as cancelling the order while Mr Ridgway was in the country.
The department's reaction seems to be a well rehearsed damage control strategy but all right-thinking people of Fiji are wondering if Mr Ridgway's case has something to do with the coup-related case being heard in the High Court and the ones yet to be brought to court.
Mr Ridgway deserves better.
Rosie Brown
Suva
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