Gearing up for Elections.

Mediocre results from World Trade Organiaion talks is a clear signal to stakeholders in Fiji for immediate reform in the various organizations.
Value Added Tax should have been removed from retail prices, soon after the decision was announced. Sadly, nobody seems to have the impoverished in mind.






Monasavu Landowners have another uphill legal maze till they finally get their money.

Where is the Great Council of Chiefs, who are the self proclaimed guardians of Fijians?

Precisely why other commercial platforms for Fijians are looking increasingy lucrative for commoners. Case in point:
The proposal to have the Traditional Fishing grounds managed by Native Lands Trust Board is being challenged by the President of Fiji Tourism Resource Owners Association.

Lack of Maintenance of Fiji medical departments is another serious concern. Lack of resources, is the result of lack of planning from the echelon of Fiji Government who are obviously disconnected with reality on the ground.
Fiji Election Commissioner needs to get his contingency plans in order and not issue excuses later.

Remote village finally gets hooked with electricity, is probably a sign of upcoming elections by politicians seeking brownie points. There are villages in Monasavu area right next to a 80 Mega Watt Power Station, who
are still not connected with power.

Letters to Fiji Times Editor-Dec. 12th 2005.

Merchants of malice

IT is only fitting that such a well-written and topical article (Merchants of malice 7/12) invite much reaction but I notice hardly any from those who really should.

In societies, we have misrepresentations of all sorts, some of which become entrenched unless corrected.

Our country has faced the same for decades, the bogey of the kai India. The onus is on us to rise above such triviality and seize the day with facts and truth, so we serve our nation better. We have relied heavily on these hardworking sons and daughters of Fiji.

One of our last knighted citizens, Sir Vijay Singh, who served the country for decades in many roles and who reaped as much praise as controversy in some circles, has spoken the truth based on truth and nothing in the article can be further from the truth.

For that, we are grateful as a whole, for that understanding can set us free.

Twice before, we missed the golden opportunity to steer our nation back to the straight and narrow when the 1987 and 2000 coups took place.

But the honourable house of the Great Council of Chiefs in both cases took a different path.

The commoners and others had looked for guidance and wisdom but instead received blinkered partisanship which has not done our republic any credit.

Being the topmost indigenous institution, one would expect higher level of leadership than mere rhetoric or nationalism.

Another GCC meeting has passed and though there were promises from the opening speeches of the chairman, the meeting soon became mired into who to blame for the lack of more ready cash from the resources of the indigenous-held properties.

The coup culture that permeated us with a "handout mentality" is visible even in the highest Fijian circles — what with scams and affirmative actions.

Great leaders should exhort their citizens like the American pioneer days of "Go West, Young Man" or the famous JFK quotation of "Ask not what your country can do for you ..."

Vast swaths of our islands remain idle and untapped with promises of resources rich.

Once productive tracts of agricultural lands revert to fallow while so-called "reserves" remain blocked "assets" for everyone, least of all the future generation of the indigenous.

Jonetani Rakivi
Nadi

Fiji Entrepenuer-Nora.
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