ANNOUNCEMENT
The existing Comments feature encourages readers to comment on individual posts. The new feature Letters to the Editor encourages you to write on anything, including what Fiji media editors may self-censor. Each Letters to the Editor posted will run for two weeks. A new Letters to the Editor feature will be posted each Monday.
These are the rules:
1. All letters must be signed, even if only with a pseudonym
2. Letters must address issues and treat others with respect
3. All letters must be in English but well known vernacular words may be used.
2. Letters must address issues and treat others with respect
3. All letters must be in English but well known vernacular words may be used.
4. Letters that are personal, use foul language, or do not meet normal standards will be deleted. Please save me the time of deleting such comments. All you have to do is ask how you would think, feel and react if you were the recipient of the barbs you think so "brilliant and devasting", and modify your words accordingly.
5. All letters should start with a heading indicating the subject or topic.
5. All letters should start with a heading indicating the subject or topic.
Dear Prime Minister
In some weeks I may suggest a "theme". Writers can write on anything, but to start the ball rolling, the theme for this week is "Dear Prime Minister." Especially welcome are letters on your fears and hopes and "feedback " on what you think he is doing right or wrong, how he can improve government's performance, and letters that seek a "way forward."
In some weeks I may suggest a "theme". Writers can write on anything, but to start the ball rolling, the theme for this week is "Dear Prime Minister." Especially welcome are letters on your fears and hopes and "feedback " on what you think he is doing right or wrong, how he can improve government's performance, and letters that seek a "way forward."
Have no doubt, if he does not read it himself, someone will pass on all helpful ideas!
Support the readership drive. See left column.
13 comments:
Dear Prime Minister,
As you are an avid rugby man, I am sure you will be following the progress of the national side at the Cathay Pacific Rugby Sevens tournament in Hong Kong at the end of this month. This is arguably the most important sevens tournament in the rugby calendar that has the best worldwide TV coverage.
For all Fijians, this event is of great significance. It is the only event where our national side can compete on an equal footing with the best in the world. It speaks volumes for a small nation like Fiji. It is nothing to be sneezed at. It offers tremendous PR exposure for the nation and its people on a sympathetic international platform. The HK crowds have always warmed to Fiji since the competition began in spite of the politics.
Locally it is the glue that binds all our various races and cultures together. Nationally we are one when this game is played, all our differences fade into insignificance.
Mr Prime Minister I urge you to take a page out of Nelson Mandela's book and see if you can make your presence at the Hong Kong grounds to support Fiji on the 27th of March. It would be a great motivational boost for our players. There will be thousands of Fijians who live abroad present at the grounds not to mention the huge contingent from Fiji.
If you want to showcase Fiji, this is the platform, in front of people who matter and can see beyond the politics.
Already happening. He is meeting McCully in Hong Kong to further improve the NZ relationship with Fiji.
The censors are making sure nothing radical is printed about the recent meeting as the directive has gone out to report it without comment. This appears to be long overdue effort to improve PR.
BASA
@ Basa ..
You wouldn't be Maltese by any chance?
No I'm your brother.
BASA
Croz: Sorry for the nonesense feel free to delete.
What a pleasant surprise - after such a long time of not really wanting anything to do with NZ, that Mr Bainimarama should be prepared to travel nearly halfway around the world that weekend to discuss affairs of state with the NZ minister for Foreign Affairs and Sport.
@ Peter/Basa...
BASA in Maltese means flatulence. Just curious whenther you chose that name because it best represents your literary style.
BASA is also a species of freshwater catfish. Real crap.
Qanibulu, You're at it again. Desist!
@ Croz & Basa ..
Sorry, man. Must be the heat. Not personal, just another slooow day...
Dear Prime Minister
Re: Accrediited Vocational Training in Secondary schools
The Ministry of Education in its wisdom a year ago decided to combine several subjects like woodworking, metalworking, etc into one watered-down genaralised subject called Industrial Arts. They did the same for Hospitality, languages and other subjects combining them all into the one useless generalised thing called Home Economics.
This is madness and does not auger well for the future of our workforce. What the ministry has succeeded in doing for the purpose of cutting costs and convenience is split these important subjects on gender lines and in the process created weaker alternatives.
Mr Prime Minister both you and I know what the reality of the job situation in Fiji - we have a largely unskilled workforce competing for too few jobs. We are churning out school leavers who either end up in academia or on the streets.
Education is not a process of just going through the motion of teaching - it is about empowering our young people to utilise their talents and potential to the fullest. We are not all going to be rocket scientists and not all school leavers will end up in academia. It is about horses for courses.
I would urge you to consider accreditted vocational training at secondary school level. Instead of watering down the course I would urge you to seperate and strengthen each one so that young people can focus on what is best for them rather than accept an uninspiring fruit salad. Courses like Hospitality should be accreditted at high school level and encouraged as a serious career path. The same applies to trade courses. They should all commence at high school level.
What this does for the future is provide greater diversity but more importantly it empowers the individual at an early age to get a head start in a career that he/she is interested in.
If you want to modernise Fiji, you must start by giving the young people the opportunity to rise to their true potential.
The ministry of education has got it wrong. Empower the individual not take the path of least resistance.
It will not happen by using 50 year old education blueprint.
@ Qanibulu - excuse me, bt way should taxpayers of Fiji foot the bill for Bainimarama and company to attend the Hong Kong 7s? Why go half way around the world to meet with a neighbor who's only a 3-hour flight away? I thought the whole point with this Government was to stop wastages and unneccessary expenditure like what SDL was well known for? My gosh, can the taxpayers of Fiji ever catch a break??? Flying a group of people business class to and rom HK, plus footing accomodation and other bills while there just to provide motivation to the Fiji 7s team? that's just dumb.
Dear Prime Minister
When you're in Hong Kong please make sure that the Fiji Sevens team doesn't play a single warm up match.
And if or when they win the Hong Kong sevens please don't decree a public holiday in Fiji. Qarase decreed a holiday on March 24, 2005 - what a waste of productivity for the nation.
I am sure you will be different.
Regards
Proud Fijian
Dear Prime Minister
Please get rid of racism in government(we can't get it out of people's hearts so I won't ask for the impossible) and homophobia and paedophilia from our society. If you don't do it, no one else will.
Dear Prime Minister
Thank you for fixing the pot holes in Nadi and Lautoka, and for giving free school fees and books to the kids in Primary School. Also thanks for the Naqali Bridge and for listening to the rural people.just one request. Please solve the land problem so we can all use the land fairly again while giving the landowners a fair rental.
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