See new QUOTE FOR THE WEEK in the right sidebar, and scroll down to the WEEKEND READINGS.
Readers' experiences and opinions on my special Sunday posting N0160 "Too Timid to Speak Out"
are especially welcome.
ANNOUNCEMENT DAYLIGHT SAVING. The Minister for Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment, Mr. Filipe Bole confirmed that Fiji will end daylight saving at 3 am on Sunday 6th March 2011, after it started on Sunday 24th October 2010. This decision by the Cabinet means that the nation will have to switch time back from 3am (03:00) to 2am (02:00) normal time in the first Sunday next March, 2011.
I can't recall any anti-government blog ever correcting an error.
I acknowledge sources; distinguish between news and opinion; try to check out possibly doubtful stories before publication; correct errors when they are know to me; welcome reasoned comments on my postings, irrespective of their viewpoint, and I endeavour to keep close to the standards one should expect in the mainstream media. This speaks volumes for the differences between us.
N0162. CHARTER BASIS FOR FUTURE. Strategic Framework for Change director Joeli Besetimoala says the People's Charter is here to stay and political parties or groups will have to base their manifesto around it in preparation for the 2014 elections and "any elected government will have to align their manifesto to the People’s Charter and continue with the current government’s development corporate plan.
The anti-government blog FijiToday this means the people will have "No Freedom of Choice in future political manifestos. The Peoples Charter is the new law in Fiji." Their report is based on this release by Radio Fiji.
This is a misrepresentation. The Charter spells out broad principles that few would deny. They are principles the citizens of any democratic state would proudly adopt, and at least one-half of the adult population of Fiji has already agreed to them. But for principles to become practice, they have to be operationalised. This will be done through a series of dialogues that will commence late this year on constitutional reforms and later on electoral reform. The Charter is not the new law as FijiToday states, and its implementation will provide many choices. It is for this reason that the dialogue must be as representative and as inclusive as possible . FijiToday would be better advised to focus on this part of the process.
P.S. See comments for FijiToday response. I still do not see how they can claim the Charter is anything more than a founding guideline.
N0163. EMPLOYERS UP WAGES A LITTLE. Garment factory owners have upped their previous offer of a minimum wage increase of 7% to 10% but this is still only one-half of the Wages Council recommendation and far less than the Basic Needs Poverty Line (see my earlier extensive post). The extra 3% increase represents an extra $1.50-$1.80 a week, and 10% an extra $6.00-$7.30, or 13-16 cents an hour. The Wages Council was asking for an extra $11.25 - $14.40 or 25-32 cents an hour.
Labour Minister, Filipe Bole, welcomed the employers' new offer, saying the garment factory owners had improved their 'ability to pay' position, and shown a sense of "corporate social responsibility to both the workers and the nation as a whole towards our collective efforts to alleviate poverty."
He said while the Government will continue to provide an enabling policy environment and incentives to boost investment, productivity and profitability of companies, it also has the social responsibility to alleviate poverty amongst the marginalized sectors of our society.
He has appealed to all employers to be fair and just in distributing their profits and productivity gains not only to their shareholders, but especially to the workers, who are the most important assets in their organizations.
N0164. AUSSIE TRAVEL BAN: Comment from a Reader. "I was told that a coup sympathizer's Australian visa was rejected. I don't want to face the same restriction. I am not in the military and at first opposed the coup. However, when I actually see the developments and hear people voice their appreciation and, not wanting elections based on what has previously transpired, I have to agree that not all democracy through the ballot box has merits. This government have not aligned themselves with the powerful and rich but turned to help the poor and marginalized but not forgetting big business who provide tax for government coffers."
2 comments:
Croz.
I believe you have misunderstood the thrust of the post on our site. This is the first time the Peoples Charter has been used in a manner that would require it to be written into law. There is a possibility it is currently law but as with many of the Decrees promulgated it has not been published. If no manifesto is allowed to be outside the Peoples Charter then no party could ever run on a policy of dismantling the RFMF as their position is entrenched in the PC. There is a call for a national dialogue on the position of the RFMF in Fijian society but no allowance for it to be abolished. There is also major opposition from both Indo Fijians and indigenous Fijians to “Adopt as the common name: “Fijian” for all the citizens of Fiji with full recognition that the indigenous people are the i Taukei.” This is not a stopper to moving to a less racial Fiji as this is a mindset that needs to be overcome not something to be changed by Decree.
The Future of Fiji may be in a direction not envisioned by the PC and the Charter may become as restrictive as our various past constitutions were.
Our comment was this is apparently a new law if it can direct what are in political party’s manifestos and we had lost our Freedom of Choice. My understanding was that the PC was a set of guidelines on the way forward. It appears it has now morphed into a set of rules that must be followed.
FijiToday
Oh come on, Fiji Today! You cannot be serious? We are living in the 21st century. Calling the people of Fiji Fijians is logical, rational, all inclusive and plain common sense. Get real! Get smart! For heaven's sake "grow up". We are all Fijian Taxpayers - emphasis on the taxpayers, please! That is the way to run a nation and to fund an economy. No more distinctions are required. Once we have that straight, then we can think about growing the GDP. Nothing else matters....much?
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