The onus is on us when it comes to our safety when out in public
The police cannot be everywhere at one time to ensure our safety; they need our support as well.
The tragic death of student, Isikeli Ligadua Rokosuka, in a freak bus accident on Monday, is truly devastating. It is news a parent or loved one should never have to hear, let alone bear.
Our heart goes out to his family in this time of sorrow.
The deputy head boy of Bau Central College had a bright future ahead of him.
His mother, Taraivini Ravolau, said he wished to try out for the Tailevu Rugby’s U-19 but sadly that has been short-lived.
Yet even more alarming are the particulars of how he allegedly died.
According to police, Isikeli had jumped out of the moving bus.
In the process he fell and got caught underneath the tyres. He died later.
Chief of Operations, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Livai Driu, has called on drivers to be more vigilant when it comes to the safety of its passengers.
He also called on passengers, especially students, to observe the same at all costs.
This call should also be extended to parents, community leaders and to the heads of schools.
For schools, are we addressing this during assembly, staff and student council meetings? As responsible citizens, do you call out the wrongs when you see it or are you just one of those who say: ‘He/she will learn their lesson in the process’?
As the annual Fiji Secondary School finals, otherwise known as the Coke Games, draws near, the hype will include many misdeeds by our children when they are out of our sight. They give in to peer pressure. It’s a fact.
Already evident is the hype to the Coke Games. Students are boarding the buses and filling it to overwhelming capacity.
The music in some of these buses is played at unreasonable volume in turn hyping up the students.
With their cheers heard from a far distance and hands and flags out the window, the bus moving to their rhythm.
This scene is dangerous to imagine as it to witness. But it is happening.
And as a nation with a young population, we must nip it in the bud to avoid a traffic tragedy.