Service to the people
AMIDST the recent criticisms of the media by an insignificant parliamentarian and the SOE, The Fiji Times continues to provide worthwhile news to our populace. I congratulate The Fiji Times on this, your 152nd year of providing such an excellent service to our people.
I’m reminded of what I said back in 2016. This is what I said then: “Despite the many challenges, you have remained steadfast in your calling. You have been the voice of the voiceless on countless occasions. You have stood up to regimes and critics who wished that you be silenced. You have highlighted the plight of many, the underprivileged, the poor, the disenfranchised and many more.
You have spoken out when it was so easy to look the other way and not report at all. You brought to the fore and raised questions when some of our citizens suffered at the hands of those who should be protecting them. You chose not to look the other way. You also celebrated the success stories of many. You shared the dreams of our sports people and administrators. You shared the achievements of farmers, fishermen and entrepreneurs. You reported on the devastation of cyclones and floods. This meant that your reporters were out in the cold when they could have remained indoors in the comforts of their beds.
You continuously spoke out against littering and the need to protect our fragile environment. You stood for the protection of the “kawakawa” and other species in the seas. You reported on crimes. You reported on the functioning criminal justice system and how perpetrators of crimes accounted for their misdeeds. You also highlighted the successes and achievements of governments and their officials. You did not shirk in your duties to question government expenditure of public funds.
You promoted racial equality when some quarters of our society sought elitism.
As I’ve said before, above all, you had the courage to speak out and demonstrated your freedom from fear!
I’m reminded of some passages from your first editorial; 152 years ago. It went like this: “We make no pretensions of greatness and remember that little boats, to be safe, must keep near the shore.
“We shall maintain the liberty of the press and the rights to all men.
“Many subjects of vital importance need ventilating, and for the lovers of the country, of industry, commerce, morals and humanity, there is a vast field of usefulness. “There is plenty of room for us all, for our pens, for our purses, for our efforts! Let us put our shoulders to the wheel and heave together for the general good.”
In 2019, I added: “I’m a firm believer in fairness; honesty too. As an avid reader of your paper for some decades now, I submit that The Fiji Times has indeed remained true to its original goals of “maintaining the liberty of the press and the rights of all men”.
I further submit that you have done more. You have not remained close to shore; you are no longer a “little boat”. You have ventured afar and beyond the boundaries of your small beginnings.
Paraphrasing your first editorial - I firmly believe that - “The Fiji Times is now a public good; a practical, useful and honest medium for the support of honour, truth and right.”
May I add - today, like no other time in the past, much is expected of The Fiji Times. Fiji is at a crossroads that we had not found ourselves in before.
Much is being asked of our press. Is it free?
Much is being asked of our public servants. Are they free?
Much is being asked of our leaders. Are they free?
Much is being asked of our PM. Is he free?
Much is being asked of our people. Are we free?
In attempting to answer the above questions, I encourage our people - let’s free ourselves from fear. Like the first editorial, let’s support honour, truth and right.
So today, having checked your bearings, I again wish The Fiji Times well.
May you continue to give us a newspaper “that holds true to the ideals of good journalism!”
KINIVILIAME KETECA
Nausori