Why do people leave
WHY do people leave a country? Most times it’s because they’re chasing a better life with more opportunities for their family.
My great grandparents left Mauritius and then India in search of a better future for their children.
My parents left Fiji to live in Australia and so did we.
Will my children or grandchildren leave Australia?
Can’t see it happening in the short term but who knows. They might decide to return to Fiji.
Some of us are a migratory species because it’s in our blood to search out better opportunities.
Do we miss Fiji? Yes, we do, and often. Did we make the right decision to leave in the early 80s? You bet.
Our youngest son got the best medical attention and treatment at the time because it was unavailable in Fiji.
Plus a few of our doctor friends in Fiji encouraged us to leave for his sake.
Today he’s a strapping young man who’s fighting fit. Did we go through separation anxiety when we left family and dear friends we’d known from our childhood? Yes we did.
My wife more so than me because she didn’t have any close family living here in Melbourne.
But nothing can separate us from the love we have for the homeland and people of our birth.
However, when we look at our beautiful grandchildren we know we made the right choice over 40 years ago to leave everything we cherished to settle in a new country.
Despite all of the struggles and challenges we’ve been through, it’s been worth it.
But tragically, the brain drain in Fiji is a worrying trend where so many skilled workers are leaving for better opportunities abroad. And the skills shortage is definitely having a massive impact on so many fronts.
How can the skills shortage that Fiji is experiencing be addressed? Perhaps the two countries benefiting the most (Australia and NZ) could be approached to provide skill-based TAFE training to locals to try and bridge the gap.
A good friend sent me a synopsis of the skills shortage and how it could lead to devastating consequences for a small island nation like Fiji.
Unless the tide is stemmed Fiji could become a lopsided third world economy with serious social and political problems escalating into a tsunami of terrible consequences as seen in PNG. And I’m sure Fiji’s closest neighbours will not want to see this happening right on their doorstep when a certain country is eyeing the pickings of South Pacific island nations that are becoming ripe for the taking.
Having umpteen graduates all vying for jobs is not going to solve the problems.
There’s just not enough jobs. Diversify your workforce and skill based training with the help of Australia and NZ possibly funding the programs.
Who’s job is it in the current Coalition Government to take up the challenge to make the approach? COLIN DEOKI
Australia