Your views

‘A good newspaper is a nation talking to itself’

GCC Sukha Singh, Labasa

Doesn’t the Great Council of Chiefs bring back the caste system? The Fijians are lucky they have only two castes, chiefs and commoners, but the Indian community have so many.

Consumer Council and FCCC Nadera

Inoke Vakalabure,

By reducing the validity of ‘monthly’ subscription to a mere 28 days, Sky Pacific has effectively added almost a month to its calendar of billing.

As each month’s subscription lasts two to three days shorter than previously, we now need to pay more over the year.

Very clever, almost cunning way of earning an extra month’s income.

The problem for subscribers. however is not just the extra payout. We now need to keep track of a changing “due date” each month for renewing subscription. Wake up, Consumer Council and FCCC!

Bedside manners Meli Matanatoto , Nadi

Some health care workers in our public health facilities need to improve their bedside manners.

A simple customer service skill such as saying ‘Hello’ is sufficient.

May be some of these high class doctors are so full of themselves they don’t realise they are serving human beings.

A word of advice to the powers that if locals don’t want to work in the public health sectors then there are willing recruits from the Philippines, India and Africa who can cover for these rude local doctors.

If Bernadette Welch, the former permanent Secretary for Health was leading MOHMS, that ministry would be in a good stead rather than one that is on life support and with pathetic customer services.

Unfortunately, we had the COVID pandemic which brought in professionals to administrative leadership who should have remain in their clinical areas instead of administration.

Girmit celebrations 2023 Suzanne Singh, Suva

The recently concluded Girmit celebrations left a profound impact on attendees, including myself.

The commendable coordination by the Suva City Council, the Ministry of Finance, and the Fiji Government made the event truly memorable.

It was interesting to take my children on a tour of where their ancestors had come from and how their life was back then.

Most interesting part was the National Archives where we were able to read through some of the stories of the labourers and their reasons for leaving their villages in India and hoping to find a better life in Fiji. There were books of names of all the girmitiyas who travelled on boats, and which year they had travelled to Fiji.

Therefore, if one knew the names of their ancestors who travelled from India, they would be able to track the ship they came on, and ...... their history back in India.

This was surprising since many are unaware of this facility, thus many who were there would be taking their families to the national archives in Suva to find out more. In light of this experience, I earnestly request the Government to organise more events centred around Fiji’s rich history and the stories of its people.

Such initiatives have a remarkable impact on the younger generation, capturing their attention in ways that traditional classrooms may not achieve.

Thank you for organising such an important event to show us how crucial it is to know your history, which helps us appreciate our present.