State visit
Need for motorcade
THERE was no motorcade the President came to Labasa and went away and I did not know about it until I saw a picture of him and Serafina. Sometimes motorcades are needed to advise people like me that someone important is in town.
SUKHA SINGH
Labasa
Visiting dignitaries
EXCEPT for the Royal mob, visiting State dignitaries are hardly noticed by the Australian public and they are certainly not made inconvenienced by their presence, unless of course people turn out to protest at the presence of some of them because of their rotten human rights record back in their own country.
Pomp and parade and all that kind of paraphernalia during visits by State dignitaries is predominantly a Third World post-colonial phenomenon.
Fiji falls in that category as the letter writers to The Fiji Times on the Australian Governor-General’s visit have noticed.
RAJEND NAIDU
Sydney, Australia
Road closures
TODAY, I totally understand and fully sympathise with the many thousands of travellers badly affected and delayed, along the extremely busy and densely populated Nausori to Suva corridor on the occasion of the State visit (with 17 vehicle official motorcade plus police motorcycle escorts) by the Australian Governor-General, David Hurley and Mrs Hurley.
Perhaps, the citizens in the Capital City today understand a little better how the many thousands who travel through the Nadi Airport to Denarau corridor are also forced to endure during many foreign diplomats’ visits to our shores with similar road closures over recent years.
Some say the same road closures were done 50 years ago. Quite true. Very correct.
May I also respectfully add, 50 years ago our population was nowhere near 900,000. Fifty years ago our roads were not as well surfaced as today. Fourlane highways were a distant elusive dream. Fifty years ago we did not have 130,000 registered vehicles on our roads. There were no minibuses then; fewer taxis and rental cars. Drivers were more patient then. There was no real mad rush. Life was much slower... more manageable. The list goes on and on.
To all officials, please pause and try to listen to and understand, for once, in your official roles and decisionmaking, the plight and frustrations of the thousands of commuters who endure unwarranted extended two-hour delays during any State or diplomatic visit.
Two-hour road closures along densely-populated main highways and roads are grossly inconvenient and so unnecessary, in my humble and caring 2 cents Nadi take.
By all means please extend all due courtesy and respect to all our official dignitaries and diplomats, but not at the expense of many thousands of our frustrated commuters. Sometimes, familiarity breeds contempt and there is the tendency not to hear/listen to subtle advice of much concern.
These frustrations are very real. They are not a joke anymore. I am sure many thousands of commuters who have been affected share my views, most respectfully.
To conclude, are our leaders extended the same road closures for their motorcades during their visits to Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, England, India, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, et cetera et cetera? Is Fiji doing an “overkill” in its courtesy and respect of foreign dignitaries? I rest my case, dutifully.
I will stand corrected with every respect.
RONNIE CHANG
Martintar, Nadi
WE want them to play our own style of rugby this weekend.
VILIKESA DRODROLAGI Suva
WE expect them to play well and tackle hard. WALOSIO VUNIVALU Suva