iTaukei anthem
Luisa Cakau, Pacific Harbour
As the Olympic Games in Rio draw closer our 7s warriors prepare themselves physically and mentally surrounded by great mentors in Ben Ryan and many others behind the scenes who we never get to hear or see.
Going to war for the nation means so much to all of us. That heart that beats under the coconut tree on the jerseys that our 7s heroes will wear is all that they have, topped of course by their dancing feet, speed andstrength.
Can we take this pride further and get the warriors singing our national anthem in iTaukei, please? They perform the ‘cibi’ in iTaukei so naturally the anthem should be sung in the same language.
Most countries sing their anthems in their own language profiling themselves and their country with pride to the world.
Sevens rugby has reached a level of popularity and following that is still increasing, but guess what, Fiji are the world champions of this shortened
version of rugby.
I do hope that the powers that be will consider this very seriously before
the warriors head off to war!
Fijian chant
Edwin Sandys, Suva
We will shortly be seeing a new Fijian flag introduced by the Government to replace the old by the end of the year.
Can I make a suggestion to our 7s gladiators? The chant at the beginning of the games by our boys is also foreign and should be as my daughter-in-law puts it “Fijianised”.
Currently it’s “for” and the team replies “Fiji”. Almost all other teams do it in their mother tongue, so why can’t we?
One chant I heard a previous coach do and he yelled “e rawa se sega” twice and the boys replied “e rawa” and finally he yelled “o cei” and the team replied “o Viti” This is only a suggestion maybe others have something better, but we need to do it in Fijian.
All the best to Ben Ryan and the team and we know you will bring back the gold medal. Toso, Viti!
Human deeds!
Herleen Emily Kumar, Nadi
Sometimes I wonder why we, as humans, tend to abuse the resources available to us.
Due to our deeds, the next generation will be suffering even more. Climate change is a huge payback to the negative acts of human beings. Some of us may say that we are not experiencing climate change, but look around people, each day we see the signs. The changes are evident and are right before our naked eyes. The weather pattern is changing. It is becoming hotter in cooler days and cooler in hotter days. Isn’t this enough for our justification?
Wake up, people! We need a change and it all starts from us. It may be too late to stop climate change from happening, but it’s not late to discipline ourselves and mend our negativity.
Church and poverty
Savenaca Vakaliwaliwa, Canada
I totally agree with Malakai Naduva regarding the different money collecting systems Christian churches have in place to raise funds for the church, and is one contributing factor to poverty in the nation.
While many Christian churches teaches that the tithes and offering system instituted by God as outdated and only for the Old Testament Jewish sanctuary services; I believe the practical principle the tithing system contains is the answer to meet the finances of the church and alleviate poverty among believers.
Only 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel were allocated land when they reached the Promised Land. The Levites were chosen by God to minister in the sanctuary and its services and to live on the tithes and offerings returned by the eleven tribes.
The tithe system is very fair as a worker who earns $10 returns to God $1 in tithe, while a wages of $100 calls for a $10 tithe.
The freewill offering on the balance is where believers are tested on their faith in the Giver and Sustainer of life who provides for our needs daily.
As my Christian brother has pointed out, it is wrong for the church to levy a set amount of money from church members while not taking into account their individual financial and health status.
Most churches today are copying the money making TV preachers who use the word of God to con people into sending them money and they will use Bible promises saying they will receive a monetary blessing from God.
God has promised to bless people who return a faithful tithe and offerings but this should not be the reason we Christians return our tithes to God.
We return tithes because we love our Lord and Saviour for what He has done for us and we pray that our tithes and offerings will help pay for the expenses of the church and its continuous work to preach the good news to those who do not know.
Christians in Fiji who are labeled as being in poverty need to re examine their relationship with God, and if they are returning their tithes to the One who has promised to meet our needs and lift our standard of living.
Bus shelter
Amrit Singh, Nausori
The new bus shelter along the new Wanibokasi Road as you head towards the Nausori International Airport is very small.
Especially near Vunimono Primary, Vunimono High and Arya school. I saw students standing in the rain soaking wet, with the new bus shelters providing small seats and roof.
It would have been better if the Fiji Roads Authority had made a bigger and better bus shelter, given the large population of school students using these bus shelters.
Health system
Khalid Ahmed, Suva
It’s shocking to hear that a baby has died and doctors don’t know how. There have been other cases too and only thing the ministry can say is that they will investigate.
I would suggest these doctors should be taken to task and I would suggest to the ministry that they should start hiring specialists from overseas.
Our health head should be a responsible and reliable person and give public a clear answer.
Feedback: jyotip@fijisun.com.fj