Smart customers
Apenisa Nainoka, Nadi
Customers have to be more alert of the different kinds of mobile phones available in all mobile phone outlets here.
Most of the mobile phones seem to be an imitation of other well known mobile companies. To all customers, it’s your responsibility to give yourselves a clear view of a particular product before handing over your money to the seller. Be smart people!
Soccer league
Damodaran Nadan, Lautoka
Can anyone from the Fiji Football Association (FFA) explain to the public why the Ba soccer team has played the least number of games than other districts, especially Lautoka, which is unfair to the other teams.
Lautoka, which plays all its home games at Prince Charles Park for the second season running, for reasons known to all, have played the most number of games compared to Ba.
Negligence
Sukha Singh, Labasa
I thank my friend Narayan Reddy of Lautoka for posting a picture on Facebook of a 72-year-old on the streets.
Isn’t there a law whereby close family members can be charged with negligence and ordered to take the family member back home?
If there isn’t any law on negligence could one be decreed as soon as possible.
New 7s mindset
Savenaca Vakaliwaliwa, Canada
Congratulations to the Vodafone Fijian 7s team for winning the World Sevens World Series back to back.
From the finals of the London 7s, we can all say that the game of 7s rugby has got to be one of the most exiting sports on earth because anything can happen in seven minutes.
It is so exciting that fans can leap with joy and punch the sky when a winning try is scored when there is no time left or one can die of a heart failure when their team loses when the time is up.
The London 7s reveals that a team’s standing does not matter but on how a team performs with the right mindset, vision, keeping ball possession, taking the right options and just doing all the basics right.
Who would have predicted on Day 1 that Scotland would be in the Cup final for the first time in its Series history and to defeat the much favoured South African team to win the Cup also?
Even our boys were defeated fair and square by the United States 7s team in the 3rd/4th Place playoff.
Now imagine all the preparations with all countries selecting its 12 best sevens players for the Olympic Games in Rio.
The Vodafone Fijian Sevens team will need to erase from their mind the fact they have successfully won the HSBC Sevens series two years in a row and that the Olympic gold medal is in their sights.
They need a new sevens mindset, a hungry underdog one, giving their all in their preparation and in Rio, display their magic and create history for Fiji in its first Olympic Games gold medal ever.
Faith and works go together and with the new mindset and spirit drawing strength from their famous Bible text: Phillipians. 4:13, our boys will be able to conquer the giants.
Go Fiji, go!
Domestic violence
Joji Koroibanuve, Nasinu
Dr Jiko Luveni in her statement in the Fiji Sun on May 19, 2016, said it right, when stating that women are also responsible for domestic violence.
Our Minister for Women should look into this if she would like to touch the true cause of the issue.
Marriage is a bond of understanding between a man and a woman of two totally different makings, one of which is the roles they play in a family. Violence occurs when this role is crossed or threatened.
Sad to say fingers are quick to point at man as the culprit whenever such issues arise, instead of taking the time to see the real cause.
Man is the head of the family and that role needs to be given much respect by the family unit. Inbuilt in a man are all necessary characters and behaviours to safeguard this God-given role, and this is what a woman needs to understand when stepping into a marriage.
Humble pies
Amenatave Yaconisau, Suva
Two losses in the final and a fourth place in London are humbling enough for our preparation for Rio.
We must thank Ben Ryan and our warriors for topping the table back to back and the endurance involved. Never achieved before in our rugby history and it took an Englishman to mould them together. Wow! What an achievement.
But the event of the day was the magnificent performance of the Scottish brigade over old nemesis South Africa. No wonder they call Scotland ‘the land of the brave’ because they played to every meaning of it by showing us the never say die attitude.
It was reminiscent of the Samoans great comeback against the Fijians last week and the defiance shown by Kitione Taliga scoring a try in the dying minutes against a good Australian side.
With that kind of refusal and show of relentless patience anything can happen in Rio. These two dogged show of endurance and guts is not for the faint hearted. The motto of the American seals ‘ who dares wins’ and we must resist till the end. Go Fiji, go!
Dr Jiko’s comments
Tukai Lagonilakeba, Nadi
Mrs Jean Hatch from Sabeto, Nadi, wrote and questioned the Madam Speaker to provide answers in her letter to the other newspaper May 23rd titled ‘Rhetoric question’.
I wish to enlighten her and answer her concerns relevant to her claims but of course she has already answered her own question as per content to her letter without realising it.
She would be well advised to read comments on ‘My Say’ by Nemani Delaibatiki (FS Monday 23 page 8) relevant to the learned Speaker of Parliament’s comments as quoted below.
Madam Jiko Luveni was also the immediate past Minister for Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation for five years prior to her current appointment and she had fought tooth and nail to uplift women and children issues for Fiji to another level in the world arena never before witnessed and experienced in any other country regionally post independence.
Women’s rights groups including Mrs Hatch have quoted her out of context on her comments of, “Sometimes we women aggravate the situation; sometimes we know what our husbands don’t like and then we do it, what do you expect?”
Of course she did not mean that a women should be abused when aggravating a situation, it is in fact a golden advice to all married women and men, “Do not provoke a scenario or situation” but show restrain, maturity, understanding but be sensitive and be sensible because our children can get it wrong.
Dr Luveni simply meant, many women will just get bashed up by their husband or partners unnecessarily in the process because they think it is their right which is absolutely wrong and she is just being honest about why some women get violated but women should always endeavour to refrain and avoid such scenario.
That is a golden rule, reasoning and advice coming off from a very experienced 70 year old elder, a senior women citizen of our society, a mother, grandmother and a wife, realistically she was just being honest and proactive in her approach, there is absolutely nothing wrong with her statement because it is the truth.
Violence against women is an illness of the mind, it is totally unacceptable, but we must remember, we all have a different character that is human nature and the letter writer invites the concerned lady to visit our Parliament when she is next in Suva on any sitting day where she can meet and talk to the Madam Speaker during her parliamentary tea break and directly raise her concerns.
Mrs Hatch will find her approachable and a very pleasant lady to converse with contrary to how she feels. How about issues of violence and abuse against men or violence against women by women?
7s support
Timoci Gaunavinaka, Nausori
Congratulation to the Vodafone Fijian 7s rugby team for retaining the IRB series 2016.
Vinaka vakalevu Ben, Naca, team management, Osea and the boys for a job well done.
Ten tournaments at 10 different venues around the world and you coming out on top is a significant achievement for our tiny nation.
We also thank each of your families including families of those who did not play in the final leg because of injuries. You are all part of this victory.
Your support enabled these boys to bare the pain, run that extra yard, stretch their endurance to make that extra tackle and make Fiji world champions once again.
Winning London or Paris was never a priority. Even winning the World Rugby series was a second priority. Winning gold in Rio is our top and only biggest priority. Ben clearly said at the beginning of this season that he would rather lose all tournaments if that is the price to pay to win Rio alone.
New Zealand, South Africa, Great Britain, the USA, Samoa, Australia and Kenya have showed us almost everything they have. They no longer have any hidden player to sneak up in Rio. But Fiji has never showed the world the true value of the team it has.
Our top stars Nakarawa, Tuisova, Nayacalevu, Rawaca, Kunatani and Ravovou have never played together for a single game this year. Imagine when they will be supported by Osea, Taliga, Jerry, Jasa, Nasilasila, Viriviri, Domolailai, Katonibau, Dakuwaqa, Mata and a more fit Jarryd Hayne. It will be a dream team.
Ben will have all these resources to choose his best 12 from.
In two months they will be taken to task on fitness and endurance training and polished to gel well. If some local boys are dropped then so be it.
Rio demands only the best. We won the World Cup in 2005 when overseas players were brought in. Sireli Bobo, Marika Vunibaka, Apolosi Satala and Rawaqa were all playing offshore then.
As for those “want-to-be-smart” critics, please remember that Ben is not a novice in the coaching job.
He has a masters in sports science and has seen what you think he has not seen and much, much more.
He has well calculated all the pages of events we are just starting to flick open now from many months ago.
He does not need your advice. He only needs your support. Give it or zip it.