The Jet Volume 7 Number 3

FEBRUARY 2015.
ISSUE 62
www.thejetnewspaper.com
New Era, New Flag

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has confirmed a new-looking
Fiji Flag will be raised during the
45th anniversary of independence
on October 10, 2015.
Hon. Bainimarama said since
the new democracy is in place,
they will now proceed with the
program he flagged at the beginning of 2013 to adopt a symbol that
is more in keeping with the national aspirations in the 21st century.
We need to replace the symbols on our existing flag that are
out of date and no longer relevant,
including some anchored to our
colonial past. The new flag should
reflect Fijis position in the world
today as a modern and truly independent nation state, Mr Bainimarama said.
Our United Nations peacekeeping troops have fought and
sometimes died under it. Our
sportsmen have stood before it as
they achieved some of the greatest
and most inspirational victories in
our sporting history.
As a nation, we will never forget the image of Iliesa Delana
now an Assistant Minister in my
Government waving our flag before the vast crowd and the global
television audience when he won
Gold at the London Paralympics.
And, of course, every Fijian has
The proud Fiji rugby supporters waving the Fiji Flag in jubilation at the Wellington
Sevens. Photo: ROSS GIBLIN/ Fairfax NZ.
stood before it in our schools as
they sing our national anthem with
patriotism and pride.
Bainimarama said after 45
years, it is now the time to dispense with the colonial symbols
on the flag - the Union Flag of the
United Kingdom and the colonial
shield and embrace a flag that is
relevant to every Fijian today.
The Union Flag belongs to the
British, not to us. The shield on
our flag has the British Lion and
the Cross of St George a British
patron saint. What does this have
to do with us? They are the symbols of the coloniser Britain a
country with whom we are friends
and will continue to be so. But they
are not symbols that are relevant to
any Fijian in the 21st century. And
they should go. Honoured symbols
of our past, but not of our future.
Fiji is not alone in wanting
to update its national symbol to
reflect the changes in its society
since it became independent. New

Zealand has begun a process to
change its flag and Australia is currently debating theirs. Fiji intends
to lead the way by adopting a truly
authentic expression of who we
are and where we are, rather than
honour someone elses flag.
He also outlined a process that
will be inclusive and based on a
general consensus to design a new
flag.
All Fijians, including school
children, will be encouraged to enter a national competition for the
design of this new national symbol. We are also going to form a
national committee chosen from a
broad cross section of Fijian society to judge the entries and choose
the most appropriate design.
The competition and the formation of the National Panel will
commence during this month of
February which will be open for
two months. And the whole selec-
tion process has been designed in

a way that the nation will be ready
to hoist the new flag on the 45th
anniversary of Fijis Independence.
Every Fijian, irrespective of age,
gender or socio-economic background, will be given an opportunity to have a view on this issue and
a vote on the final design via social
media and text platforms.
The Prime Minister said his preference at this stage is to retain the
existing Fiji blue background
but without the Union Flag and
Shield.
We want to encourage new
designs and symbols, perhaps indigenous flora and fauna that are
unique to Fiji. Designs and symbols that is authentically Fijian.
We must all have an open mind
about the final result, but it should
be symbolic of the unity of the nation and instantly recognisable the
world over as uniquely and proudly Fijian.
50 CENTS
www.epapergallery.com/thejet
Fiji - the way the world should be

FROM THE DESK
Congratulations Fiji
Being the hub of the Pacific, Fiji has everything that a spectacular tropical paradise has to offer from private island resort accommodations, top class restaurants to white sandy beaches, inbound
tours, jet boat rides, hot air balloon rides, mountain trekking, inland tours, eco tourism, sky diving,
helicopter rides, cruise trips, scuba diving, massage and beauty parlours, vibrant night life and a
lot more than any other destination in the world offers
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
National Minimum Wage

Rate Increased
Vodafone Fiji 7s team
has finally broken its Las Vegas winning drought.
The Ben Ryan-coached
side outclassed high-flying
New Zealand 35-19 in a
mouth-watering cup final
clash at Sam Boyd Stadium
in USA.
Fiji once won a tournament in USA in 2007 when it
was known as the San Diego
7s beating Samoa 38-24.
Instrumentals Semi Ku-
natani and Jerry Tuwai

scored two tries each while
Savenaca Rawaca added
one to his name.
Captain Osea Kolinisau
told irb.com the win in Las
Vegas means a lot to them
as they are looking forward
to the automatic qualification to Rio Olympics.
Next up is the Hong Kong
7s which is scheduled to be
played from March 27-29.
q
ANUSHIL KUMAR
THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly

by YOURSPACE LIMITED from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.
PUBLISHER
: SAMUEL SHANKAR
EDITOR
: ANUSHIL KUMAR
PRODUCTION
: MUNAUWAR KHAN
NEWS
: SALOTE QALUBAU
ADVERTISING
: MARGARET NAQIRI

: ARON GOUNDAR
OFFICE PHONES
: 6707075 / 6750443
EMAIL
: thejetnewspaper@gmail.com
: sam@media.com.fj
WEBSITE
: www.thejetnewspaper.com
Cell: 9966115
Cell: 9203847
Cell: 9222456
Cell: 7147179
Cell: 9360047
Cell: 9203790
PRINTED BY DAVUI PRINTERY LIMITED, 12 BAKA PLACE, LAUCALA BEACH ESTATE, SUVA
Phone: (679) 3394755. LAYOUT BY MUNAUWAR KHAN
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Bainimarama Government has fulfilled yet another component of its Fiji
First Manifesto.
As promised to the Fijians prior to the 2014 General Elections, the government endorsed the increase
of the national minimum
wage (NMW) from $2.00 per
hour to $2.32 per hour.
This intensification followed a submission made
to Cabinet by the Minister
for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations,
Hon. Jioji Konrote.
The new wage rate will
be effective from July 1,
2015, as this timeframe is
to provide the market and
businesses ample adjustment time, especially for
exporters and the small and
micro enterprises.
A fundamental objective
of the NMW Policy is the
The Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial

Relations, Hon. Jioji Konrote (pictured).
protection of about 100,000
workers who are the most
vulnerable in our society,
isolated by trade unions and
do not have any bargaining
power having the most inhumane living standards.
The Policy also provides
an improved competitive
platform for businesses, as
competition for factor inputs
would be fairer in terms of
production costs.
With the 45 or 48 working hours per week, the

increase means that about
100,000 marginalized workers will have their weekly
wages increased from the
$90.00 - $96.00 range, to the
$104.40 - $111.36 range.
The
Fijian
economy
achieved an impressive average growth of about 3.2%
over the past five years. The
growth for 2013 was revised
Paving Dairy Solution for Fiji

In an effort to improve
Fijis Livestock Industry,
the Ministry of Agriculture
has sent eight officers for
Artificial Insemination (AI)
training at the Livestock Improvement Cooperation in
Hamilton, New Zealand.
Senior Agriculture Officer
(Beef/Dairy) Ulaiasi Tadulala
said the AI training will help
dairy farmers to fight against
Tuberculosis and Brucellosis.
Male semen from New
Zealand will be brought
to Fiji with an assurance
that this semen is diseased
free which will greatly as-
sist Dairy farmers and will

overlook the establishment
of an Artificial Insemination
Service for Dairy and Beef
Cattle in Fiji, he said.
From this training, the
Ministry will also be looking
at expanding and improving nucleus breeding herd
of New Zealand Dairy cattle
at various Research stations
using Artificial Insemination.
The Western Division
will be an area of interest for
the Ministry to improve its
Dairy production.
Moreover, under the
2014-2016 Livestock Rehabilitation Program, $1million
has been allocated to import approximately 200 live

breeding cattle from New
Zealand.
In addition to this, trace
back of cattle imported from
New Zealand and Australia
since 2012 will be conducted for diseases, Mr Tadulala
said.
The one week training
included staff of the Animal
Health and Production and
the Livestock Research Divi-
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
q PRESS RELEASE
Members of the AI training group departing Fiji. Photo: SUPPLIED.
upwards to 4.6% and stood

at 3.8% in 2014.
Consequently, it is only
fair for Government to ensure that the national economic gains are shared with
marginalised Fijian workers,
who have contributed considerably to Fijis growing
economy.
Employers are urged by
the Ministry to be fair and
just in distributing their profits and productivity gains
not only to their shareholders, but especially to their
workers, who are the most
important assets of their organisations.
Employers are also encouraged to shift their business culture from one of
cheap labour dependency
towards incentivising workers to enhance their creativity and innovation and add
more value to their goods
and services with greater
productivity and product differentiation.
NADI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT UPGRADE
Airport Body to Meet Private

Jet Space Demands
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Airport Fiji Limited is
carrying out major upgrading to its apron area in order
to meet the increase in demand for private jet parking
at the Nadi international airport.
Airports Fiji Limited (AFL)
executive chairman Faiz
Khan said the latest expansion responds to the private
jets entering the country and
using the Nadi International
Airport.
He said the hottest development would ensure parking for the private-owned
jets.
We currently have an
apron area which caters for
nine aircrafts at any given
time but we have planned
for the future to ensure that

private jet owners are able
to get a parking, he said.
This is a different project altogether but running
in parallel with the facelift of
the airport terminal.
Mr Khan added the multimillion dollar project would
boost Fijis capabilities as
the hub of the pacific.
He added the facelift
renovations taking place at
the airport were progressing
well.
We are planning for the
future and we do not want
to turn away jets that arrive
and want a parking space.
This is a future minded plan
for AFL, Mr Khan said.
Were well underway
on the airport terminal and
facelift project and will be
open as scheduled.
The Artistic impression of the Nadi International Airport. Upgrade works are currently underway.
Photos: SUPPLIED.
LOCAL NEWS
Nadi Flood Control Structural Work Continues

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA)
study team continues working into the Planning of the
Nadi Flood Control Structure
Project in the Western Division.
This was relayed to the
Commissioner Western Manasa Tagicakibau and representatives of Government
Ministries and Departments,
statutory bodies and private
sector agencies who all attended the Technical Working Group meeting at the
Nadi Town Council Chambers on Wednesday, February 4.
Commissioner Western,
Mr Tagicakibau, while open-
ing the meeting called for a

more concerted and integrated approach amongst
all stakeholders to assist this
study.
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by
the Government of Japan
and the Fijian Government
last year for the study of the
Planning of the Nadi Flood
Control Structure Project to
address the issue of flooding.
The Ministry of Agriculture as the implementing
agency had conducted a
Joint Steering Coordinating
Committee meeting on August 22 last year.
It was agreed during the
meeting last year that a Joint
Coordinating
Committee
(JCC) would be formed to
assist the Ministry of Agri-
culture in project execution

and synchronization.
The JCC will be the decision making body that will
consider the study findings
and recommendations by
the JICA team as announced
by the Director Land Water Resource Management
(LWRM) of the Agriculture
Ministry, Mr Colin Simmons.
Mr Simmons expressed
his appreciation to those
present on behalf of the
Minister of Agriculture, as he
said it was well represented
and reflective of the support
from the respective Government Ministries/Departments, statutory bodies and
the private sector.
He said the meeting provided an update into how
far the JICA team has been
progressing in terms of the
Director LWRM Colin Simmons (right) with Nadi Town Council CEO Robin Anganu (fourth from
left) and Special Administrator Robin Ali (second from right) during the Nadi river flood control
structure meeting at the Nadi Town Council Chambers on Wednesday, February 4.
Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
study.
Mr Simmons reiterated
the Commissioners comments and called on agencies to collaborate and
share with the study team
the necessary information

they have that will help the
JICA study team plan and
propose technical aspects of
the project before it is presented to the JCC.
A Master Plan is expected

to be released from the JICA
study team by May this year.
Namaka Public Students Participate in

Sprouting for Life Program
Close to 150 students
from Namaka Public School
took part in the Sprouting
For life program initiated by
Projects Abroad Fiji, in an
effort to combat the growing concern for malnutrition
and bad eating habits which
is common and widespread
in Fiji.
Children that are malnourished may have problems
concentrating
at
school, and this affects their
ability to learn and reach
their full potential.
Sprouting for Life is a
nutrition project that teaches students the nutritional
value of bean sprouts, how
to prepare and cook them.
Projects Abroads Health
Consultant, Rosan Lal, stated that the Sprouting for
Life project will be made
sustainable through the
school children sharing the
process of sprouting with
their friends and families.
Sprouting is very effective way to teach children
the basics of nutrition and

proves that eating healthy
does not have to be expensive and hard, said Lal.
The project involves the
process of germinating baby
plants from Mung seeds
through the process of soaking and rinsing over 2-3 days.
Projects Abroad Fiji had
used the bottom-up approach to empower these
youngsters to take charge
of their own health and to
change the way they perceive food value.
It has given our school
the chance to become little
chefs and to understand and
take seriously the value of
eating healthy local foods,
said Ms.Threza Prasad.
Similar sentiments were
echoed by Class 6 teacher
Ms. Sanjeshni Lal and the
head teacher, who added
that these nutritious foods
were inexpensive and affordable.
Projects Abroad Fiji envisions that these newly at-
tained skills developed by

children as a part of this
program, will then be transferred to the rest of the family so that all members will
be equipped with the necessary skills to provide nutritious meals with affordable
prices.
Projects Abroad is a large
volunteer organization that
operates in more than 25
countries around the world
and runs a wide variety of
projects for people of all

ages and backgrounds to
participate in. Some of these
include teaching, care, animal care, community, nutrition, and shark conservation.
q PRESS RELEASE
Health Ministry Embarks on Well- Use Proper Registration Number

Plates: LTA Warns Motorists
ness Walk Our Talk Campaign
In the fight against non
-communicable
diseases
(NCD), the Rakiraki hospital
staff have embarked on a
wellness initiative by incorporating a fruit and water
diet to stress the importance
of healthy eating.
This initiative began with
the Hon. Assistant Health
Minister Mrs Veena Bhatnagar visiting the Rakiraki
hospital and continuing with
official visits of health facilities in the Ra subdivision.
This initiative goes onto
show that the Ministry of
Health & Medical Services is
walking our talk and setting
an example to patients and
other people that access our
health facilities, said the Assistant Minister.
The Ministry of Health

& Medical Services staff
based in Dinem House and
Namosi House in Suva also
commenced on a Walk our
talk initiative.
This began with a health
walk and physical activities
will continue every consecutive Wednesdays for the
Ministry staff. This initiative
was first led by the Minister
for Health and Medical Services, Hon. Jone Usamate,
when he led a health walk
campaign in Lautoka recently.
Our health system and
our economy are struggling
under the burden of NCDs,
but most of all, we are robbing ourselves of longer,
healthier and happier lives
and a lot of this has to do

with unhealthy lifestyles and
bad habits that lay the foundation for NCDs to develop, said Minister Usamate.
These are behaviors
within our control to change,
such as how much we exercise and what we put in our
mouths.
Meanwhile the Health
Ministry continues to advise the public to maintain
a healthy balanced diet and
incorporate exercises into
their daily routine.
q DEPTFO
The Land Transport Authority is issuing a stern

warning to motorists that
they will be taken to task if
they are caught driving a vehicle without proper registerednumber plates.
This follows the increased
number of vehicles spotted
without LTA approved registration number plates on
Western, Northern and Central Division roads during its
recent enforcement operation.
Moreover, LTA has found
that several motorists tend
to display registration number plates on dashboards
rather than affixing it at the
front and at the rear of a motor vehicle.
The Land Transport (Vehicle Registration and Construction Regulation 40)
clearly stipulates that: (1) A

number plate issued by the
Authority and assigned to a
registered vehicle must be
securely affixed to the motor
vehicle or trailer as follows
(a) in the case of a motor

vehicle other than a motorcycle - a plate at the front
and a plate at the rear;
(b) in the case of a trailer
- a plate at the rear end, if
the plate is not at the centre
of the vehicle, located to the
right of centre; and
(c) in the case of a trailer
being hauled by a motor
vehicle to which a gross
combination mass has been
assigned - a number plate
identical to the number
plates on the hauling vehicle
and the number plate is to
be located to the left of the
centre at the rear of the vehicle. (2) No part of a vehicle

or any fitting of a vehicle or
the load on a vehicle is to be
located so as to obscure any
part of the number plate or
registration label.
It is an offence to use
improper registration number plates and LTA will take
stringent measures to ensure that motor vehicle owners comply with the law.
LTA will issue Traffic Infringement Notices (TINs) to
those motor vehicle owners
who use improper registration number plates and also
seize their vehicles if they
continue to disregard the
law. LTA is urging drivers
who dont have proper registration plates to immediately
obtain one from LTA offices
q LTA
LOCAL NEWS
Final 30 for NZ Work Scheme

Selected
The pilot 30 Fijian workers selected on Monday,
February 2, under the New
Zealand Regional Employment Service must make
a good first impression to
keep this window of opportunity open for their compatriots.
This was highlighted by
the Hon. Minister for Employment, Productivity and
Industrial Relations Jioji
Konrote to the 23 men and 7
women picked out through
barrel selection to work
hard and return home after
their seven months contract
expired.
He said in light of the
provisions of the 2013 Constitution, Government was
providing this opportunity
to rural dwellers to meet its
commitment of distributing
the benefits of development.
Our Governments overall policy for the participation of Fijian workers in the
NZ RSE work scheme and
future foreign employment
engagement is based on
transparency, equity, fairness, follow the rule of law
and
non-discrimination,
Minister Konrote said.
The final selection of the
30 workers from the 101 who
made it through the rigorous and intensive selection
process including medical,
police clearance and fitness
test, are expected to leave
by the end of this month.
New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, H.E Mark
Ramsden, said the future
and success of the RSE was
The applicants for the New Zealand seasonal workers scheme. Photo>SUPPLIED.
dependent on the relationship between the employer
and the worker.
The value of people to
people relationship which
comes out of RSE and that
is what grows the scheme,
he said.
In many ways you are
ambassadors of your country and the future of the
scheme will be riding on
your shoulders.
High
Commissioner
Ramsden clarified that the
RSE was not an aid programme but a commercial
relationship although it was
more holistic than the usual
and average commercial
connection.
Minister Konrote asked
those that did not make it
through the selection not
to despair as they form the
Work Ready Pool that will
be tapped into for future

work schemes.
The selected workers will
work with Pick Hawkes Bay
Incorporated (Fruit picking)
in Hawkes Bay and EastPack
(Fruit Processing Factory for
Exports) in Bay of Plenty.
The selected personnel
for the New Zealand scheme
includes the following:
1.Maraia Rokotina
Turagakacivi
2. Necani Qele
3. Lai Waqaiquma
4. Sereana Malai
5. Ilaisa Doraisavu
6. Ratu Kubou Wiriwiri
7. Jese Naigulevu
8. Vilivo Cakau
9. Eliki Tabaka
10. Timoci Qabale
11. Waqasalabogi Naulivou
12. Rupeni Digitaki Savu
13. Azeena Begum
14. Lorima Takawai
15. Eparama Narawa

16. Saimoni Narawa
17. Ema Nasole
18. Apakuki Mete
19. Josua Nukurawa
20. Paulo Vulalo
21. Sekove Madraiwiwi
22. Waisale Tuirara
23. Ratu Luke Batilekaleka
24. Lui Sikeli
25. Waisale Tora
26. Asinate Vonowale
27. Titilia Ravono
28. Napolioni Baleibaravi
29. Verenika Ratu
30. Timoci Nasara
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
A new coordinated committee will soon be established by the Ministry of

Women and the Fiji Police
Force to address issues like
street begging, elimination
of violence, child labour and
exploitation.
The Minister for Women
Hon. Rosy Sofia Akbar and
Commissioner of Police, Mr
Ben Groenewald agreed
during a meeting held earlier this month that two agencies would review a Memorandum of Agreement that
was signed in 2012.
Minister Akbar said a collaborative and charitable
approach would be taken
by the Ministry and Police to
tackle such issues.
The Minor Offences
Act 10 of 1971 states that
begging is illegal, however,
the coordinated committee will take a humanitarian approach to assist those
people have been earning a
living through begging, Minister Akbar said.
Through the profiling
exercise, we have seen that
currently there are 72 people
begging on the streets, most
and if any child is found begging in the streets, they will

be taken into state care,
Mrs Akbar said.
Currently, there are
5 children who are well
looked after in the residential homes, these are the
ones who were found begging on the streets with their
mother, the youngest one
was one month old.
Police Commissioner, Mr
Ben Groenewald said a key
area the police will focus on
apart from other issues is addressing domestic violence.
He said the police will
continue to raise awareness
on such issues through community policing and discussions with Hon. Minister has
brought out issues which
needs immediate attention.
It will assist the Police to
streamline their services in
areas of protecting women
and children from violence
and injustice.
The new coordinated
committee will see representatives from various
government ministries and
non-government organisations consolidate resources
and information to address
social issues in Fiji. The municipal councils and administrators will be part of the
coordinated committee.
Meanwhile, the Fijis First
Overseas Employers
before Signing Up
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs is advising all those
who wish to secure employment overseas to only
go through authorized recruiting agencies to avoid
being duped by bogus overseas employers.
The caution comes in
the wake of an incident
where a Fijian woman is
reportedly overstaying in
Kuwait.
The Ministrys Acting
permanent secretary Esala
Nayasi said that Fane Takalaiyale Traills case has
been reported in the media
recently detailing her plight
there.
Mr Nayasi reiterated the
advise made by the Ministry
of Labour has called on the
general public especially
those who wish to go and
work in the Middle East that
q DEPTFO
Rehabilitation Centre for

Beggars named Good Samaritan Inn in Colo-i-Suva
was officially opened by the
Hon. Minister Rosy Akbar.
The centre is aimed to
house and empower ablebodied people who used
to beg on streets in major
urban centres around the
country by giving them an
opportunity to have skills
training and venture into
employment and sustainable livelihood projects.
Mr Bernadus Groenewald
The Commissioner of Fiji Police .
they must first understand

the work cultures and employment practices there
before they even consider
going.
Given the strict rules observed by countries in the
Middle East, Mr Nayasi said
the responsibility was on
individuals to find out and
have a feel of what they signing up for prior to departure.
Mr Nayasi said the Fiji
Mission in Abu Dhabi was
trying to find a solution to Ms
Traills case.
At the moment, Ms Traill
and her son whom she delivered there are both staying illegally in Kuwait.
The Fiji Mission is liaising
with the Kuwaiti authorities
hoping to get Ms Traill and
her son to return to Fiji.
q DEPTFO
Authorities to Improve
Health Service Delivery
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Police and Ministry to Jointly

Address Welfare Concerns
of who are mentally challenged. Eighty percent of
these beggars are already on
social welfare assistance.
She said the Ministry will
also work with the Ministry
of Health to accommodate
the mentally challenged citizens.
The Ministry will intensify efforts with the Ministry of Health to look at best
ways of accommodating
the mentally challenged. At
the moment we dont have
any specific care home for
the mentally challenged and
that is a plan for us to work
towards.
To the able bodied, the
Ministry is providing them
with sustainable livelihood
projects, like the three
women in Suva who have
been put into market vendor
project.
The Ministry has taken
a social approach and as
per my discussions with the
Commissioner of Police, we
will continue to expand this
initiative in other towns and
cities. Police will continue to
monitor the streets.
According to the Child
Welfare Decree, the Ministry
has the powers to intervene
when a childs safety or welfare is put to risk.
We want to see that all
the children attend school
Fijians Advised to Check
Improving health service

delivery around the country
especially in rural communities remains as one of the
main motives for the Ministry of Health and Medical
Services.
The Hon. Minister for
Health & Medical Services
Jone Usamate and the Hon.
Assistant Minister Veena
Bhatnagar continue to visit
health facilities in respective divisions.
The Assistant Health Minister Veena Bhatnagar visited the Namaka Health Center, the Reproductive Health
Baby clinic at Civil Aviation
compound, the Nadi Airport
Health Office and the Nadi
hospital.
She said the visits would
certainly notify on the areas
that needs enhancements
on health grounds.
Visits as such are important so that we are able to
engage with the public and

health staff on the ground,
Ms. Bhatnagar said.
This will give us an insight into what areas need
addressing and improvements.
She said the ministry is
looking forward to make
improvements concerning
customer services.
We are looking at improving customer services
during public consultations
- this was highlighted as a
concern by the public.
The visit to these health
facilities also gives us the opportunity to encourage and
motivate our health staffs
who work tirelessly to serve
the people of Fiji.
Health Minister Jone Usamate visited the northern
division to launch the NCD
Wellness Mobile bus and
met with health staff for an
update on dengue and typhoid cases in the northern
division.
Rosy Akbar
The Hon. Minister for Women, Children and
Poverty Alleviation.
EDUCATION
Be Good Role Models,

Leaders Urged
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
You are role models and
you are undertaking an apprenticeship that will prove
useful to you and to your society in the years ahead.
Chief guest Dr. Victoria
Reeve, senior lecturer in the
Department of Language,
Literature and Communication at the University of Fiji,
made these comments during the prefects induction
ceremony at Mulomulo Secondary School in Nadi on
Wednesday, February 11.
By taking on the role of
prefect, Dr. Reeve advised
the leaders to be good role
models as she said prefects are demonstrating the
awareness that education
at school goes beyond the
classroom.
The roles you undertake
as prefects are part of that
education. As well as learning the responsibilities of
leadership, you are leading
the way for your fellow students.
School Principal, Mrs Sera
Lockington, said prefects
were elected by the teach-
Mulomulo Secondary School Principal Mrs Sera Lockington (seated third from right), Vice Principal Mr Mohammed Alim (seated first from right) and Assistant
Principal Mr Avinesh Prasad (seated first from left) with Chief Guest Dr. Victoria Reeve (seated fourth from left) and the school prefects after the induction
ceremony on Wednesday, February 4. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
ers after a lot of discussions.
I have every confidence
that they will not betray the
teachers trust on them, said
Mrs Lockington.
My message to you all is
always follow what is right
and never get strayed from

your course.
Vice Principal, Mr Mohammed Alim, adviced the
newly inducted prefects and
challenged them to perform
at the level best.
Remember the leaders

of tomorrow, we teachers
have trust in you that is why
you have been chosen as
the leaders of the school,
said Mr Alim.
Trust is like an eraser, it
gets smaller and smaller after every mistake. Be very

careful with your actions
towards the students and
teachers, he advised.
Headboy Rishaal Bharat
Singh and Headgirl Raksha
Vasantika Devi told The Jet

they are ready to take up
the challenge and will work
closely with the Student
Council members to ensure
a safe 2015 at Mulomulo
Secondary School.
Leaders Reminded of Responsibility

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Votualevu Public School
marked a paramount occasion for 2015 as they conducted their Prefects Induction ceremony at the school
hall on Thursday, February
12.
Teachers applauded the
student leaders as they take
up a vital role in Votualevu
family and also becoming a
helping-hand for them in this
competitive year.
School Head Teacher Mr
Saylendra Singh inspired the
newly elected leaders with
his introductory speech during the function.
The strength of a leader
is not strengthened by the
number of people he leads,
but it is measured by the
number of people who follow him, said Mr Singh.
I urge all the prefects to
organise in such a way that
the students follow you, they
follow your good behavior,
your good attitude and that
is why you have been chosen to be the leaders.
A total of 64 prefects
were inducted with Taufa
Veilawa being the headboy
and Akansha Arishma Dayal
as the headgirl of the school.
Speaking to The Jet, Taufas father Peni Waqa was
proud of his son being the
headboy as he is the only
one from his four siblings

who got such a big responsibility in School.
I was confident within
myself that my son will be
the headboy of the school
as he is a hardworking child.
Everything depends on how
you drill your children at
home and Im really proud
of my son, an emotional
Waqa said as tears rolled
down his cheeks.
Headboy Taufa, who
dreams to become a pilot
in future, said respect plays
a key role for a smooth-running in schools.
The children should be
polite and show respect to
all the prefects, teachers and

all the visitors that comes to
our school, Taufa said.
While on the other hand,
it would be challenging for
headgirl Akansha, as she
prepares herself for the
year-end prestigious award
as well as working with the
team student council.
I feel blessed for my

role as it would enhance my
leadership qualities and on
the same time dealing with
situations and focusing on
my studies would be a vast
challenge for me this year,
said the optimistic head girl.
Ministry of Education Director Asset Monitoring Unit
Mr Simione Waibuta was the

chief guest at the function.
He the challenged the
prefects to lead by example
and not to hold the badge in
words only.
From left: Votualevu Public School deputy headboy Aaron Prasad, deputy headgirl Ria Dipashna Devi, chief guest Mr Simione Waibuta, headboy Taufa Veilawa and
headgirl Akansha Arishma Dayal during the Prefects Induction ceremony on Thursday, February 12. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.

LOCAL NEWS
Government Concerned with Internal

Squabbling in Cane Producer Associations
There have been increased instances of reported internal squabbling

in all of the three Cane Producer Associations (CPAs)
within the cane belt that has
prompted the Sugar Cane
Industry Stakeholders and
Government to issue this
press release.
The Fair Trade Initiative
which was mooted by the
Industry was supported by
the Bainimarama Government in July 2008 giving approval to the Fiji Sugar Corporation and the Sugar Cane
Growers Council to facilitate
the accreditation of Fiji Sugar to be fairtrade certified,
starting with the FSC Labasa
Mill and the Labasa Cane
Farmers.
In June, 2010 the Labasa
Cane Producers Association
was launched at the Labasa
Civic Centre by Prime Minister Bainimarama, making it

the first in Fiji.
Later on the Lautoka
and the Rarawai/Penang
were formed and registered.
Under Fair Trade the
cane growers who are
members of the three CPAs
receive an additional US$60
per tonne of sugar sold.
This money does not go
directly to the individual
growers, but is channeled
to the CPAs respective bank
accounts.
Each CPA has its own
structure and guidelines under which it respectively operates. It has its own Board,
General
Assembly
and
within these instruments are
procedures to be followed
when there are issues or
differences that need to be

resolved.
Mr Parmesh Chand, Acting Permanent Secretary for
Sugar said Government and
the Industry do not interfere
with the operations of the
CPAs or even on issues relating to governance.
The internal squabbling
that has been raised with the
Industry and Government
are matters of great concern
and must be resolved by the
respective Cane Producers
Association urgently.
Industry and Government supported the Fair

Trade initiative because
they see value, particularly
the benefits to thousands of
cane growers.
The cane growers can
vouch for this based on the
millions of dollars they have
received and the many projects that have been completed through Fair Trade
monies.
The grower leaders
who are causing agitation
in these CPAs should exer-
cise caution and take some

responsibility for the sake of
the many growers who are
their members and for the
livelihoods of their respective family members.
The Industry and Government would not hesitate
to withdraw their support if
these internal squabbling
are not immediately resolved and discontinued.
Mr Chand said that the
Prime Minister and Minister
for Sugar, Hon. Voreqe Bainimarama has taken a keen
interest in Fair Trade since its

introduction in Fiji, and has
accordingly directed that all
stakeholders work together
harmoniously in the interest
of ordinary cane farmers,
their respective families and
Fiji as a whole.
q DEPTFO
Stop Using Illegal

Lights, Motorists
Warned
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will not tolerate
vehicle owners who install
noncompliant lamps and
emergency lights in their vehicles.
LTA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Naisa Tuinaceva
regarded this as an illegal
practice and urged the motorists to stop it immediately.
We are tracking down
vehicles which use illegal
accessories and emergency
lights, and anyone found using these will face the full
brunt of the law, Mr Tuinaceva said.
He said drivers should
strictly abide by the set laws.
Vehicle owners should
adhere to the law and refrain from using such lights
as these can cause distraction and could lead to accidents.
The following lights are
illegal Pursuant to Regulation 55 of the Land Transport (Vehicle Regulation and
Construction)
Regulation
2000; under floor lights, wiper lights, bonnet and windscreen washer lights, fender
or mudguard lights and Radio antenna lights.

Regulation 55-64 of the
Land Transport (Vehicle
Registration and Construction) Regulation 2000 clearly
stipulates that for all Head,
Front Marker (parker light),
and Rear Number Plate
Lamp should be White; For
all tail Lamps the colours
should be Red; and Turn signal lamp must be Amber.
Apart from the authorised lights, the ruling does
not permit any other colour
lights or combination of colours on any motor vehicle.
Under the Land Transport
Act, flashing of emergency
lights is permitted for emergency vehicles only to clear
path in emergencies so that
they can reach their destinations quickly. Blue and Red
is for LTA and Police, Red
for Medical, Emergency and
Fire. Amber light is for Tow
Trucks, Public Utility Vehicles and any other vehicle
approved by the Authority.
Defect notice and Traffic
Infringement Notices (TINs)
will be issued to the vehicle
owners who fail to comply
with the law.
Meanwhile, the LTA issued 2,551 defect notices to
vehicles with non-conforming lights last year while 25
defect notices have been issued so far this year.
They also issued TINs to
1,577 drivers in 2014 and to
31 drivers so far this year
for driving a vehicle with
non-conforming lamps and
emergency lights. A maximum penalty of $200 applies
for this offence.
LOCAL NEWS
Life Begins at 40 for Nilesh
By LOTE RABOLLA
FDB Media & Community
Relations Officer
A miscalculated move to
resign from his banking job
in 2010 and migrate to New
Zealand to work as a Stock
Controller and Merchandiser almost cost Nilesh Nischal Prasad everything.
Nilesh 41 who owns and
operates Coastal Auto Investments, a second hand
tyre and parts shop located
at the Sigatoka town has got
a second chance, something
he knows comes rarely.
I have twenty years
of work experience as an
employee of a local commercial bank and later as
a branch manager for a
private finance company. I
resigned from my banking
job to move to New Zealand
where I had secured a job as
a stock controller and merchandiser. This did not work
out as planned so I was unemployed and had to return
home, said the father of
two from Olosara, Sigatoka.
After one year without
a job, I secured the position of branch manager for
a private finance company
in Sigatoka. Ive always had
a dream of owning my own

business so I thought now
was a good time to start
weighing out my options
in terms of what business I
would like to pursue.
Initially, Nilesh began
looking for a piece of land as
he thought farming would
be a good business supplying the tourist sector along
the Coral Coast. This did not
materialise as he could not
secure a suitable land.
When farming did not
happen, I discovered an opportunity that was lacking in
Sigatoka and that was the
absence of a second hand
tyre and parts dealer. My
younger brothers are both
experts in this field, as one
owns his own garage and
the other is an automotive
engineer so I had the expertise to assist me.
In July 2013, Nilesh approached FDB for a loan
to start up his second tyre
and parts shop beside his
brothers garage business
in Sigatoka town. This was
to complement the services
provided by his brothers garage.
Coastal Auto Investments
sells imported Japanese car
parts from New Zealand
such as alternators, distributors, CV joints, engines, gear
box, hubs, suspension panels and radiators to name

a few. They also sell brand
new and second hand car
and truck tyres with sizes
ranging from 13 to 16 inches.
By Lote Raboila, FDB Media & Community Relations
Officer
In addition, company
provides other services such
as a servicing lube bay; top
grade oils; filters, coolants,
lubricants, tyre repairs and
fitting and the servicing of
car parts. They also arrange
the importation of engines
and parts from New Zealand.
My business is focused
on excellent products with
the backing of the best service. A lot of the services we
provide are free because
we want to ensure customers get the value for their
money.
Nilesh has a vision to become the biggest importer
and dealer of brand new
and second hand motor vehicle parts, tyres and lubricants. Coupled with the best
mechanical expertise and
trained employees to suit
the needs of cars.
Thanks to FDB, Ive been
given a second chance at 40
and there is no looking back
for me. This time Ive been
able to achieve my dream

too of owing my own business. The prospects in this
business are excellent as Im
already getting customers
from Suva, Nadi and Lautoka. Without FDB, I wouldnt
have been able to get this
far. Their officers are always
at hand to offer assistance.
Nilesh was assisted under FDBs Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) term
loans facility. Loans under
SME cover various areas
such as business purchase
or establishment; contrac-
tual transport or plant operations; working capital

for wholesale/retail and acquisition of shares in companies and partnerships.
For eligible businesses, the
maximum loan provided under this facility is $500,000.
Despite its recent establishment, the company has
put itself on the Sigatoka
business map as they have
adopted a one stop shop
concept to ensure that when
customers come to his shop,
they find the appropriate
products and services they
need.
Twenty years in the
banking and finance industry has taught me that quality service is what drives
success business. You may
have the best products but
without the service level to
complement that, businesses in this day and age will
not survive.
With FDB, Nilesh is getting a second chance at success and life is beginning
anew for him at forty.
Nilesh Nischal Prasad at his shows his second hand tyre and parts shop located in
Sigatoka Town. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Overwhelming Turnout at
Orientation
An overwhelming number of students attended the
USP Lautokas orientation
programme for Semester 1,
2015 that commenced on
Monday, February 16.
Almost 300 students registered for the three day orientation programme that is
aimed at introducing new
students to the basics of university life by providing them
with all information relevant
to their studies and about
USP Lautoka.
In her welcome address
USP Lautoka Campus Director Dr. Pramila Devi spoke to
the freshers on the importance of attending the orientation programme.
During these three days
you will be presented with
all the basic information that

will assist you in your learning journey at USP and you
will also be taken on a tour
of the USP Lautoka Campus
including the Library and
ICT facilities, she said.
You will also have the
opportunity to meet the
Campus staff so that you
would know whom to approach for assistance in future.
Dr Pramila told the students that at the university
students had to be responsible for their own learning
and the orientation programme will teach them
some very important and
useful tips about their studies.
Throughout the day the
new students attended presentations by USP Lautoka

staff on topics that include
Definition of Being USP
Student, Questioning Mind,
Planning and Writing Assignments and Learning
from Feedback, Creating
and Working in Study Group,
Time Management, Preparing for Taking Tests and Examination, Library Services,
Methods of Note taking, Using References and Avoiding Plagiarism. The students
also learned about USPs
ICT tools, facilities and services.
The students were provided refreshment.
q PRESS RELEASE
Students attending orientation at USP Lautoka campus. Photo: SUPPLIED.
FHEC Approves Training Centre Registration

The Fiji Higher Education Commission today announced the approval for
the registration of the Forestry Training Centre (FTC),
a strategic unit of the Department of Forestry.
The announcement was
made by the Fiji Higher Education Commission director Salote Rabuka during a
consultation meeting with
stakeholders for a review of
training in Fijis forestry sector.

Mrs Rabuka said the centre has met the major part
of the national standards set
out by the commission in
order for an institution to be
registered.
Those standards are to
do with their legal status,
their teaching and learning process, their financial
management, how well they
look after their students and

staff and infrastructure so
these are the broad criteria
that they are assessed on before they can be recognised
or registered, Mrs Rabuka
said.
In the case of the Forestry training centre, they were
given recognition, two years
ago and that is the first step
and after that they applied
for registration, she said.
Mrs Rabuka said registration is the process that involves much more than just
recognition and there are
a total of 53 outcomes that
institutions need to meet in
order to be registered.
She said the FTC has
been issued 18 months provision registration and will
have to meet other requirements needed by the Commission within the period.
Ministry of Fisheries and

Forests permanent secretary
Inoke Wainiqolo welcomed
the announcement today
and also highlighted that the
Department looks forward
to sharing ideas with the different representatives.
The consultation held at
the Novotel hotel in Lami
saw various stakeholders
from different sectors of
Government including pri-
vate enterprise come together to review, analyse and

recommend ways on how
to develop a new curriculum for FTC including other
trainings that FTC could offer to enhance Biodiversity
Conservation and Protected
area management.
q DEPTFO
LOCAL NEWS
God Heard the Ambitious

Farmers Cry
By SERENIA VILELE of
Ministry of Agriculture
The land or the vanua
for the iTaukei has long had
that spiritual element associated to it. The attribution is
that since the blessing from
above has been through the
provision of land, one must
always show an appreciation and must almost always
be thankful for this provision
and never hesitate to acknowledge it.
42-year-old Joseva Cakobau, a Balevuto farmer
of the Tikina Naloto in Ba is
one amongst the many who
accredits his ability to till the
land to the Lord who has
been his helper.
I started from nothing,
but I shared my dreams
and plans with the Lord and
slowly with time everything
unfolded before me.
Joseva for long has been
a cane farmer and recently
took that leap of faith to
plant vegetables so as to
substitute for cane during
the off-season.
I would watch my IndoFijian neighbours plant
vegetables and would envy
them for their accomplishments. This inspired me
to do something different
and better so just to be like
them, he mused enthusiastically.
From that decision in
2010, Joseva has never
looked back with dismay.
He began planting vegetables and crops beginning
for food security purposes
so as to also sustain his
young family on the piece
of land given to them by the
Mataqali.
The Mataqali Daurua in
which Joseva is a kin member gave him seven acres of
land to farm on after lease
expired from former tenants.
Back then, we would
only be farming for family consumption and make
market trips just to accommodate my family but the
idea of expanding had not
yet come to my mind.
As a young man growing
up in the village, I came from
a family with lots of kids.
With two other brothers
and four sisters, there was
always something to do in
the village just to pass time.
I attended the Nagoto
District School, moved to
Nukuloa College and continued on to the then Fiji Institute of Technology to study
Automotive Engineering.
Then I moved to Nasau,
Sigatoka for practical in 2004
and it was then I decided to
change my career path into
farming. I moved to Toge
settlement in 2010 and lived
amidst Indo-Fijian farmers
with my young family and
this really has helped me a
lot in changing my perspective towards life and how to
live it.
Joseva shares his love of
farming and marketing with
his Nanoko, Navatusila native wife Seini Cawai and
nine-year-old
daughter,
Joana who is schooling at
Nacadi Primary School.
With little farming skills
he possessed, Joseva began developing the piece
of land using the traditional
method with cows, horses
and ploughs but moved to
modern technology when

the Ministry of Agriculture
took notice of his struggles.
I would go out with my
knife daily to clear the land
as it has been left idle by
previous tenants and apart
from the traditional method, manual work of family
members was a bonus, he
added.
His patience and faith too
helped him a lot and Joseva
recalls of how the Ministry
of Agriculture came to his
aid in 2010 together with
the Secretariat of the Pacific
Community. This intervention he said, added a lot
more sunshine to his farm.
Previously, I would practically rely on my personal
traditional knowledge of
farming until Agriculture and
SPC moved in with their assistance and am very grateful as it really helped me
produce and plant better.
The Ministry of Agriculture advised me often with
how to farm the land and
how to keep farm records,
chemicals, providing farm
machines for cultivation
and me attend workshops
to broaden my skills and
knowledge, he said.
Assistance
from
the
Secretariat of the Pacific
Community included Farm
implements such as 1 x 20
tines Harrow, 1 x CO plough,
1 x Scarifier, 1 x 12 x 5/16
B/Chain, water pump and
pipings for irrigation 2polythene pipe, 1.1/2 polythene
pipe, 1 x 80HD07 2inch water pump, pair of working
Bullocks, Land clearing and
riping [26hrs] for vegetable
cultivation, 2 x 5200ltrs water tanks and Irrigation ma-
terials.
This is a joint effort from
the Ministry of Agriculture,
Ba and the Secretariat of
the Pacific Community- Ba/
Tavua/Rakiraki to assist the
farmer in improving his
farming techniques, establish a high return planting
production for the farmer
and to turn the farmers
mind set from subsistence
to semi commercial farming.
While in frequent contact with the Agriculture
and SPC, we then formed
a farmers group within the
community with me being
the only ITaukei.
In yester-years, sugarcane has always been a tradition for us and with the introduction of intercropping,
we have benefitted a lot, he
said.
My Indian friends were
practicing if before me and
with their help, I managed
to set up my own vegetable
farm.
Difficulty of land types
forces Joseva to do shifting
cultivation, moving his vegetables to a much suitable
area so as not to affect his
production and sales rate.
I plant within the months
of December to March on
the Mataqali farm but due to
problems faced during dry
seasons, I have to move and
plant by the riverside from
April to October.
During rainy seasons
when there is flooding from
the Balevuto river, Ill have
to return to my farm and
the system rotates as this all
year around.
Joseva including his
neighboring farmers who
have formed the Toge

Farmers Group have been
allocated land to rent on
annually paying $150. This
land is by the Balevuto River
belonging to the people of
Toge village.
To date, Joseva who was
once a subsistence farmer is
now successfully supplying
his vegetables to the Maqere
Export and as far as Sigatoka
and Tavua with root-crops
such as cassava and dalo to
Lautoka.
For my vegetables, I
mostly supply chilies (redfire), long beans and French
beans, cowpeas and Bitterguard (karela), he said.
My job is to exclusively
supply to my wife (which
are mostly rejects) who sits
at the market daily selling after supplies to the Exporter
and middleman are accomplished and I make sure not
to miss, he said.
Every sweet path travelled most often has its bitter
moments however for Joseva this was only a learning
experience that he felt he
needed to get over. He looks
back now and reminisces
on how he used to struggle
without proper farming
equipment and even without money to be able to produce his vegetables to the
market.
Every market day, I
would ask fellow farmers
to share rides with them
and sometimes would wait
till they have loaded everything, at times because of
this I have to reduce my supply.
I kept going and kept believing in God and with my
young family I was able to
save up enough to buy us a

carrier of our own and now
we are using it to harvest
transportation to the markets.
Drought, flood and landtype areas were also causes
of concern for Jovesa but he
said all these were solved
with the assistance of the
Secretariat of the Pacific
Community who donated
water-pumps and a greenhouse for the farmers group.
Farmers
invest
their
money in their own risks
knowing that the weather
can betray them anytime
unexpectedly and Joseva is
one that has protected his
crops and knows the pros
and cons.
Look after your farm just
like you are nurturing your
child, never turns a blind eye
and never give up.
Come harvesting time,
it usually breaks my heart
to see landowners coming
again to work for leasing
farmers and this can be prevented if youths and villagers quit lazing around, utilize
the land and be true to yourselves, he advised.
Most importantly Trust
in the Lord, include him in
everything you do and wait
patiently for his time as my
faith has helped me from
my humble farming beginning to what I am achieving
today, he said.
Jovesa has his hopes set
high this year on being considered and recognized with
a farmer award as he believes that his story is that of
a successful farmer who has
moved considerably from
subsistence to semi commercial farming.
Farmer Joseva Cakobau walks amongst his vegetable farm. Photo: SUPPLIED.
LOCAL NEWS
Students Complete Training in

Early Childhood Education
Solomon Islands first cohort of early childhood education program participants

recently completed their
training from the AustraliaPacific Technical College
(APTC) in Solomon Islands.
The 16 kindergarten
teachers commenced studying towards an Australian
Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care in
July 2014.
This qualification, which
is a minimum qualification
for early childhood educators in Australia, helps increase the awareness of
teachers on the importance
of high quality early childhood education and how
to work towards achieving
such standards.
Participants responded to
the program positively, with
many, commenting on the
detailed content of the curriculum. One of the participants, Sandy Kukuti, shared
that the program has really
helped her to understand
more about children.
My favourite part of the
course was learning about
the Australian Early Years
Learning Framework, which
helps teachers to provide
quality early childhood
education for pikinini (children).
Similar
views
were
shared by another participant, Emily Pengalo, who
said they had learnt a lot

about child protection issues.
This is really important
for all teachers. As a teacher,
it has helped me to learn
more about ways to protect
pikinini (children) at school
and in the community, she
added.
APTC Early Childhood
Trainer Rebekah Farmer
stated that: We have been
blessed to teach such a dedicated group of skilled early
childhood teachers, who are
so passionate about their
roles and the importance of
quality early childhood education in the early years.
A key strength of APTCs
early childhood training approach is the mentoring
model. Clera Manuri, an
APTC graduate with a Diploma in Early Childhood,
and former APTC Alumni
Executive member, works
together with Rebekah as a
tutor, to deliver the program
and support participants in
their learning journey.
Rebekah says Clera is being mentored and supported
to learn about the construction and delivery of training.
As part of its nationalisation
strategy, APTC currently has
14 national trainers who progressed from being tutors to
trainers.
Making the move from
teaching children to teach-
ing adults was a big change

for me. It has been a challenge that I have enjoyed
and I am learning new
skills, said Clera Manuri.
Encouraging students to
progress with their studies in
class and work placements
has been rewarding and
fun. I am looking forward to
learning more this year.
This year will see exciting changes for APTCs early
childhood team as they relocate to Malaita (one of
Solomon Islands largest
provinces) to deliver the
program to a group of kindergarten teachers in Auki.
2015 marks a new
phase of training delivery
for APTCs early childhood
team. We are very excited
to be able to offer the Certificate III in Early Childhood

Education and Care to students in an area outside of
Guadalcanal, said Mark
Robertson, APTCs Country
Manager for Solomon Islands.
This will be the first
time that APTC will deliver a
course in one of the provincial centres of the Solomon
Islands.
This opportunity has
been made possible through
ongoing collaboration and
support by the Ministry of
Education and Human Resource Development.
APTC is an initiative funded by the Australian Government to deliver vocational
training and to increase the
supply of skilled workers in

targeted sectors in the Pacific region. It has campuses in
Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua
New Guinea and Solomon
Islands.
It continues to work in
partnership with Don Bosco
Technical Institute (DBIT)
offering Certificate III programs in Automotive and
Formwork/ Falsework for
Solomon Islanders at the
DBTI Henderson campus.
What is your opinion on

the changing of the Fiji
Flag?
Khan Shah,
Namaka Nadi
I think its good and basically we are no longer under
the British anymore and this
is being portrayed in the
change of the flag.
q PRESS RELEASE
Kirat Chand
Lautoka Lovu
Its good because Fiji is
changing and the prime minister knows what he is doing,
its also good that there is a
designing competition and
thats giving us a say.
The first APTC class of Solomon Islands students finish their Certificate III in Early Childhood
Education and Care. Photo: SUPPLIED.
LTA Suspends Five PSV License

Reckless and speeding
drivers will not be allowed
behind the wheels by the
Land Transport Authority
since their bad attitude and
behaviour compromises the
safety of all road users in Fiji.
LTA has again issued a
stern warning to drivers
who continue to violate the
national speed limit that
they will have their driving
license suspended or terminated, if they are caught
speeding.
Recently LTA suspended
five driving license - two
in the central and three in
the west - for speeding and
reckless driving.
The safety of people on
the road is our top priority, unfortunately there are
some reckless drivers who
do not value human lives at
all, remarked Mr Naisa Tuinaceva, Chief Executive Officer of LTA.
LTA wants to ensure that
people can travel on the
road without fearing for their
lives and the lives of their
loved ones, and that is why
we will continue to suspend
or terminate driving license
of bad drivers.
Drivers who have ac-
Sweet Tweets
Paras Ram
Votualevu, Nadi
Its good it should look new
as this signifies Fiji moving
forward.
Rukmani
Velovelo , Lautoka
I dont agree with the new
flag, the old one is better and
there was nothing wrong with
it getting rid of the old flag is
like getting rid of our history.
The accident that happened outside Vuda, Lautoka in November last year.
cumulated 10-15 Traffic Infringement Notices (TINs)
may lose their license as
well.
The 15 TINs suspension
policy was activated last
year, and so far 100 drivers
have had their license suspended.
Drivers who accumulate

three habitual violations can
lose their license instantly
If someone is booked
two or three times for the
same offence, its an indication that the person cannot
learn from previous booking, and these are the type
10 THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
of drivers who are unfit to be

behind the wheels, said Mr
Tuinaceva.
Meanwhile in its effort
to be proactive in the fight
against fatal road accidents
this year, the Authority has
purchased more highway
patrol vehicles to increase
its mobility and visibility around major accident

prone areas.
The Authority is also expected to bring in three
more speed cameras that
will also be visible in the
Western Division.
q LTA
Suneel Narayan
Malolo, Nadi.
Yes it is a good decision as
that is the same old flag and
Fiji needs a change.
ADVERTISEMENT
11
ADVERTISEMENT
SCHOOL PREFECTS INDUCTION
Andrews Primary Elects 136 Leaders
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
A total of 136 prefects

were elected by Andrews
Primary School on Friday,
February 13, to be the student leaders of the school
this year.
Chief Guest, Education
Officer Nadi, Lautoka and
Yasawa Mr Dhirendra Prasad
urged the leaders to be faithful of their duties as he said
their own action will have
a vast impact on the school
itself.
He reminded the prefects
to honour the badge that
they will be wearing on their
school uniform.
As a leader, you will resolve to undertake the responsible duties of a prefect
to uphold in every way the
honour of the school and
your own action will set a
good example, Mr Prasad
said.
You have to be faithful in
the execution of your duties,
encourage others to take
pride in your school and
fully participate for the good
of your school. Respect the
badge that you will be wearing everyday.

Rishant Prasad and Seniana Tamaina were inducted headboy and headgirl while Sireli Togoloa and
Prashantika Simran Prasad
were inducted the deputy
headboy and deputy headgirl respectively.
Rishant said it was an
honour to be selected as
headboy and it was a huge
responsibility.
I feel very proud because it was my dream to be
the headboy of this school,
he said.
The teachers can expect
a good job from the student
council this year as we will
be there to help them, be it
any situation. I will work together with the school prefects to ensure the students
are well disciplined at all
times.
Headgirl Seniana said she
is ready to take up the challenge of being the headgirl
as she has always dreamt
of. She assured the teachers that she will work to her
level best in order to have
a well-disciplined Andrews
Primary School.
From left: Deputy headboy Sireli Togoloa, headboy Rishant Prasad, headgirl Seniana Tamaina and deputy headgirl Prashantika Simran Prasad takes the leadership oath during the Prefects Induction ceremony at Andrews Primary School. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
Votualevu Public School Unveils

New Monogram
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Votualevu Public School

marked a historic event in
its school calendar as they
launched the new monogram on Thursday, February
12.
The Nadi-based school,
with 900 students enrolled,
unveiled the new monogram during the Prefects Induction ceremony.
According to the school
manager Pramendra Nath
Bharos, the management

board had a meeting last
year where they came up to
a conclusion to get a newlooking school seal.
The new monogram displays an open book on the
ocean, a rising sun, dawn of
a new day with the slogan
Knowledge is Wisdom.
The ocean signifies the
school itself as it is full of
resources where everyone,
regardless of the race, colour and religion, has equal
chance to dive into this
ocean of education, explained Mr Bharos.
PREFECTS
The open book signifies

a young child without any
prior knowledge and education that he or she is entering the ocean of knowledge
with open mind and ready
to develop him or herself.
He also went on to describe the significance of
the rising sun and the new
dawn.
The rising sun signifies,
as the sun rises to break the
darkness and shed light into
the dawn of a new day, this
reflects that a young child
full of ignorance, the ocean
as a school is there to pro-
From left: Votualevu Public School headteacher Mr Saylendra Singh, Ministry of Education Director Asset Monitoring Unit Mr Simione Waibuta, school manager Pramendra Nath Bharos and
Ministry of Education Principal Education Officer West Mr Albert Wise with the newly launched
school monogram. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
vide with all the educational
needs and guidance for you
to create a revolution by attaining wisdom through
knowledge gained at school.
The new dawn symbol-
izes that by being educated,

you can never be in darkness as your wisdom will
always create path where
theres no road.
Ministry of Education Di-
rector Asset Monitoring Unit

Mr Simione Waibuta and
Principal Education Officer
West Mr Albert Wise were
present at the school during
this historic occasion.
INDUCTION
13
TOURISM
Minister Koya Leads Tourism Fiji

Roadshow in India
Tourism Fijis Roadshow
to India has been deemed a
massive success after visiting four of the countrys largest cities, expanding opportunities in one of the most
important growth markets
for Fijis tourism industry.
The week-long roadshow,
led by the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Hon.
Faiyaz Siddiq Koya, included
senior government officials,
Tourism Fiji representatives,
and a range of other leading
industry figures from the private sector. It made stops in
New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai
and Chennai.
The Minister said that the
roadshow is a central part of
Tourism Fijis marketing and
promotion strategy for India one the markets it has
identified as having the best
potential for growth.
Minister Koya said this
years Roadshow was especially important because it
follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis historic
visit to Fiji in November last
year.
Speaking at the Road-
show in New Delhi, the

Minister said, I know that
Prime Minister, Hon. Narendra Modis recent visit to our
country significantly raised
Fijis profile in India, and we
are certainly keen to build
on that momentum with this
visit.
He said the importance
of India to Tourism Fijis
long-term strategy to boost
visitor arrivals cannot be
overstated.
The country is central to
our plan to expand into nontraditional markets and we
expect 2015 to be a bumper
year in terms of visitor arrivals from the Subcontinent,
he said.
I believe this optimism
is well placed because there
is such great potential for
growth. There are so many
opportunities to explore
within the Indian market
and these roadshows are
absolutely essential to help
us chart the way.
The Minister thanked the
Attorney-General and Minister for Finance, Hon. Aiyaz
Sayed-Khaiyum, for provid-
ing the impetus and laying

the framework for more aggressive mutually beneficial
engagement in trade and
tourism between Fiji and India, in his meetings with the
Indian Minister for External
Affairs and the State Minister
for Commerce during his recent visit to India.
Over 450 travel and tour
operators participated in this
years the roadshow, which
is an increase from previous
years. This is an indication
of the growing interest in Fiji
from the Indian traveller,
the Minister said.
One of the key successes of the roadshow was the
launch of a new brochure
on Fiji in Mumbai - targeted
at the average Indian traveler. This brochure was developed by Tourism Fiji in
partnership with a world renowned Swiss-based travel
and tour operator Kuoni
SOTC, the Minister added.
The roadshow followed
Fijis participation in the
three-day South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange
(SATTE), in New Delhi,
Mr Sashi Singh and Mr Goundar during the soft launch at Yatule. Photo: SUPPLIED.
which ended on Saturday,
31 January 2015.
Tourist numbers from India may be small compared
to our traditional markets,
however, these numbers
are steadily increasing, and
events such as the SATTE
tradeshow are avenues that
we use to generate interest
in Fiji, said the Minister.
SATTE provides a platform for the tourism in-
dustry and governments to

network and create new
business relations, said the
Minister.
Accompanying Minister
Koya was the Assistant Minister for Industry, Trade and
Tourism, Hon. Lorna Eden,
senior Government officials,
Tourism Fiji officials, as well
as representatives from Fiji
Airways, Rosie Holidays,
Namale Resort, the Pearl
Resort, Ahura Resorts, Royal

Davui, Captain Cook Cruises
and Tour Managers Representatives.
The India Roadshow is
an annual Tourism Fiji event
that has been underway for
the past four years.
q DEPTFO
Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji

Awards Monthly Staff Winners
Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji kicked off the
2015 monthly staff awards
last week with five winners
making an impressive start
to the year.
Food and Beverage attendant Kinisimere Tagayawas
polite and friendly approach
towards guests and her enthusiasm for her work has
seen her named Front of
House Winner.
Back of House Winner is
Akanisi Lebaivalu who exemplifies the Bula Spirit and
takes an enormous amount
of pride in her job. As a Human Resources clerk she
consistently completes all

tasks assigned to her within
deadline and is dependable,
efficient and unfailingly
punctual.
Manager of the Month is
Director of IT Shaneel Pillay
who has done an outstanding job in rolling out the new
Wi-Fi system. Relatively new
to the team, Shaneel has
also been recognised as a
great Manager who works in
an extremely efficient manner.
The Here to Help Winner
is Lavenia Namoli, a hard
working Team Leader Steward who not only covers her
areas but also takes ownership of the entire shift.

Josephine Vulakoro, Food
& Beverage attendant from
the Sundowner Bar and
Grill is the How Can I Help
Winner. She has been recognised as an outstanding
employee who constantly
receives rave reviews from
guests and who has a wonderful can-do attitude.
Resort
Manager,
Mr
Russell Blaik said he was
delighted to present the
awards to these deserving
staff members.
January was a very busy
month and its rewarding
From left: Lavenia Namoli, Akanisi Lebaivalu, Kinisimere Tagayawa, Resort Manager Russell
Blaik, Josephine Vulakoro and Shaneel Pillay. Photo: MASADA/ OUTRIGGER FIJI.
to know that the team has
continued to excel over the
holiday season to ensure
that our guests have the best

possible experience. he
said.
q PRESS RELEASE
TOURISM
New Training Officer For Intercontinental Fiji

(NATADOLA, FIJI) Friday
23rd January 2015 InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort
& Spa recently welcomed
Rinshu Singh as Training
and Development Officer.
With the aim of taking employee training and development to greater heights and
getting everyone involved,
she commenced the Resort
Policy Training earlier this
month to prepare for the
new year.
Ms. Singh launched her
career in 2012 at Reddy
Group of Companies straight
after graduating from Fiji National University (FNU). She
joined InterContinental Fiji
from Jacks of Fiji where she
was employed as Training &

Development Officer and is
looking forward to working
at the five star luxuy resort.
Its really exciting for me
to join the InterContinental
team which has outstanding
and intelligent people and
is a resort with well known
about its excellent service
delivery in not only in Fiji,
but also well established in
the international market.
With my role, I will contribute to developing better
strategies for employees to
enhance levels of service to
continue offering our guests
and fellow colleagues the
best experience possible,
says Ms. Singh.
Rinshu will be responsible for conducting orientation sessions and looking

after on-the-job training for
new hires, arranging for
ongoing refresher training
and personal development
classes for employees.
Ms. Singh further elaborates on the importance of
periodical training for all
employees as it provides
opportunities for upskilling
and providing them room to
grow professionally.
We are delighted to have
Rinshu join the InterContinental Fiji team and were
confident that she would
continue to assist in paving
the way forward in achiev-
ing the best guest satisfaction rates for any property in

Fiji. says Human Resources
Manager Jacob Pauu. With
the right tools and resources
at her fingertips with IHGs
global network, Rinshu will
be sure to excel here at InterContinental Fiji.
Owned by Fiji National
Provident Fund (FNPF) and
managed by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) the
resort provides services
that go beyond the worldrenowned Fijian warmth
and hospitality to give guests
authentic, enriching experiences and insights into the
Fijian culture and way of life.
InterContinental Fiji Golf
Resort & Spa is part of the Intercontinental Hotel Group

(IHG). With over 4,700 hotels in over 110 countries
and territories there is liter-
ally a world of opportunity

for IHG employees who aspire to grow and develop
their careers.
q PRESS RELEASE
of 80%.
Major factors affecting
on time performance for Fiji
Airways were attributed to
minor mechanical issues on
its B737 aircraft, offloaded
passengers and baggage
and adverse weather conditions. Adverse weather and
minor mechanical issues

also affected Fiji Link.
The on-time performance
for both airlines is available
on the Fiji Airways website: http://www.fijiairways.
com/about-fiji-airways/ontime-performance/.
OTP
is a global airline industry
benchmark which measures aircraft flight departures as being on time if they

depart from the gate within
15 minutes of the airlines
scheduled departure time.
The new training and development officer, Rinshu Singh at

Natadola Bay. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Fiji Airways Group Reports

On-Time Performances for
January 2015
Fiji Airways, Fijis National Airline, and Fiji Link, its regional and domestic subsidiary, reported their January
2015 on-time performance
(OTP) results on Saturday,
February 14.
Fiji Airways reported an
OTP of 75.92% in January,
compared to 78.86 % in December and 81.60% in November 2014.

Fiji Link recorded an OTP
of 86.90% in January, compared to 92.49% in December and 89.30% in November
2014.
Fiji Airways Group Man-
aging Director and CEO Stefan Pichler stated: It has

been a slightly under-par
start for us in 2015 as far as
OTP is concerned.
We are endeavouring
to do much better than this
and ensure both airlines remain above the benchmark
q FIJI AIRWAYS
15
TOURISM
New Usp Interns Join

Intercontinental Fiji
(NATADOLA, FIJI) Thursday 22nd January 2015

Four enthusiastic students
from the School of Tourism
and Hospitality Management
(STHM) at the University
of the South Pacific (USP)
recently joined InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
to kick-start their one year
industry
apprenticeship.
This is part of their degree
program which would allow
them to gain firsthand experience of the tourism industry and develop their skills in
various departments prior to
graduating in 2017.
With the objective to
strengthen Fijis growing
tourism industry by investing in its people, the resort is one of the principal
tourism operators in Fiji to
partner with USP for paid
apprenticeships. The skills
acquired through these internships will benefit the
students regardless of their
future career paths.
Internships at the InterContinental Fiji provide
students perks which include gaining experience,
developing skills, building
contacts, strengthening resumes and learning about a
new field all while assessing
their individual interests and
abilities.
We want our interns
to learn and accumulate as
much practical experience
as possible and to give them
an opportunity to apply the
theory theyve learnt in the
classroom to real-world
situations. This programme

equips the interns with the
comprehension and expertise needed to excel in
different facets of the hotel
industry, said Ms. Rinshu
Singh, Training Manager at
the resort.
The internship program,
now in its 3rd year has accepted 20 students from
around the country since its
inception.
It is my personal intention to come out more
refined, experienced and
knowledgeable about hotel
operations, says Polly Vatu,
one of the four interns at the
resort.
To be accepted into the
program, students must be
recognised as high potential
candidates by their institution, and undergo a rigorous series of interviews at
the annual USP Careers Fair,
which was held in September last year.
In a past reference by
Greg Cornwall, Coordinator
of the Hotel Management
Programme at the School
of Tourism & Hospitality
Management in the University of the South Pacific he
stated that the initiative has
been a great success one.
He further said that practical
experience is a vital skill in
an increasingly competitive
industry and that it is great
students are being invested
in and consequently the longevity of the Fijis tourism
industry.
Resort & Spa is part of the Intercontinental Hotel Group
(IHG). With over 4,700 hotels in over 110 countries
and territories there is literally a world of opportunity
for IHG employees who aspire to grow and develop
their careers.
q PRESS RELEASE
USP interns Anaseini, Krishnil and Polly at InterContinental Fiji.

Photo: SUPPLIED.
INTERCONTINENTAL FIJI RESORT
Exciting Sales & Marketing Team

Developments At Intercontinental
Fiji
(NATADOLA, FIJI) Friday

6 February 2015 InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort &
Spa is pleased to announce
several promotions within
its Sales & Marketing team
as part of InterContinental
Hotels Groups (IHG) Room
to Grow philosophy.
Vara Natuilagilagi has
recently been appointed
to the role of Business Development Manager - MICE
(Meetings, Incentives, Conference & Events) and will
be responsible for the daily
management of the MICE
and Weddings sales team
and to generate new business for the resort. She has
been with the Resort since
2011 and has held roles in
Marketing and recently Business Development Manager
(BDM) Leisure.
I am thrilled to take on
this new challenge, says
Ms. Natuilagilagi. This role
is a pivotal one and Im looking forward to driving results
in the MICE markets for the

resort and continuing my
journey here at IHG.
Recent developments in
the Marketing side has seen
Florence Law, who joined
the team in December 2013
as Sales & Marketing Coordinator, supporting the
resorts marketing efforts
both within the organization
and externally over the past
few months. Ms. Law will
now commence the role of
Marketing & E-commerce
Coordinator where she will
specialize in marketing strategies to improve the resorts
digital marketing efforts in
addition to her current responsibilities.
The past few months
have been a great learning curve for me, says Ms.
Law. I look forward to this
new challenge and working closely with Director of
Leisure Sales & Marketing,
Hudson Mitchell, to generate awareness and business
online a key priority for InterContinental Fiji.

The InterContinental Fiji
weddings team also recently
welcomed Vaiete Teannaki
as Conference & Weddings
Coordinator; following the
appointment of Jane Madden-Lesavua to Business
Development
Executive
(BDE) Weddings.
Ms. Teannaki rejoined the
team after her stint in 2014
as an intern from the School
of Tourism and Hospitality at
the University of the South
Pacific (USP). Her new role
is to provide administrative and service support for
wedding clients and attend
to the delivery of clients requests prior, during and following their events.
2014 was an enlightening year where I experienced cross-training across
the resort, says Ms. Teannaki. Event management
has always been a personal interest of mine and
Im anticipating an exciting
year ahead in this dynamic
team.
Ms. Madden-Lesavua has
been with the resort since
2009 starting as a Guest Service Agent and then a Club
InterContinental Butler. She
joined the Weddings team
in 2012 and has run many
successful weddings since.
As BDE Weddings, Ms.
Madden-Lesavua will be
responsible for driving the
weddings segment as well
as overall management of
wedding events.
Its rewarding to see
my efforts recognized and
to move into a new role,
states Ms. Madden-Lesavua.
I already have plans in the
pipeline and cant wait to
continue to grow in my career and work with the outstanding team to make our
guest experiences more
memorable!
With a team committed to excellence, the wed-
Luxurious InterContinental Fiji on Natadola Bay aerial view. Photos: SUPPLIED.
Business Development Executive Jane Madden-Lesavua.
dings team aims to take the

resorts wedding market for
the global brand to greater
heights and continuing to
distinguish themselves as
the best weddings team in
not only Fiji, but the international scene as well.
We are very fortunate to
have a wealth of local talent
here in our Sales & Marketing team, adds Area Director of Sales & Marketing
(Fiji/Vanuatu), Kamal Haer.
We have ambitious plans
in 2015 and beyond and we
can only be successful if we
have a team as passionate
and dedicated as the one
at InterContinental Fiji Golf
Resort & Spa. It gives me
a lot of personal satisfaction when we are able to
promote people from within
our organisation to these
important roles - it demonstrates the depth of talent
that we have.
Room to Grow IHG supports and develops their
people to pursue significant

careers. This is achieved
through personal development plans, structured
learning, on-the-job reviews,
and the IHG job referral program.
Resort & Spa overlooks the
azure waters of Natadola
Beach voted by CNN as
one of the best beaches in
the world, and Fijis finest
beach. Spread across 35
acres of tropical gardens,
the resort offers all of the facilities and services expected of luxury international
resort.
q PRESS RELEASE
Marketing & E-Commerce Coordinator Florence Law.
Conference & Weddings Coordinator Vaiete Teannaki.

Business Development Manager MICE Vara Natui
17
BUSINESS NEWS
ADVERTISEMENT
19
BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD
ENTERTAINMENT
21
LOCAL SPORTS
FRU Renews Partnership with Oceanic

Communications Fiji Ltd
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Fiji Rugby Union renewed

its partnership with Oceanic
Communications
Limited
on Friday, February 6, as the
official Supplier of Online
Communication.
Oceanic has extensive
experience and expertise in
creative services and their
work includes website design and development, online and offline marketing,
intranet and extranet communications, email marketing, web hosting, graphic
and print design, branding
and identity, and print and
project management. Oceanic caters for clients in Fiji,
the South Pacific and around
the world.
Oceanic
Communications Limited Chief Executive Officer Mr David Eyre
said the partnership will
surely endorse several products of FRU.
The association with
Oceanic will avail to Fiji
Rugby a full suite of creative

marketing services that will
facilitate the promotion of
the various products FRU
looks after, Mr Eyre said.
We have been an online
partner of Fiji Rugby for the
past 7 years and today we
are even more excited continue this partnership and be
associated with a growing
global brand.
In addition to the online
services Oceanic Communications will also provide
offline and marketing services to ensure consistency
in FRUs visibility.
This also includes an immediate standardisation of
the FRU brand and the development of an FRU Brand
Style Guide.
FRU Chief Executive Officer Mr Radrodaro Tabualevu
said the 3-year partnership
will see a major transformation in all of FRUs online
channels beginning with its
website fijirugby.com.
The fijirugby.com site will
go-live on March 31.
From left - Mr Radrodro Tabulalevu Mr Rokoseru Nabalarua and Mr Baljeet Singh.

Photo: SUPPLIED.
Oceanic Communications and Fiji Rugby partnership signing. Photo: SUPPLIED.
FRU Appoints Warriors Outrigger Fiji Holds

and Under-20 Coaches Marathon Race
The Fiji Rugby Union has
announced the appointments of the Telecom Fiji
Warriors and Vodafone Fiji
under 20 coaches and their
assistants.
Senirusi Seruvakula has
been appointed the Head
Coach for the Telecom Fiji
Warriors and is accredited
with an IRB Level two in
coaching and IRB Level one
in Strength and Conditioning
qualification.
From 2008 to 2010 he was
the assistant coach for the
Naitasiri Rugby Union. In
2012 he became the head
coach for the Vatukoula Rugby Union and still is to date.
Seruvakula will be assisted by Apakuki Vacala who
has been the Lautoka Rugby
Union coaching director
since 2014. The former Suva
Rugby Union coach started
his coaching career in Australia for various school boy
grades and also played for
Fiji in 1989. He is accredited
with an Australian Level two
qualification.
Former Flying Fijian, Viliame Gadolo has been appointed the head coach
for the Vodafone Fiji under
20 and will be assisted by
former team mate Kele
Leawere.Gadolo has always
been involved with the Fiji
Rugby Union in national
team selections for the age
grade category and was also
the assistant coach for the
Fiji U20 to the Junior World
Cup in South Africa and
France.
In 2014, he was appointed as one of FRUs national
rugby selectors and also
achieved and IRBs Educator
License. The school teacher
played 37 games and earned
20 test caps whilst playing
for Fiji.
Leawere is the current
head coach for the Nadroga
Rugby Union under 20. The
former Flying Fijian captain
played 26 matches and represented Fiji at the 2003 and
2007 Rugby World Cup tournaments.
Vodafone Flying Fijians
coach John McKee welcomed the appointments
and stressed the importance
of both teams.
The Warriors and under
20 programs are both very
important for Fiji to develop
elite players and for the best
players from Provincial Rugby to show that they have
the ability to step up to compete at International level.
In the Rugby World Cup
year the Warriors program is
critical in our selection process for RWC and for identifying potential Flying Fijians
for the future.
The new format for the
renamed World Rugby Pacific Challenge will be very
competitive so players can
test their skills, teamwork,
game plans and fitness under pressure at the highest
level.
Mckee added he will
work closely with both
teams to help plan their

training programs to ensure that the best teams are
selected to represent Fiji
at their respective tournaments.
We will be working hard
in the Under 20s program to
ensure that their preparation
puts the squad in the best
position to win the Junior
World Trophy and thus qualify for the top group in the
Junior World Cup for 2016.
The U20s first matches
will be as a guest team at
the Australian U20 Championships in March playing matches against the
Queensland & Australian
Barbarians U20s.
I will work with the
coaching staff of both teams
to help plan their training
programs and to ensure the
Game Style and Core Skills
learnt suit the Fiji Way of
Play from the Flying Fijians
down and to help our most
talented developing elite
players progress through
the elite pathway to the Flying Fijians.
The team managers will
be appointed soon.
q FRU
The second regatta of the

Fiji Outrigger V1 marathon
season was held on Saturday, January 31 again from
Mosquito Island in Lami.
An increase in participation from the first regatta
saw 16 men and 12 women
taking part in their respective 10km and 8km races in
good weather conditions.
In the mens race new
club Walu Vaa, which
was formed just last year,
stamped their mark with
clean sweep of the top three
places; Fred Leota took the
top spot, followed by teammates Johnny Chung and
Brad Campbell in second
and third respectively.
Johji Wong and Gary
Volau from Taf aga had to
settle for the fourth and fifth
spot, while Pierre Guyot
again from Walu Vaa rounded out the top 6.
In the womens race, it
was an identical finish to
the previous regatta for the
top three positions with Theresa Avon of Taf aga taking
her second win of the season, followed by Salome
Tabutalei from Kai Wai and
Krystelle Whippy of Taf aga
in third. Emily Moli and Ana
Ravu of Taf aga were in 4th
and 5th respectively with
Joyce Rounds getting a spot
in the top 6 for the first time
for Takia canoe club.
The top six finishes of

veteran paddlers Pierre and
Salome go to show that outrigger paddling is a sport
where you can compete at
a high level no matter your
age and beat a lot of younger
athletes in the process.
At the same time, it was
encouraging to see a number of teenage paddlers taking part in both the mens
and womens races, building
their experience and enjoying the sport.
In particular, seventeenyear old Timateu Davui of
Kai Wai finished a respectable 12th place in the mens

race and fifteen year-old
Elenoa Vateitei from Takia
finished 9th in the womens.
Elenoa was the youngest
participant on Saturday and
is also trying out for a place
in the Fiji Vaa team to the
PNG Pacific Games in July
this year.
q OUTRIGGER FIJI
LOCAL SPORTS
Munis National Contribution Recognised

The late Under 17 soccer
rep Muni Shalit Reddy was
recognized as a national
sportsman and hero even
though his soccer career
was short lived.
Hon. Assistant Minister
for Youth and Sports Iliesa
Delana while speaking at
the funeral said; Muni has
served his school well and
even served his country
best.
He passed on a true Fijian at heart and was a brave
sportsmen and hero. The
goal he scored for Fiji a few
days ago is worth national
recognition, thus my presence here to farewell a national sportsman, said Hon
Delana.
The Hon Assistant Minister added that it was indeed sad and a loss when
someone so young, talented
and energetic as Muni Shalit
Reddy passed away.
Muni had a bright future
ahead of him and his parents were just as anxious to
witness Muni excels in his
soccer career, said Hon.
Delana.
Hon Delana acknowledged the huge gathering at
Munis funeral from all walks
of life and said that they had
gathered to mourn the loss
of someone so dear, talented and special.
Though nothing we can
do to bring back a life so vibrant as Muni I hope we
will learn from his dedication and abilities and try to
emulate him as we carry on
life without him, said the
assistant minister.
Fellow Under-17 team-
The Vodafone Fiji under 20 and under 17 players carry the casket of late Shalit Muni Reddy during the funeral ceremony at Nacovi Cemetry. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
mate Shavneel Deo said;
Muni will be sorely missed
as he was someone who
never runs short of jokes.
The team really misses
him and we are still to come
to term with his passing
away, said Shavneel.
He was a good player
and friend and we really
miss him and all team members are here to pay their
last respect and farewell our

good mate, said the Lautoka lad.
More than 200 people
gathered at the Reddys residence in Malolo, Nadi and
over 500 people gathered
at the Nacovi Cementry to
pay their last respects and
farewell the late Under 17
national soccer rep including students and teachers
FFA Heartless: Mum

By ASUAD ALI
Vancouver BC
The wailing mother of the

deceased U17 national team
member Shalit Muni Reddy
has labelled Fiji Football Association as cold and heartless.
Salochna Reddy said that
FFA should man-up and tell
the truth surrounding her
sons death.
She says while the very
people who were supposed
to take care of her son wakeup to their children (s) everyday, theyre deprived of
their God given gift through
negligence.
My sons teammates are
home to their families and
so are the management,
here were left to mourn our
eldest son with every fibre of
our being, Mrs Reddy said.
She said theyre having
sleepless nights and constantly haunted by the fact
that her son is not coming
home any more.
How do you think a
mother feels? she asked.
The pain of losing a child

couldnt be described.
You have a good 16 yearold athlete full of life disappears from the surface of
the earth because the very
people in position failed.
Mrs Reddy said its agonizing feeling not knowing
the truth behind her sons
demise.
We hear different stories
about my sons death, she
said.
The one on the float the
most, she says is that Shalit
wondered off to relieve himself and dove into the pool
arbitrarily.
Mrs Reddy admitted hearing other stories as well, like
he dove in the out of bound
area of the swimming
pool and then there is that
team head count twist that
doesnt add up following the
excursion trip to Savaii.
We want to know the
truth as the many reasons
simply dont fit my sons profile.
Rime a reason, nothing
adds up. Dont tell me Shalit
was a complete dumb and
that he broke free out of the
pack and died.
Mrs Reddy says what got

the better of her was when
one of her sons teammates
called her up about the belongings he had bagged including his wallet that had
$40.
She said the teammate
left it to the management for
the delivery but strange as
everything is the cash was
missing out of wallet.
$40 isnt much but how
low someone scoop by removing the cash out of a
dead person, she asked.
What else gets Mrs Reddy
nauseated is that Shalits
mobile phone, which was
recovered, is still amiss.
I was told the mobile
was badly damaged. I careless how bad of a shape it
was in, I need it as I hold my
sons stuff dear to me. That
far and few means a world
to me.
The SIM card is off significance here, she said.
Mrs Reddy added that
Shalits death is beyond the
call of national duty and she
wants justice served.
from his school Nadi Muslim, Under 17 soccer team

members, Fiji Football Association executives, relatives
and member of the public.
q DEPTFO
Wellington Phoenix to Tour Fiji in June

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Fijian wonder boy Roy

Krishna and his Wellington
Phoenix side are already
looking forward to their Fiji
tour later this year.
In preparations to their
2015-16 Hyundai A-League
season, the champion side
will be the first passengers
in the Fiji Airways Wellington-Fiji direct flight which
will be launched on June 25.
Wellington Phoenix General Manager, David Dome,
is thrilled about the partnership as this is the first time
both the Wellington Phoenix
first team and its Academy/
Reserves team will be touring together.
This is a pretty unique
opportunity for our Football
Club, Dome said.
For the first time ever,
we will be taking an Academy/Reserves side away
with our first team, with the
second team playing the Fiji
U23 side, and our first team
playing the national side.
Fiji Airways and Fiji Football Association have to be
congratulated on the vision
to make this unique football
tour happen and of course

the whole club is very much
looking forward to playing
four matches in a South Pacific paradise in the middle
of a Wellington winter.
Phoenix Head Coach
Ernie Merrick said it was a
fantastic opportunity for his
players who would be in the
early part of their preparations for the 2015-16 Hyundai A-League season.
We will have had only
about 10 days training but it
will be a great work out for
the players, Merrick said.
It is always good to play
against an international
team as you have to raise
your standards and it will be
a challenge that early in our
pre-season.
Having the Academy
and Reserve players along
on the trip is a first for the
club and the young players
will learn so much by being
on tour with the seniors.
Merrick added it would
be an exciting trip for Fijian
striker Roy Krishna who has
made his mark with the
Phoenix side this season.
Roy is obviously immensely popular in Fiji and
Im sure he will enjoy every
moment playing in front of
his home fans, the coach
said.
Krishna said he really appreciated what Fiji Airways
was doing to promote football in his home country.
Being at the Phoenix has
been an amazing adventure
but it is always nice to go
home, Krishna said.
I cant wait to show my
country to all my friends at
the Phoenix and to share Fijian culture with them.
Fiji Football Association
president Rajesh Patel said
the FFA is extremely delighted with this partnership,
and said the National Team
is looking forward to playing
the Phoenix at home.
It will be wonderful for
Fijian football fans to witness their own stars play
against a truly professional
visiting team, Patel said.
Also, it will give Our
Olympic U23 to play Phoenix Reserve side an excellent preparation, as they are
going to Pacific Games soon
after.
Match details will be
revealed over the coming
weeks.
23
FEBRUARY 2015. ISSUE 62
Page 23
Page 22
FRU PARTNERS
WITH GLOBAL
COMMUNICATION
WELLINGTON
PHEONIX TO
TOUR FIJI
50 CENTS
Batiratu Joins NMC
Simeli Batiratu (middle) with staff of Nadi Muslim College. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Vodafone Fiji under-17 star striker

Simeli Batiratu has joined Nadi Muslim
College as the academic year 2015 continues throughout Fiji.
The former Nabua Secondary School
student, after finishing the national duties
in Samoa, joined the College as he is staying with his uncle in Nadi.
Batiratu said the extra-curricular soccer program at this Nadi-based school
has impressed him as he is looking forward to get a name out of football.
I really want to get a name out of the
sport that I love to play and I think my
football career looks brighter here at Nadi
Muslim College, Batiratu told The Jet.
Giving my best in and out of the field

would surely impress teams selectors and I
am ready to give my hundred percent.
College teacher Nadeem Mohammed
said Batiratu possess a lot of talents and he
needs a right guidance and right people
around him to ensure that the talents he
has is exposed and he is able to get a name
out of the sport he loves to play
Its early days for Batiratu and I think he
possess a lot of skills and talents and he has
a long and promising future, Mr Nadeem
said.
He has already given a hint to what he is
capable of because if we look at his school
background, out of a rugby school, unearth
is a soccer star who was the best out of all
the national under-17 team in Samoa.
The 16-year-old striker scored a hat-trick
against Cook Islands in their 5-0 win during
the OFC Under-17 playoffs in Samoa. He
also scored a goal in the 5-1 loss to New
Caledonia.
When we look at his performance, he
became the number one finisher for the
Fiji side and scoring three goals in just one
game is a rare achievement for strikers
and this speaks volumes about his performance and ability that any team would like
to possess as well as the opposition would
not want to face.
Mr Nadeem tagged Batiratu as the next
Osea Vakatalesau.
Batiratu is one of those that will definitely make a name out of football and
this year we will try and groom him, instill
the required aspects of becoming a good
footballer and I personally would tag him
as the next Osea Vakatalesau or maybe beyond him.
I acknowledge Nabua Secondary for
looking after him last year and also the national under-17 coaching management for
the wonderful guidance given to him.
He said Nadi Muslim College believes

in holistic development and is not only
looking at the secondary schools competition and strengthening the school team
for the domestic competition.
Its all about the future of our students.
If we are able to identify a talent, we ensure that we look at all avenues available
so that we can help them make a career.
We are starting with our development
program whereby we will assemble all our
age-group teams and have special clinics
which will help us identify more talents.
We will guide him throughout so that
he is able to impress the national selectors
for the under-23 squad and the most important one is the next under-20 play-offs.
He said the college will also try and
groom him for overseas contracts.

The Jet Volume 7 Number 3

Transféré par

Informations du document

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

The Jet Volume 7 Number 3

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

FEBRUARY 2015.

New Era, New Flag

since it became independent. New

tion process has been designed in

Fiji - the way the world should be

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

National Minimum Wage

natani and Jerry Tuwai

THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly

The Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial

With the 45 or 48 working hours per week, the

Paving Dairy Solution for Fiji

sist Dairy farmers and will

has been allocated to import approximately 200 live

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Members of the AI training group departing Fiji. Photo: SUPPLIED.

upwards to 4.6% and stood

NADI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT UPGRADE

Airport Body to Meet Private

for the future to ensure that

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Nadi Flood Control Structural Work Continues

ing the meeting called for a

culture in project execution

the necessary information

A Master Plan is expected

Namaka Public Students Participate in

the basics of nutrition and

tained skills developed by

projects for people of all

Health Ministry Embarks on Well- Use Proper Registration Number

The Ministry of Health

and a lot of this has to do

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

The Land Transport Authority is issuing a stern

clearly stipulates that: (1) A

(a) in the case of a motor

centre at the rear of the vehicle. (2) No part of a vehicle

Final 30 for NZ Work Scheme

be tapped into for future

15. Eparama Narawa

A new coordinated committee will soon be established by the Ministry of

and if any child is found begging in the streets, they will

Rehabilitation Centre for

they must first understand

Police and Ministry to Jointly

Fijians Advised to Check

Improving health service

engage with the public and

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Be Good Role Models,

and never get strayed from

Remember the leaders

gets smaller and smaller after every mistake. Be very

Vasantika Devi told The Jet

Leaders Reminded of Responsibility

one from his four siblings

all the prefects, teachers and

I feel blessed for my

Mr Simione Waibuta was the

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Government Concerned with Internal

There have been increased instances of reported internal squabbling

Civic Centre by Prime Minister Bainimarama, making it