the jet volume 7 number 3

FEBRUARY 2015. ISSUE 62 www.thejetnewspaper.com 50 CENTS

New Era, New Flag

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainima-rama 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 begin-ning of 2013 to adopt a symbol that is more in keeping with the nation-al aspirations in the 21st century.

We need to replace the sym-bols on our existing flag that are out of date and no longer relevant, including some anchored to our colonial past.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 inde-pendent nation state, Mr Bainima-rama said.

Our United Nations peace-keeping 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 for-get the image of Iliesa Delana now an Assistant Minister in my Government waving our flag be-fore the vast crowd and the global television audience when he won Gold at the London Paralympics. And, of course, every Fijian has

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 dis-pense 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 sym-bols 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 cur-rently 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 en-ter a national competition for the design of this new national sym-bol. We are also going to form a national committee chosen from a broad cross section of Fijian soci-ety to judge the entries and choose the most appropriate design.

The competition and the for-mation 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 back-ground, will be given an opportuni-ty 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 pref-erence 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 in-digenous flora and fauna that are unique to Fiji. Designs and sym-bols 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 na-tion and instantly recognisable the world over as uniquely and proud-ly Fijian.

The proud Fiji rugby supporters waving the Fiji Flag in jubilation at the Wellington Sevens. Photo: ROSS GIBLIN/ Fairfax NZ.

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THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER2

FROM THE DESK

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Fiji - the way the world should be 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

q ANUSHIL KUMAR

THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly by YOURSPACE LIMITED from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.

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National Minimum Wage Rate Increased

By ANUSHIL KUMARVodafone Fiji 7s team has finally broken its Las Ve-gas 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 tourna-ment in USA in 2007 when it was known as the San Diego 7s beating Samoa 38-24.

Instrumentals Semi Ku-

Congratulations Fiji

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 qualifica-tion to Rio Olympics.

Next up is the Hong Kong 7s which is scheduled to be played from March 27-29.

The Bainimarama Gov-ernment has fulfilled yet an-other component of its Fiji First Manifesto.

As promised to the Fiji-ans prior to the 2014 Gen-eral Elections, the govern-ment endorsed the increase of the national minimum wage (NMW) from $2.00 per hour to $2.32 per hour.

This intensification fol-lowed a submission made to Cabinet by the Minister for Employment, Productiv-ity 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 adjust-ment time, especially for exporters and the small and micro enterprises.

A fundamental objective of the NMW Policy is the

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 inhu-mane 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 work-ing hours per week, the increase means that about 100,000 marginalized work-ers 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 av-erage growth of about 3.2% over the past five years. The growth for 2013 was revised

upwards to 4.6% and stood at 3.8% in 2014.

Consequently, it is only fair for Government to en-sure that the national eco-nomic gains are shared with marginalised Fijian workers, who have contributed con-siderably to Fijis growing economy.

Employers are urged by the Ministry to be fair and just in distributing their prof-its and productivity gains not only to their sharehold-ers, but especially to their workers, who are the most important assets of their or-ganisations.

Employers are also en-couraged to shift their busi-ness culture from one of cheap labour dependency towards incentivising work-ers to enhance their creativ-ity and innovation and add more value to their goods and services with greater productivity and product dif-ferentiation.

The Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Hon. Jioji Konrote (pictured).

In an effort to improve Fijis Livestock Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture has sent eight officers for Artificial Insemination (AI) training at the Livestock Im-provement 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 Brucello-sis.

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 improv-ing 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 Reha-bilitation Program, $1million

has been allocated to im-port 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 conduct-ed for diseases, Mr Tadulala said.

The one week training included staff of the Animal Health and Production and the Livestock Research Divi-

Paving Dairy Solution for Fiji

q PRESS RELEASEMembers of the AI training group departing Fiji. Photo: SUPPLIED.


THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 3

NADI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT UPGRADE

The Airport Fiji Limited is carrying out major upgrad-ing to its apron area in order to meet the increase in de-mand for private jet parking at the Nadi international air-port.

Airports Fiji Limited (AFL) executive chairman Faiz Khan said the latest expan-sion responds to the private jets entering the country and using the Nadi International Airport.

He said the hottest devel-opment would ensure park-ing for the private-owned jets.

We currently have an apron area which caters for nine aircrafts at any given time but we have planned

Airport Body to Meet Private Jet Space Demands

By ANUSHIL KUMAR for the future to ensure that private jet owners are able to get a parking, he said.

This is a different proj-ect altogether but running in parallel with the facelift of the airport terminal.

Mr Khan added the multi-million 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

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) study team continues work-ing into the Planning of the Nadi Flood Control Structure Project in the Western Divi-sion.

This was relayed to the Commissioner Western Ma-nasa Tagicakibau and rep-resentatives of Government Ministries and Departments, statutory bodies and private sector agencies who all at-tended the Technical Work-ing Group meeting at the Nadi Town Council Cham-bers on Wednesday, Febru-ary 4.

Commissioner Western, Mr Tagicakibau, while open-

ing the meeting called for a more concerted and inte-grated approach amongst all stakeholders to assist this study.

A Memorandum of Agree-ment (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 flood-ing.

The Ministry of Agricul-ture as the implementing agency had conducted a Joint Steering Coordinating Committee meeting on Au-gust 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 deci-sion making body that will consider the study findings and recommendations by the JICA team as announced by the Director Land Wa-ter 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 Gov-ernment Ministries/Depart-ments, statutory bodies and the private sector.

He said the meeting pro-vided an update into how far the JICA team has been progressing in terms of the

study.Mr Simmons reiterated

the Commissioners com-ments and called on agen-cies to collaborate and share with the study team

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

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 grow-ing concern for malnutrition and bad eating habits which is common and widespread in Fiji.

Children that are mal-nourished may have prob-lems concentrating at school, and this affects their ability to learn and reach their full potential.

Sprouting for Life is a nutrition project that teach-es students the nutritional value of bean sprouts, how to prepare and cook them.

Projects Abroads Health Consultant, Rosan Lal, stat-ed 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 effec-tive way to teach children

the basics of nutrition and proves that eating healthy does not have to be expen-sive and hard, said Lal.

The project involves the process of germinating baby plants from Mung seeds through the process of soak-ing and rinsing over 2-3 days.

Projects Abroad Fiji had used the bottom-up ap-proach to empower these youngsters to take charge of their own health and to change the way they per-ceive 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 af-fordable.

Projects Abroad Fiji envi-sions that these newly at-

tained skills developed by children as a part of this program, will then be trans-ferred to the rest of the fam-ily so that all members will be equipped with the neces-sary skills to provide nutri-tious 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

Health Ministry Embarks on Well-ness Walk Our Talk CampaignIn the fight against non

-communicable diseases (NCD), the Rakiraki hospital staff have embarked on a wellness initiative by incor-porating a fruit and water diet to stress the importance of healthy eating.

This initiative began with the Hon. Assistant Health Minister Mrs Veena Bhat-nagar visiting the Rakiraki hospital and continuing with official visits of health facili-ties 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 As-sistant 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 consec-utive Wednesdays for the Ministry staff. This initiative was first led by the Minister for Health and Medical Ser-vices, Hon. Jone Usamate, when he led a health walk campaign in Lautoka re-cently.

Our health system and our economy are struggling under the burden of NCDs, but most of all, we are rob-bing ourselves of longer, healthier and happier lives

and a lot of this has to do with unhealthy lifestyles and bad habits that lay the foun-dation for NCDs to devel-op, said Minister Usamate.

These are behaviors within our control to change, such as how much we exer-cise and what we put in our mouths.

Meanwhile the Health Ministry continues to ad-vise the public to maintain a healthy balanced diet and incorporate exercises into their daily routine.

the necessary information they have that will help the JICA study team plan and propose technical aspects of the project before it is pre-sented to the JCC.

A Master Plan is expected to be released from the JICA study team by May this year.

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.

projects for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in. Some of these include teaching, care, ani-mal care, community, nutri-tion, and shark conserva-tion.

q DEPTFO

The Land Transport Au-thority is issuing a stern warning to motorists that they will be taken to task if they are caught driving a ve-hicle without proper regis-terednumber plates.

This follows the increased number of vehicles spotted without LTA approved reg-istration number plates on Western, Northern and Cen-tral Division roads during its recent enforcement opera-tion.

Moreover, LTA has found that several motorists tend to display registration num-ber plates on dashboards rather than affixing it at the front and at the rear of a mo-tor vehicle.

The Land Transport (Ve-hicle Registration and Con-struction 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 motor-cycle - 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 ve-hicle. (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 num-ber plates and LTA will take stringent measures to en-sure that motor vehicle own-ers comply with the law.

LTA will issue Traffic In-fringement Notices (TINs) to those motor vehicle owners who use improper registra-tion number plates and also seize their vehicles if they continue to disregard the law. LTA is urging drivers who dont have proper regis-tration plates to immediately obtain one from LTA offices

Use Proper Registration Number Plates: LTA Warns Motorists

q LTA

q PRESS RELEASE



LOCAL NEWS

Final 30 for NZ Work Scheme Selected

The pilot 30 Fijian work-ers selected on Monday, February 2, under the New Zealand Regional Employ-ment Service must make a good first impression to keep this window of oppor-tunity open for their compa-triots.

This was highlighted by the Hon. Minister for Em-ployment, 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 Con-stitution, Government was providing this opportunity to rural dwellers to meet its commitment of distributing the benefits of development.

Our Governments over-all policy for the participa-tion of Fijian workers in the NZ RSE work scheme and future foreign employment engagement is based on transparency, equity, fair-ness, 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 rigor-ous and intensive selection process including medical, police clearance and fitness test, are expected to leave by the end of this month.

New Zealand High Com-missioner to Fiji, H.E Mark Ramsden, said the future and success of the RSE was

dependent on the relation-ship 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 coun-try and the future of the scheme will be riding on your shoulders.

High Commissioner Ramsden clarified that the RSE was not an aid pro-gramme 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 Turagakacivi2. Necani Qele3. Lai Waqaiquma4. Sereana Malai5. Ilaisa Doraisavu6. Ratu Kubou Wiriwiri7. Jese Naigulevu8. Vilivo Cakau9. Eliki Tabaka10. Timoci Qabale11. Waqasalabogi Naulivou12. Rupeni Digitaki Savu13. Azeena Begum14. Lorima Takawai q DEPTFO

15. Eparama Narawa16. Saimoni Narawa17. Ema Nasole18. Apakuki Mete19. Josua Nukurawa20. Paulo Vulalo21. Sekove Madraiwiwi22. Waisale Tuirara23. Ratu Luke Batilekaleka24. Lui Sikeli25. Waisale Tora26. Asinate Vonowale27. Titilia Ravono28. Napolioni Baleibaravi29. Verenika Ratu30. Timoci Nasara

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is advising all those who wish to secure em-ployment overseas to only go through authorized re-cruiting agencies to avoid being duped by bogus over-seas 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 Taka-laiyale 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

they must first understand the work cultures and em-ployment practices there before they even consider going.

Given the strict rules ob-served by countries in the Middle East, Mr Nayasi said the responsibility was on individuals to find out and have a feel of what they sign-ing 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 de-livered there are both stay-ing illegally in Kuwait.

The Fiji Mission is liaising with the Kuwaiti authorities hoping to get Ms Traill and her son to return to Fiji.

Fijians Advised to Check

Overseas Employers

before Signing Up

q DEPTFO

Authorities to Improve

Health Service Delivery

Improving health service delivery around the country especially in rural commu-nities remains as one of the main motives for the Min-istry 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 respec-tive divisions.

The Assistant Health Min-ister Veena Bhatnagar visit-ed the Namaka Health Cen-ter, 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 impor-tant so that we are able to

engage with the public and health staff on the ground, Ms. Bhatnagar said.

This will give us an in-sight into what areas need addressing and improve-ments.

She said the ministry is looking forward to make improvements concerning customer services.

We are looking at im-proving customer services during public consultations - this was highlighted as a concern by the public.

The visit to these health facilities also gives us the op-portunity to encourage and motivate our health staffs who work tirelessly to serve the people of Fiji.

Health Minister Jone Usa-mate visited the northern division to launch the NCD Wellness Mobile bus and met with health staff for an update on dengue and ty-phoid cases in the northern division.

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

A new coordinated com-mittee will soon be estab-lished 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 earli-er this month that two agen-cies would review a Memo-randum of Agreement that was signed in 2012.

Minister Akbar said a col-laborative 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 commit-tee will take a humanitar-ian approach to assist those people have been earning a living through begging, Min-ister Akbar said.

Through the profiling exercise, we have seen that currently there are 72 people begging on the streets, most

of who are mentally chal-lenged. 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 citi-zens.

The Ministry will inten-sify efforts with the Minis-try 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 wel-fare is put to risk.

We want to see that all the children attend school

and if any child is found beg-ging 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 residen-tial homes, these are the ones who were found beg-ging 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 ad-dressing domestic violence.

He said the police will continue to raise awareness on such issues through com-munity policing and discus-sions 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 rep-resentatives from various government ministries and non-government organisa-tions consolidate resources and information to address social issues in Fiji. The mu-nicipal councils and admin-istrators will be part of the coordinated committee.

Meanwhile, the Fijis First

Rehabilitation Centre for Beggars named Good Sa-maritan Inn in Colo-i-Suva was officially opened by the Hon. Minister Rosy Akbar.

The centre is aimed to house and empower able-bodied 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 sustain-able livelihood projects.

Police and Ministry to Jointly Address Welfare ConcernsBy ANUSHIL KUMAR

Mr Bernadus GroenewaldThe Commissioner of Fiji Police .

Rosy AkbarThe Hon. Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation.

The applicants for the New Zealand seasonal workers scheme. Photo>SUPPLIED.



EDUCATION

Be Good Role Models, Leaders Urged

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

You are role models and you are undertaking an ap-prenticeship that will prove useful to you and to your so-ciety in the years ahead.

Chief guest Dr. Victoria Reeve, senior lecturer in the Department of Language, Literature and Communica-tion at the University of Fiji, made these comments dur-ing the prefects induction ceremony at Mulomulo Sec-ondary 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 pre-fects 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 learn-ing the responsibilities of leadership, you are leading the way for your fellow stu-dents.

School Principal, Mrs Sera Lockington, said prefects were elected by the teach-

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 Mo-hammed Alim, adviced the newly inducted prefects and challenged them to perform at the level best.

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.

Leaders Reminded of ResponsibilityVotualevu Public School

marked a paramount occa-sion for 2015 as they con-ducted their Prefects Induc-tion 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 dur-ing 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 fol-low 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 cho-sen 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, Ta-ufas 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 respon-sibility 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

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.

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 af-ter 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.

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-run-ning 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 Di-rector Asset Monitoring Unit

By ANUSHIL KUMAR 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.



LOCAL NEWS

There have been in-creased instances of re-ported internal squabbling in all of the three Cane Pro-ducer 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 Govern-ment in July 2008 giving ap-proval to the Fiji Sugar Cor-poration and the Sugar Cane Growers Council to facilitate the accreditation of Fiji Sug-ar 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 Minis-ter Bainimarama, making it the first in Fiji.

Later on the Lautoka Cane Producers Association and the Rarawai/Penang Cane Producers Association 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 un-der which it respectively op-erates. 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, Act-ing Permanent Secretary for Sugar said Government and the Industry do not interfere with the operations of the CPAs or even on issues relat-ing 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 Govern-ment 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 proj-ects that have been com-pleted 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 respec-tive family members.

The Industry and Gov-ernment would not hesitate to withdraw their support if these internal squabbling are not immediately re-solved and discontinued.

Mr Chand said that the Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar, Hon. Voreqe Baini-marama 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.

Government Concerned with Internal Squabbling in Cane Producer Associations

q DEPTFO

The Land Transport Au-thority (LTA) will not tolerate vehicle owners who install noncompliant lamps and emergency lights in their ve-hicles.

LTA Chief Executive Of-ficer, Mr Naisa Tuinaceva regarded this as an illegal practice and urged the mo-torists to stop it immediately.

We are tracking down vehicles which use illegal accessories and emergency lights, and anyone found us-ing these will face the full brunt of the law, Mr Tu-inaceva said.

He said drivers should strictly abide by the set laws.

Vehicle owners should adhere to the law and re-frain from using such lights as these can cause distrac-tion and could lead to acci-dents.

The following lights are illegal Pursuant to Regula-tion 55 of the Land Trans-port (Vehicle Regulation and Construction) Regulation 2000; under floor lights, wip-er lights, bonnet and wind-screen washer lights, fender

or mudguard lights and Ra-dio antenna lights.

Regulation 55-64 of the Land Transport (Vehicle Registration and Construc-tion) 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 sig-nal lamp must be Amber.

Apart from the autho-rised lights, the ruling does not permit any other colour lights or combination of co-lours on any motor vehicle.

Under the Land Transport Act, flashing of emergency lights is permitted for emer-gency vehicles only to clear path in emergencies so that they can reach their destina-tions quickly. Blue and Red is for LTA and Police, Red for Medical, Emergency and Fire. Amber light is for Tow Trucks, Public Utility Vehi-cles 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 is-sued 2,551 defect notices to vehicles with non-conform-ing lights last year while 25 defect notices have been is-sued 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 maxi-mum penalty of $200 applies for this offence.

Stop Using Illegal Lights, Motorists Warned

By ANUSHIL KUMAR



LOCAL NEWS

Life Begins at 40 for Nilesh

A miscalculated move to resign from his banking job in 2010 and migrate to New Zealand to work as a Stock Controller and Merchan-diser almost cost Nilesh Nis-chal Prasad everything.

Nilesh 41 who owns and operates Coastal Auto In-vestments, 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 com-mercial 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 mer-chandiser. This did not work out as planned so I was un-employed and had to return home, said the father of two from Olosara, Sigatoka.

After one year without a job, I secured the posi-tion 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 supply-ing 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 op-portunity 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 exper-tise to assist me.

In July 2013, Nilesh ap-proached 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 ga-rage.

Coastal Auto Investments sells imported Japanese car parts from New Zealand such as alternators, distribu-tors, CV joints, engines, gear

box, hubs, suspension pan-els 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 Me-dia & 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 Zea-land.

My business is focused on excellent products with the backing of the best ser-vice. A lot of the services we provide are free because we want to ensure custom-ers get the value for their money.

Nilesh has a vision to be-come the biggest importer and dealer of brand new and second hand motor ve-hicle parts, tyres and lubri-cants. 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 busi-ness. The prospects in this business are excellent as Im already getting customers from Suva, Nadi and Lauto-ka. Without FDB, I wouldnt have been able to get this far. Their officers are always at hand to offer assistance.

Nilesh was assisted un-der FDBs Small and Medi-um Enterprises (SME) term loans facility. Loans under SME cover various areas such as business purchase or establishment; contrac-

tual transport or plant op-erations; working capital for wholesale/retail and ac-quisition of shares in com-panies and partnerships. For eligible businesses, the maximum loan provided un-der this facility is $500,000.

Despite its recent estab-lishment, 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 indus-try has taught me that qual-ity service is what drives success business. You may have the best products but without the service level to complement that, business-es in this day and age will not survive.

With FDB, Nilesh is get-ting a second chance at suc-cess and life is beginning anew for him at forty.

By LOTE RABOLLAFDB Media & Community Relations Officer

Nilesh Nischal Prasad at his shows his second hand tyre and parts shop located in Sigatoka Town. Photo: SUPPLIED.

An overwhelming num-ber of students attended the USP Lautokas orientation programme for Semester 1, 2015 that commenced on Monday, February 16.

Almost 300 students reg-istered for the three day ori-entation programme that is aimed at introducing new students to the basics of uni-versity life by providing them with all information relevant to their studies and about USP Lautoka.

In her welcome address USP Lautoka Campus Direc-tor Dr. Pramila Devi spoke to the freshers on the impor-tance of attending the orien-tation programme.

During these three days you will be presented with

all the basic information that will assist you in your learn-ing 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 ap-proach for assistance in fu-ture.

Dr Pramila told the stu-dents that at the university students had to be respon-sible for their own learning and the orientation pro-gramme will teach them some very important and useful tips about their stud-ies.

Throughout the day the

Overwhelming Turnout at Orientation

new students attended pre-sentations by USP Lautoka staff on topics that include Definition of Being USP Student, Questioning Mind, Planning and Writing As-signments and Learning from Feedback, Creating and Working in Study Group, Time Management, Prepar-ing for Taking Tests and Ex-amination, Library Services, Methods of Note taking, Us-ing References and Avoid-ing Plagiarism. The students also learned about USPs ICT tools, facilities and ser-vices.

The students were pro-vided refreshment.

q PRESS RELEASE Students attending orientation at USP Lautoka campus. Photo: SUPPLIED.

The Fiji Higher Educa-tion Commission today an-nounced the approval for the registration of the For-estry Training Centre (FTC), a strategic unit of the Depart-ment of Forestry.

The announcement was made by the Fiji Higher Edu-cation Commission direc-tor Salote Rabuka during a consultation meeting with stakeholders for a review of

training in Fijis forestry sec-tor.

Mrs Rabuka said the cen-tre 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 learn-ing 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 be-fore they can be recognised or registered, Mrs Rabuka said.

In the case of the Forest-ry 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 registra-tion is the process that in-volves 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 pro-vision registration and will have to meet other require-ments needed by the Com-mission 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 dif-ferent representatives.

The consultation held at the Novotel hotel in Lami saw various stakeholders from different sectors of Government including pri-

vate enterprise come togeth-er to review, analyse and recommend ways on how to develop a new curricu-lum for FTC including other trainings that FTC could of-fer to enhance Biodiversity Conservation and Protected area management.

q DEPTFO

FHEC Approves Training Centre Registration



LOCAL NEWS

God Heard the Ambitious Farmers Cry

The land or the vanua for the iTaukei has long had that spiritual element associ-ated to it. The attribution is that since the blessing from above has been through the provision of land, one must always show an apprecia-tion and must almost always be thankful for this provision and never hesitate to ac-knowledge it.

42-year-old Joseva Ca-kobau, 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 Indo-Fijian neighbours plant vegetables and would envy them for their accomplish-ments. This inspired me to do something different and better so just to be like them, he mused enthusias-tically.

From that decision in 2010, Joseva has never looked back with dismay. He began planting vegeta-bles 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 mem-ber gave him seven acres of land to farm on after lease expired from former ten-ants.

Back then, we would only be farming for fam-ily consumption and make market trips just to accom-modate 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 contin-ued on to the then Fiji Insti-tute 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 perspec-tive towards life and how to live it.

Joseva shares his love of farming and marketing with his Nanoko, Navatusila na-tive wife Seini Cawai and nine-year-old daughter, Joana who is schooling at Nacadi Primary School.

With little farming skills he possessed, Joseva be-gan 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 meth-od, 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 interven-tion he said, added a lot more sunshine to his farm.

Previously, I would prac-tically rely on my personal traditional knowledge of farming until Agriculture and SPC moved in with their as-sistance and am very grate-ful as it really helped me produce and plant better.

The Ministry of Agricul-ture 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 2poly-thene pipe, 1.1/2 polythene pipe, 1 x 80HD07 2inch wa-ter pump, pair of working Bullocks, Land clearing and riping [26hrs] for vegetable cultivation, 2 x 5200ltrs wa-ter 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, estab-lish a high return planting production for the farmer and to turn the farmers mind set from subsistence to semi commercial farm-ing.

While in frequent con-tact with the Agriculture and SPC, we then formed a farmers group within the community with me being the only ITaukei.

In yester-years, sugar-cane has always been a tra-dition for us and with the in-troduction 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 veg-etables 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 (red-fire), long beans and French beans, cowpeas and Bitter-guard (karela), he said.

My job is to exclusively supply to my wife (which are mostly rejects) who sits at the market daily selling af-ter supplies to the Exporter and middleman are accom-plished and I make sure not to miss, he said.

Every sweet path trav-elled most often has its bitter moments however for Jos-eva 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 with-out money to be able to pro-duce 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 every-thing, at times because of this I have to reduce my sup-ply.

I kept going and kept be-lieving 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 mar-kets.

Drought, flood and land-type 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 green-house 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 pre-vented if youths and villag-ers quit lazing around, utilize the land and be true to your-selves, 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 begin-ning to what I am achieving today, he said.

Jovesa has his hopes set high this year on being con-sidered and recognized with a farmer award as he be-lieves that his story is that of a successful farmer who has moved considerably from subsistence to semi com-mercial farming.

Farmer Joseva Cakobau walks amongst his vegetable farm. Photo: SUPPLIED.

By SERENIA VILELE of Ministry of Agriculture



Students Complete Training in Early Childhood Education

Khan Shah,

Namaka NadiI think its good and basi-

cally we are no longer under the British anymore and this

is being portrayed in the change of the flag.

Kirat Chand

Lautoka Lovu Its good because Fiji is

changing and the prime min-ister knows what he is doing, its also good that there is a designing competition and

thats giving us a say.

Paras RamVotualevu, Nadi

Its good it should look new as this signifies Fiji moving

forward.

RukmaniVelovelo , 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.

Suneel Narayan Malolo, Nadi.

Yes it is a good decision as that is the same old flag and

Fiji needs a change.

What is your opinion on the changing of the Fiji Flag?

Sweet Tweets

LOCAL NEWS

The first APTC class of Solomon Islands students finish their Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. Photo: SUPPLIED.

Solomon Islands first co-hort of early childhood edu-cation program participants recently completed their training from the Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC) in Solomon Islands.

The 16 kindergarten teachers commenced study-ing towards an Australian Certificate III in Early Child-hood Education and Care in July 2014.

This qualification, which is a minimum qualification for early childhood educa-tors in Australia, helps in-crease the awareness of teachers on the importance of high quality early child-hood education and how to work towards achieving such standards.

Participants responded to the program positively, with many, commenting on the detailed content of the cur-riculum. One of the partici-pants, 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 (chil-dren).

Similar views were shared by another partici-pant, Emily Pengalo, who

said they had learnt a lot about child protection is-sues.

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 ded-icated group of skilled early childhood teachers, who are so passionate about their roles and the importance of quality early childhood edu-cation in the early years.

A key strength of APTCs early childhood training ap-proach is the mentoring model. Clera Manuri, an APTC graduate with a Di-ploma 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 be-ing mentored and supported to learn about the construc-tion and delivery of training. As part of its nationalisation strategy, APTC currently has 14 national trainers who pro-gressed 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 chal-lenge 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 excit-ing changes for APTCs early childhood team as they re-locate to Malaita (one of Solomon Islands largest provinces) to deliver the program to a group of kin-dergarten 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 Cer-tificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care to stu-dents in an area outside of Guadalcanal, said Mark Robertson, APTCs Country Manager for Solomon Is-lands.

This will be the first time that APTC will deliver a course in one of the provin-cial centres of the Solomon Islands.

This opportunity has been made possible through ongoing collaboration and support by the Ministry of Education and Human Re-source Development.

APTC is an initiative fund-ed by the Australian Govern-ment to deliver vocational training and to increase the

supply of skilled workers in targeted sectors in the Pacif-ic 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 pro-grams in Automotive and Formwork/ Falsework for Solomon Islanders at the DBTI Henderson campus.

q PRESS RELEASE

LTA Suspends Five PSV LicenseReckless 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 ter-minated, 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 prior-ity, unfortunately there are some reckless drivers who do not value human lives at all, remarked Mr Naisa Tu-inaceva, Chief Executive Of-ficer 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-

cumulated 10-15 Traffic In-fringement 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 sus-pended.

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 indica-tion that the person cannot learn from previous book-ing, and these are the type

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 visibil-ity around major accident prone areas.

The Authority is also ex-pected to bring in three more speed cameras that will also be visible in the Western Division.

q LTA

The accident that happened outside Vuda, Lautoka in November last year.



SCHOOL PREFECTS INDUCTION

A total of 136 prefects were elected by Andrews Primary School on Friday, February 13, to be the stu-dent leaders of the school this year.

Chief Guest, Education Officer Nadi, Lautoka and Yasawa Mr Dhirendra Prasad urged the leaders to be faith-ful 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 re-solve to undertake the re-sponsible 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 wear-ing everyday.

Rishant Prasad and Se-niana Tamaina were in-ducted headboy and head-girl while Sireli Togoloa and Prashantika Simran Prasad were inducted the deputy headboy and deputy headg-irl respectively.

Rishant said it was an honour to be selected as headboy and it was a huge responsibility.

I feel very proud be-cause 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 to-gether with the school pre-fects to ensure the students are well disciplined at all times.

Headgirl Seniana said she is ready to take up the chal-lenge of being the headgirl as she has always dreamt of. She assured the teach-ers that she will work to her level best in order to have a well-disciplined Andrews Primary School.

Andrews Primary Elects 136 LeadersBy ANUSHIL KUMAR

From left: Deputy headboy Sireli Togoloa, headboy Rishant Prasad, headgirl Seniana Tamaina and deputy headgirl Prashantika Sim-ran Prasad takes the leadership oath during the Prefects Induction ceremony at Andrews Primary School. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.

Votualevu Public School Unveils New Monogram

Votualevu Public School marked a historic event in its school calendar as they launched the new mono-gram on Thursday, February 12.

The Nadi-based school, with 900 students enrolled, unveiled the new mono-gram during the Prefects In-duction 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 new-looking school seal.

The new monogram dis-plays 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, co-lour and religion, has equal chance to dive into this ocean of education, ex-plained Mr Bharos.

From left: Votualevu Public School headteacher Mr Saylendra Singh, Ministry of Education Di-rector 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.

The open book signifies a young child without any prior knowledge and educa-tion that he or she is enter-ing the ocean of knowledge with open mind and ready to develop him or herself.

He also went on to de-scribe 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-

vide with all the educational needs and guidance for you to create a revolution by at-taining wisdom through knowledge gained at school.

The new dawn symbol-

izes that by being educated, you can never be in dark-ness 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.

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

PREFECTS INDUCTION



TOURISM

Tourism Fijis Roadshow to India has been deemed a massive success after visit-ing four of the countrys larg-est cities, expanding oppor-tunities in one of the most important growth markets for Fijis tourism industry.

The week-long roadshow, led by the Minister for Indus-try, Trade and Tourism, Hon. Faiyaz Siddiq Koya, included senior government officials, Tourism Fiji representatives, and a range of other leading industry figures from the pri-vate 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 In-dia one the markets it has identified as having the best potential for growth.

Minister Koya said this years Roadshow was espe-cially important because it follows Indian Prime Minis-ter 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. Naren-dra 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 non-traditional markets and we expect 2015 to be a bumper year in terms of visitor arriv-als 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 Minis-ter for Finance, Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, for provid-

ing the impetus and laying the framework for more ag-gressive mutually beneficial engagement in trade and tourism between Fiji and In-dia, in his meetings with the Indian Minister for External Affairs and the State Minister for Commerce during his re-cent 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 success-es of the roadshow was the launch of a new brochure on Fiji in Mumbai - targeted at the average Indian trav-eler. This brochure was de-veloped by Tourism Fiji in partnership with a world re-nowned Swiss-based travel and tour operator KuoniSOTC, the Minister added.

The roadshow followed Fijis participation in the three-day South Asian Trav-el and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), in New Delhi,

Minister Koya Leads Tourism Fiji Roadshow in India

which ended on Saturday, 31 January 2015.

Tourist numbers from In-dia 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 plat-form for the tourism in-

dustry and governments to network and create new business relations, said the Minister.

Accompanying Minister Koya was the Assistant Min-ister 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 Repre-sentatives.

The India Roadshow is an annual Tourism Fiji event that has been underway for the past four years.

Mr Sashi Singh and Mr Goundar during the soft launch at Yatule. Photo: SUPPLIED.

q DEPTFO

Outrigger on the La-goon Fiji kicked off the 2015 monthly staff awards last week with five winners making an impressive start to the year.

Food and Beverage atten-dant Kinisimere Tagayawas polite and friendly approach towards guests and her en-thusiasm for her work has seen her named Front of House Winner.

Back of House Winner is Akanisi Lebaivalu who ex-emplifies the Bula Spirit and takes an enormous amount of pride in her job. As a Hu-man 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 outstand-ing 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 man-ner.

The Here to Help Winner is Lavenia Namoli, a hard working Team Leader Stew-ard who not only covers her

areas but also takes owner-ship 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 rec-ognised as an outstanding employee who constantly receives rave reviews from guests and who has a won-derful 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

Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji Awards Monthly Staff Winners

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

From left: Lavenia Namoli, Akanisi Lebaivalu, Kinisimere Tagayawa, Resort Manager Russell Blaik, Josephine Vulakoro and Shaneel Pillay. Photo: MASADA/ OUTRIGGER FIJI.



TOURISM

New Training Officer For Intercontinental Fiji

q PRESS RELEASE

(NATADOLA, FIJI) Friday 23rd January 2015 Inter-Continental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa recently welcomed Rinshu Singh as Training and Development Officer. With the aim of taking em-ployee training and develop-ment 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 Na-tional 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 con-tribute 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 respon-sible for conducting orien-tation 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 elabo-rates 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 InterConti-nental Fiji team and were confident that she would continue to assist in paving the way forward in achiev-

ing the best guest satisfac-tion 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 In-terContinental Fiji.

Owned by Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) and managed by InterContinen-tal Hotels Group (IHG) the resort provides services that go beyond the world-renowned Fijian warmth and hospitality to give guests authentic, enriching experi-ences and insights into the Fijian culture and way of life.

InterContinental Fiji Golf

Resort & Spa is part of the In-tercontinental Hotel Group (IHG). With over 4,700 ho-tels in over 110 countries and territories there is liter-

ally a world of opportunity for IHG employees who as-pire to grow and develop their careers.

The new training and development officer, Rinshu Singh at Natadola Bay. Photo: SUPPLIED.

Fiji Airways, Fijis Nation-al Airline, and Fiji Link, its re-gional and domestic subsid-iary, 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 De-cember and 81.60% in No-vember 2014.

Fiji Link recorded an OTP of 86.90% in January, com-pared to 92.49% in Decem-ber and 89.30% in November 2014.

Fiji Airways Group Man-

aging Director and CEO Ste-fan 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 re-main above the benchmark

Fiji Airways Group Reports On-Time Performances for January 2015

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 condi-tions. Adverse weather and

minor mechanical issues also affected Fiji Link.

The on-time performance for both airlines is available on the Fiji Airways web-site: http://www.fijiairways.com/about-fiji-airways/on-time-performance/. OTP is a global airline industry

benchmark which mea-sures aircraft flight depar-tures as being on time if they depart from the gate within 15 minutes of the airlines scheduled departure time.

q FIJI AIRWAYS



TOURISM

(NATADOLA, FIJI) Thurs-day 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 InterConti-nental 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 expe-rience of the tourism indus-try and develop their skills in various departments prior to graduating in 2017.

With the objective to strengthen Fijis growing tourism industry by invest-ing in its people, the re-sort is one of the principal tourism operators in Fiji to partner with USP for paid apprenticeships. The skills acquired through these in-ternships will benefit the students regardless of their future career paths.

Internships at the In-terContinental Fiji provide students perks which in-clude gaining experience, developing skills, building contacts, strengthening re-sumes 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 ex-pertise 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 ac-cepted 20 students from around the country since its inception.

It is my personal in-tention 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 institu-tion, and undergo a rigor-ous series of interviews at the annual USP Careers Fair, which was held in Septem-ber last year.

In a past reference by Greg Cornwall, Coordinator of the Hotel Management Programme at the School of Tourism & Hospitality Management in the Univer-sity 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 lon-gevity of the Fijis tourism industry.

InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa is part of the In-tercontinental Hotel Group (IHG). With over 4,700 ho-tels in over 110 countries and territories there is liter-ally a world of opportunity for IHG employees who as-pire to grow and develop their careers.

q PRESS RELEASE

New Usp Interns Join Intercontinental Fiji

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 InterCon-tinental 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 De-velopment Manager - MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Con-ference & Events) and will be responsible for the daily management of the MICE and Weddings sales team and to generate new busi-ness for the resort. She has been with the Resort since 2011 and has held roles in Marketing and recently Busi-ness Development Manager (BDM) Leisure.

I am thrilled to take on this new challenge, says Ms. Natuilagilagi. This role is a pivotal one and Im look-ing 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 Co-ordinator, 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 strat-egies to improve the resorts digital marketing efforts in addition to her current re-sponsibilities.

The past few months have been a great learn-ing curve for me, says Ms. Law. I look forward to this new challenge and work-ing closely with Director of Leisure Sales & Marketing, Hudson Mitchell, to gener-ate awareness and business

online a key priority for In-terContinental Fiji.

The InterContinental Fiji weddings team also recently welcomed Vaiete Teannaki as Conference & Weddings Coordinator; following the appointment of Jane Mad-den-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 administra-tive and service support for wedding clients and attend to the delivery of clients re-quests prior, during and fol-lowing their events.

2014 was an enlighten-ing year where I experi-enced cross-training across the resort, says Ms. Tean-naki. Event management has always been a per-sonal 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 Ser-vice 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 ca-reer and work with the out-standing team to make our guest experiences more memorable!

With a team commit-ted to excellence, the wed-

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 interna-tional scene as well.

We are very fortunate to have a wealth of local talent here in our Sales & Market-ing team, adds Area Direc-tor 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 satisfac-tion when we are able to promote people from within our organisation to these important roles - it demon-strates the depth of talent that we have.

Room to Grow IHG sup-ports and develops their q PRESS RELEASE

people to pursue significant careers. This is achieved through personal devel-opment plans, structured learning, on-the-job reviews, and the IHG job referral pro-gram.

InterContinental Fiji Golf 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 fa-cilities and services expect-ed of luxury international resort.

Luxurious InterContinental Fiji on Natadola Bay aerial view. Photos: SUPPLIED. Marketing & E-Commerce Coordinator Florence Law.

Business Development Executive Jane Madden-Lesavua. Business Development Manager MICE Vara Natui

Conference & Weddings Coordinator Vaiete Teannaki.



BUSINESS NEWS



BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD



ENTERTAINMENT



LOCAL SPORTS

FRU Renews Partnership with Oceanic Communications Fiji Ltd

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 de-sign and development, on-line and offline marketing, intranet and extranet com-munications, email market-ing, web hosting, graphic and print design, branding and identity, and print and project management. Oce-anic caters for clients in Fiji, the South Pacific and around the world.

Oceanic Communica-tions Limited Chief Execu-tive Officer Mr David Eyre said the partnership will surely endorse several prod-ucts 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 con-tinue this partnership and be associated with a growing global brand.

In addition to the online services Oceanic Commu-nications will also provide offline and marketing ser-vices to ensure consistency in FRUs visibility.

This also includes an im-mediate standardisation of the FRU brand and the de-velopment of an FRU Brand Style Guide.

FRU Chief Executive Offi-cer Mr Radrodaro Tabualevu said the 3-year partnership will see a major transforma-tion in all of FRUs online channels beginning with its website fijirugby.com.

The fijirugby.com site will go-live on M

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