52 articles tagged "opinion"
Yadra Vinaka. Namaste. Kia ora, G’day. yokwe, Mulame, Morning, morning. Thank you for the invitation to speak at your annual convention this morning. In this session, I intend to address the thorny question of ho
When the Fijian Teachers Association suggests reintroducing corporal punishment (i.e. using leather belts) as a means of discipline in schools, it raises urgent questions about how to foster sustainable self-regulation
It seems that Commissioner Tudravu is finally waking up to what the statistics are telling us about hemp production throughout Fiji. In the Fiji Times of 04/09, Mr. Tudravu confidently stated that hemp is the top cash c
If 45,000 cannabis plants were uprooted in Kadavu then it clearly means that these farmers had a market for a conservative estimate of 2.5 tonnes of product. And we know that we are not currently exporting cannabis! The
Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to be a powerful catalyst of social and economic development for Pacific Island countries. It has the potential to support solutions to long-standing challenges critical to their su
Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme workers and employers consistently rate healthcare, including access to sexual and reproductive health services, as a primary concern. However, little is known about their
In the rush to modernise Fiji's public transport system, we've created a divide that leaves many stranded – literally. The recent chaos at Suva Bus Stand, where hundreds of commuters were left unable to travel home du
Fiji's future is built in its classrooms, but those classrooms are crumbling. Our survey of 107 school leaders nationwide found that 80.4% deem the Free Education Grant (FEG) insufficient to meet basic needs, let alone
A quiet crisis is unfolding in classrooms across our country. While officials tout the Free Education Grant (FEG) policy, the reality on the ground tells a different story. School buildings are deteriorating, technology
There has clearly been some tension at the top over the last week or so. Don’t panic not the change of Government kind, those days are over, but there has certainly been some soul searching as the Coalition Government
We thought it was time to take a break from domestic “navel gazing’ and focus instead on Fiji and its position in the world post Donald Trump taking power. Following our return to real democracy the world has b
As with constitutions Fiji has a proud record of sampling electoral systems. Each process has its advocates but apart from our previous Government there aren’t many fans of the Open List single electorate system. Part
Many of the major defects of Fiji’s present electoral system could be remedied if there were multiple constituencies. Electoral Law Reform Commission chairman, Daniel Fatiaki is right that Fiji’s open lis
If you thought Fiji had set records in the world of constitutional law, you would be wrong. We have a long way to got to match the Dominican Republic who have had in total thirty-eight different constitutions.
Picking up on our last column’s theme we thought we would stay focused on what is clearly being identified as a core problem .......“getting stuff done†...... in Government. The recent Straight Talk with Dep
This week around the YB we had yet another of those frustrating conversations about the lack of progress in our medical system. You might recall we highlighted five key measures, in our first column of 2025, that the Go
Suva’s elite have been consumed in recent weeks not by “saving the nation†but tied up in the current Commission of Inquiry into the appointment of Barbara Malimali. It would seem there are a few in Government who
Apologies for the extended break from YB but we are back, reinvigorated for 2025. We have been reminiscing around the Yellow Bucket about the good old days when Fijians were able to take a break from national “drama
The election of the Speaker of the House and paramount chief Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu as our next head of state was the culmination of a short but intense period of “vanua†politics. As we discussed in our previous c
Every now and then, the mysterious world of iTaukei politics pops its head above the surface, catching the uninitiated by surprise. It seldom is what it first seems to be. The recent sudden announcement by the Pri
