7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
1/24
MAY 2015. ISSUE 65 www.thejetnewspaper.com 50 CENTS
Westerners ReignBy IVA DANFORD - NAISARA
The top western-based schoolsin the 2015 Coca Cola Games werecrowned the champions of thebiggest secondary school athleticscompetition in Fiji.
Jasper Williams High Schooland Natabua High School madehistoric win at the Coca-ColaGames bringing both the titles inthe western division for the firsttime ever.
Jasper defended their title fora third successive year, whileNatabua won its first title in theboys division.
Natabua coach Sairusi Naiyukusaid they had a theme this yearwhich was to stay humble andsimple.
We never underestimated anyof the schools because we knowthey also came prepared but wehad to be one step ahead of them,he said.
Coach Naituku said they haveachieved the expectations ofthe supporters and whole of thewestern division are behind theNatabua success.
He praised the performance ofthe athletes and thanked the sup-port of the family and friends of the
school.On the other hand, reigning girls
champion Jasper had a confidentstart and was in full force till theend of the two-day meet.
Jasper Williams coach AntonioRaboiliku said they came this yearwith an objective of where they leftoff last year.
We knew that we had tostep up not only as the defendingchampion but in everything that
we do in regards to the 2015 cokespreparations, he said.
Raboiliku said this year theirpreparations were far much betteras their athletes are getting moreconfident and the training programthat they use is more scientificbased.
I think the western schoolsnow realize that they do not needto use facilities like the ones in thecoke to achieve goals in big games
like the Coca-Cola Games, Raboi-liku added.
Jasper walked away with a to-tal of 21 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronzewhile Natabua scooped 17 gold, 11silver and 5 bronze medals.
Meanwhile, Gospel HighSchools sprinter and best femaleathlete, Younis Bese has brokenMakelesi Bulikiobos 18-year-oldrecord in the 200 metres SeniorGirls event.
The Coca-Cola Games rst-time overall Boys division winner NatabuaHigh School celebrate with chief guest Minister for Education Dr MahendraReddy andThird-time girls division champion Jasper Williams High Schoolstudents and fans in jubilation. Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.
Bese ran in a time of 24.98 sec-onds in the 200 metres heats whileBulikiobos record stood at 25.14seconds.
Best male athlete, Mustafa Fallsof Marist Brothers High School,also set two new records in the se-nior boys shot put and discus.
The Coca-Cola Games 2015 hadan exciting finish as both the boysand girls title went to the two Lau-toka schools.
FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
2/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
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 Pacic, Fiji has everything that a spectacular tropical paradise has to oer -
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 oers
q IVA DANFORD - NAISARA
THE JETis Fijis rst community newspaper published bi-monthlybyYOURSPACE LIMITEDfrom Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.
PUBLISHER : SAMUEL SHANKAR Cell: 9966115
EDITOR : ANUSHIL KUMAR Cell: 9203847PRODUCTION : MUNAUWAR KHAN Cell: 9222456
NEWS : IVA DANFORD - NAISARA Cell: 7302604ADVERTISING : MARGARET NAQIRI Cell: 9360047
: ARON GOUNDAR Cell: 9203790
OFFICE PHONES : 6707075 / 6750443EMAIL : [email protected]
: [email protected] : www.thejetnewspaper.com
PRINTED BY DAVUI PRINTERY LIMITED, 12 BAKA PLACE, LAUCALA BEACH ESTATE, SUVA
Phone: (679) 3394755. LAYOUT BY MUNAUWAR KHAN
Bonus Payments forLandowners
As Mothers Day drawcloser, we tend to comeacross different sort ofideas on the gifts to giveour mums.
These gifts are to lether know how muchyou love and appreciateher.
Its also the time ofthe year when moth-ers, grandmothers andwives will be showeredwith gifts, from theirloved ones to expresstheir love and gratitude.
Some people call,send a card, or haveflowers or a gift deliv-ered to their mum.
Cherish YourMums
It is a day of celebra-tion for families withtheir mother, and a timeto reflect on the impor-tance of mothers in theirlives.
Mothers Day in Fiji isalways celebrated andobserved on SecondSunday of May eachyear.
Cheques with a to-tal of $1 million dollarswere handed out byFiji Pine Limited Groupas part of the Lease Se-curity Bonus Payment(LSBP) to landownerson Thursday, April 16.
Officiating the event,chief guest Prime Min-ister Voreqe Bainima-rama said it is by farthe biggest of the threeLSBP payments thathave been made sinceFebruary last year.
The two previouspayments combinedamounted to just$780,000 dollars, and itis wonderful to see this
third payout reach themillion dollar mark,said Mr Bainimarama.
He said the chequesalso followed previouspayments for stump-age and levies that
amounted to $2.85mlast year.For the 2014 finan-
cial year, the Grouprecorded an unprec-edented consolidatedoperating profit of$21.27 million dollarsand just four years be-fore, in 2010, the Grouphad consolidated loss-es of around $5 milliondollars.
Bainimarama saidthis is a truly remark-able turnaround of $26million dollars in theGroups performance
and a genuine causefor the industry, indeedthe whole nation, tocelebrate.
Fiji Pine Group ex-ecutive chairman FaizKhan said it was thelargest of a total ofthree lease securitybonus payments in-troduced in 2013, withthe payments depen-dent on the size of the
The Fiji National Provi-
dent Fund (FNPF) is urging
Employers to contact the
Fund should the need forassistance arise with com-
pleting the newly formatted
Contribution Schedule (CS)
forms.
FNPF Chief Executive, Mr
Aisake Taito said the Fund
will assist employers who
are not familiar with these
CS forms.
He said the employers
must seek assistance to en-
sure accuracy in completing
the forms and avoid hefty
penalties which will be en-
forced by FNPF soon.
Its important that these
Employers voluntary come
forward for assistance, Ta-
ito said.
We have an obligation to
ensure that they know how
to fill these forms to avoid
hefty penalties which FNPF
will soon enforce on late
submissions of these forms
along with the contributions
as specified under the FNPF
legislation.
He said employers have a
duty to ensure that the data/
records provided in the CS
forms are accurate as it is a
condition that must be met
before the contributions are
posted to member accounts.
Some common inaccura-
FNPF to Assist Employers with ContributionSchedule Forms
leased land.The six forest-based
companies in Lololo,Nadi, Nabou, Ra, Buaand Macuata also re-ceived six new ToyotaHilux vehicles worth$400,000.
The Fiji Pine LimitedGroup has announceda record profit of closeto $21.3 million for itsfinancial year 2014.
cies that employers contin-
ue to make when submitting
the CS forms are submission
of incorrect TIN numbers,
employees details carrying
incorrect FNPF Numbers,
incorrect salary information
and employers paying incor-
rect FNPF contributions.
Mr Taito said inaccuracy
of information submitted to
the Fund has resulted in de-
lays when it comes to direct-
ing members contribution.
It has also led to increase
in employees contributions
being directed to the Funds
suspense account.
Mr Taito urged members
to continuously check their
FNPF accounts to ensure
that their contribution have
been directed into their
FNPF account.
Members need to also
take the initiative to verify
and update their personal
details and not wait to verify
their details when they apply
for assistance.
Members can verify and
update their personal de-
tails at any FNPF office near
them.
We need to all work to-
gether in ensuring that data
submitted to the Fund are
accurate as this would fur-
ther safeguard our mem-
bers interest and would
also ensures that members
are able to receive timely
services when accessing
their funds.
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
By IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
3/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 3
LOCAL NEWS
The locally-renowned Fi-jian Masi artist and designerof Fiji Airways logo, Makere-ta Matemosi passed away ather home in Lami on Mon-day, April 27.
Makereta created a newidentity which demonstrat-ed that there was more toFiji than stunning islands,by focusing on the warmthof its people, its rich culture,and the unique experiencesit offered.
Fiji Airways board direc-tor Stefan Pichler was sad-
dened to learn the death ofMakereta.
He said Makereta will bedeeply missed by the Fiji Air-ways family and the countryas a whole.
The Fiji Airways Groupis deeply saddened by newsof the passing of MakeretaMatemosi, the person whowas commissioned to de-sign our masi logo.
Her collaboration withus has led to much acclaimand appreciation of our newlogo. Our thoughts are withMakeretas family at thistime.
Logo DesignerPasses Away
The locally-renowned Fijian Masi artist and designer of FijiAirways logo, Makereta Matemosi. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Fiji should establish agenuine Fijian identity with anew national symbol which
is a new flag to replace theone with colonial symbols.
These were the words ofthe Honorable Prime Minis-ter Voreqe Bainimarama atthe Ratu Navula Cadet pass-
ing-out on April 22.According to Mr Baini-
marama, the new flag is in-tended to hoist on Fiji Day,October 10.
Never forget that only byworking together as one na-tion - each of us playing our
part - can we achieve great-ness.
We can achieve our vi-sion of a better and fairernation for us all, no matterwhom we are or where we
come from, Mr Bainima-rama said.
He urged the generalpublic to contribute theirideas to this noble endeavorto strengthen our identityand generate even more na-tional pride.
Mr Bainimarama addedthat this would be a historicoccasion for Fiji as a whole.
The national competitionto design the new flag entryclosed on May 1.
New Flag to Strengthen Fijian IdentityBy IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
In his speech at the Ma-godro District School Cadetpass-out parade on May 1,Mr Bainimarama said theyhave received more than500 individual entries in thenational flag competition.
Im happy to report that
we have had a wonderfulresponse from ordinary Fiji-ans to our call for a new flagthat all of you will stand be-fore and salute for the rest ofyour lives, he said.
He added they havecome from all walks of life,from young people to thevery old.
Im told there are somevery imaginative entries andit may well be that the finaldesign reflects the work of a
few people rather than justone or two. But I can as-sure you as Prime Ministerthat we will come up with adesign we can all be proudof, no matter who we are or
where we come from.He thanked the Fijian
people for embracing thenoble initiative so eagerlyand have shown their desireto embrace a new flag thatwe can all be proud of as Fi-jians and speaks to all today,
not our colonial past.
By ANUSHIL KUMAR &
IVA DANFORD-NAISARA
PM Impressed withCadet-Passing Out
The Ratu Navula CollegeCadet Pass-out was a won-derful scene as dozens ofyoung Fijians lined up look-ing disciplined and splendid.
This was according to thechief guest Honorable PrimeMinister, Voreqe Bainima-
rama at this years Cadetpass-out held at the schoolground on Wednesday, April22.
The manner in whichyou have just paraded be-fore me does great credit toyourselves, to the Ratu Na-vula College and to our be-loved nation, he said.
I am inspired when Iattend events like this be-
cause I know that the futureof our beloved Fiji will be ingood hands when my owngeneration passes into his-tory and our young peopleassume responsibility forour nations destiny.
Mr Bainimarama urgedthe cadets that whateverthey choose to do, the les-sons of discipline, patrio-tism, duty, integrity and hon-
or that they have learnedas cadets should stay withthem all their lives.
It a great day for RatuNavula College as it hasserved the people of Nadifor 41 years.
Mr Bainimarama said thecadets turnout, drill andbearing are the highest stan-dards that they should beproud of.
By IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
Ratu Navula cadets led by the school head boy Apimeleki Kolinisau. Photo: iVA DANFORD - NAISARA.
Double Celebrationfor Magodro
District School
Magodro District Schoolof Ba had an historic occa-sion as they held their an-nual Passing out Parade and
the official opening of a newSchool Library on May 1st.
Chief Guest of the dayPrime Minister Voreqe Baini-marama commended onthe turnout saying that thestudents look absolutelymagnificent standing so talland proud.
As primary students,you really are showingmany high school studentshow these parades shouldbe done. So congratula-tions on your marching anddrill, which is a great credit
By IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
to you, your parents, yourschool, your community andour nation.
He said these paradesteach you discipline and thequalities of bearing attentionto details that will help youimmensely when you growolder.
We want you to live
disciplined lives, be loyal toyour leaders and becomebetter citizens of our be-loved nation. Because oneday, you too will assumeleadership positions in vari-ous walks of life and this ishelping to set you off on theright path, he added.
Mr Bainimarama said hewas also delighted to offi-cially open the schools newLibrary, which is a wonder-ful addition to the schooland urged them to makeuse of it.
You boys and girls havebeen given the best oppor-tunity any Fijian has everhad to get an education andeventually get well-paid, in-teresting jobs.
He said they have givenfree schooling and relievedthe fee burden on parentsthat kept so many of themfrom being able to go to orcompleting school them-selves.
You are never too youngto learn the discipline and
teamwork that comes fromthe training you are reeivingI say it all over the coun-
try and Ill say it again in Ma-godro: it is a wonderful timeto be a Fijian as we have ahealthy economy growing ataround four per cent a year.
Mr Bainimarama said thisis giving them the means todeliver a whole lot of thingslike free eduction, betterroads, better health facilitiesand all those other improve-ments that are moving Fijiforward.
The Hon.Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at the opening of the new library of theMagodro District School.Photo: SUPPLIED.
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
4/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER4
LOCAL NEWS
Coca-Cola Games In Pictures
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
5/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 5
LOCAL NEWS
Graduating Class of Success
Forty-eight studentsgraduated from the Aus-tralia-Pacific Technical
College (APTC) on Friday,April 17, at the Vale Ni SoqoConference Room in No-
votel, Nadi.They graduated with im-
proved level of productiv-ity in the workplace withqualifications in Healthand Community Services,Education, Business andManagement, Hospitalityand Tourism.
Chief guest and Minis-ter of Employment, Pro-ductivity and IndustrialRelations Honorable JiojiKonrote said the gradu-
ates should be relieved butmore importantly proud of
what they have achievedthrough their hard work.
There is no substitutefor hard work as the key tosuccess in life. Well doneand you can return to thereal world of a very com-petitive job market outthere with a satisfying feel-
ing of being rejuvenated,Hon. Konrote said.
He urged the graduat-ing class of now having asense of renewed accom-
plishment with their newqualifications that will im-prove their work positions.
Hon. Konrote also ac-knowledged the contribu-
tion of the Australian Gov-ernment and the tutorsand staff of APTC.
APTC is a developmentinitiative funded by the
Australian Government todeliver training and to in-crease the supply of skilled
workers in targeted sectorsin the Pacific region. APTC
Hon. Jioji Konrote with the graduates aer receiving their awards. Photo IVA DANFORD
By IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
has campuses in Fiji, Sa-moa, Vanuatu, Papua NewGuinea and Solomon Is-lands.
The Honorable Minsterfor Education, Heritage andArts Dr. Mahendra Reddybelieves there was a needto major mindset change ofUnions in this country.
The change in mindsetrequires collective sharingof the output that the em-ployer is after, he said.
Speaking at the FijianTeachers Association Con-
ference, he said unionsshould identify poor per-formers and provide coun-selling and caution letters tothose who are not at par towhat is expected of them.
Dr Reddy also urged theemployees in the publicsector to change their mind-
sets and adopt this call forcollective responsibility as itis in the private sector.
If we fail to deliver onto the output, the employerwill fail and thus the employ-ee should also share the lossin output.
He also urged the unionssubmit to him a list of namesfrom their members whoare not performing andshould be demoted or dis-ciplined for shortchangingthe employer, the studentsand bringing disrepute to the
profession.Dr Reddy also wished to
express his heartfelt appre-ciation to all the contribu-tions done to the educationsystem to date.
Union Urged to Step-upBy IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy. Photo: SUPPLIED. Teachers are at the
heart of every educa-tion system. Study afterstudy shows that thesingle most importantfactor that determinesthe quality of educa-tion a child receives isthe quality of his or herteacher.
These were thewords of the HonorableMinster for Education,Heritage and Arts Dr.Mahendra Reddy at theFijian Teachers Asso-ciation 2015 Conferencewhich was held at the
Suva Civic Auditoriumon Tuesday, April 28.In his keynote ad-
dress, Dr. Reddy saidteachers play a key rolein our life and have amajor share in shapingit.
They tell us whatachievement meansand teach us what ittakes to accomplishsomething in life and todream big and to neverfear failures, Dr Reddyemphasized.
He said the theme ofAppreciating TeachersContribution in the Soci-ety was appropriate fordiscussion in todays ed-ucation system becausethe teaching professionis an asset in improving
education delivery.He added teachersought to be given the re-spect and appreciationthey deserve for mould-ing generations and gen-erations of greatness.
Teaching is not easy.Unlike popular self-be-lief, not everyone can bea teacher.
Dr Reddy concludedby saying that greatteachers teach the stu-dents to believe thatnothing is impossible.
By IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
Teachers
Reminded oftheir Value
Turtle Talk Launched
on Earth DayTurtle Talks, which is the
first of its kind and is devot-ed to driving conversation toaccelerate positive change,was officially launched onEarth Day, April 22, by cre-ator Monica Laurence.
The purpose of this tur-
tle talk is to share the feel-ing of energy and spirit withthe world to inspire othersabout clean energy, Lau-rence said.
She said the only way toachieve this is by believingthat everything is beautiful.
Fiji is the best place todo it because Fijians arethe happiest people in theplanet.
Laurence also launched38 videos filmed from the
first Talks which were heldfrom 2013 in Turtle Island.
The inaugural talks in-cluded five experts in cleanenergy which lead the con-versation in imaging a futurein which we live with 100%clean and renewable en-ergy.
She said anything thatdoes not pollute is clean en-ergy.
I believe that there is apurpose and there is also a
need to include experts inFiji in tackling this major is-sue, she said.
Laurence also describedthese Talks as a boost in Fi-jis tourism industry.
Filmed on the Island,Turtle Talks invites leadingthinkers and doers to oneisland to discuss solutionsto the biggest issues facingpeople and planet.
By IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
6/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER6
LOCAL NEWS
Punjas Signed-Up
with DigicelThe Punjas Group has
switched their entire mobiletelecommunication servicesto Digicel Fiji.
This was announced byDigicel Fiji on Friday, Apri 17,at the Punjas Head Office in
Lautoka.Digicel Fijis Chief Execu-
tive Officer Darren McLeansaid they were delighted tohave such a well-respectedcorporate like Punjas joiningthe list of customers that arenot only leveraging Fijis bestdata network but are takingadvantage of significant costsaving on their mobile bills.
He said it is when theywork with partners like thisthat demand cutting edgeservices where they can re-ally see the benefit of Digi-cels $70million network up-grade investment that wascompleted last year.
This is a fantastic win forDigicel Fiji and it also high-lights the growing strategicalliance between the twocompanies that have a sig-nificant footprint both in Fijiand throughout the Pacific,said Mr McLean.
In welcoming the PunjasGroup, Mr McLean said oneresult that will be felt im-mediately by Punjas is theeffect of this deal to the bot-tom line and Punjas monthlymobile telecom bill will besignificantly reduced.
Punjas senior manag-ing director Nitin Punja saidthey went through an exten-sive bid process ensuringthey got the best deal in themarket.
Communication is thelifeblood of our businessand hence there was a needto ensure we got a qualityservice at the best rates,said Mr Punja.
He said Digicel Fiji madethe process easy and theylook forward to a long part-nership.
Punjas senior manager director Mr Nitin Punja and Digicel CE0 Darren McLean. Photo: SUPPLIED.
By IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
7/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 7
EDUCATION
q DEPTFO
The usage of informa-tion combined with moderntechnology is critical to en-hancing the consumptionof land and resources forprogress, says the Ministryof Sugar Industry.
Industrys acting per-manent secretary ParmeshChand made these com-ments during the forum onGeographical InformationSystem and Remote Sens-ing (GIS/RS) User InterfaceForum at the First Landingresort in Vuda, Lautoka onTuesday, May 5.
He said the promotionopportunity for investmentand economic develop-ment is highly dependent onmodern technology.
Due to the vast improve-ment in technology andrecognition of the impor-tance of encompassing sea,air and land information,Government revived andstrengthened the Fiji Geo-Spatial Information Man-
agement Council formerlyknown as the Fiji Land Infor-mation Council, Mr Chandsaid.
This is intended to pro-mote the development andmanagement of Geo-Spatialinformation in Fiji on a moreintegrated and comprehen-sive basis.
Recognising the impor-tance of Geo-Spatial Infor-mation, Fiji pushed for adop-tion of a special resolutionon this subject at the UnitedNations General Assembly.
It was for the first timerecognized and accepted bythe General Assembly.
The sugar industry GISportal was launched in Fiji inNovember last year.
It boosted the Ministry ofSugars authentication for its2015 budgetary submissionresulting in a budget provi-sion for Sugar Cane IndustryGIS of $938,170.00.
Mr Chand said he sharedthis information as it waspart of the objective of theforum adding that informa-tion sharing should be doneamongst the users.
Information Sharing Vital forDevelopment
I am sharing this withyou today (Tuesday, May 2)because this is part of theobjective of this Forum toshare information, data andrelevant experiences so thatmembers could learn andbenefit from them.
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
For what is it is worth,the sustainability of this GIS/RS User Forum will requirehuge leaps of faith. Usersmust come together in faithto share information. With-out this, it may be difficult.
He said sustainability is
about relevance.It is our plea to you all, as
members of the GIS/RS UserForum, that you will contin-ue to work together througha spirit of open dialogue,willingness to share dataand information, establish-
ing communication links,both domestic and offshoreand providing access to thelatest software for the ben-efit of all.
Participants at the 2015 forum on Geographical Information System and Remote
Sensing User Interface Forum. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Leadership in schoolsmatter and we expect de-livery, said the Ministerfor Education, Heritageand Arts Hon. Dr Mahen-dra Reddy.
The Minister stressedthis point when he deliv-ered his keynote addressat the Future Leaders
Workshop Phase One inLabasa.
The meeting was anopportunity for the Min-ister to reiterate to thesenior education officialsin the North on Govern-ments commitment tomaking education easilyaccessible.
You must win their(students) confidenceand trust, it is your job toreach out to the teach-ers and children and youmust know your staff
well, said Minister Red-
dy.He said that in order
to compliment educationassistance, leadership inschools is a vital part ofthis process and the Min-istry expects a delivery ofthe management outputto create a knowledge-based society.
Any leader has to firstunderstand the wholebusiness process andthe productive processof what are the inputs
and all leaders shouldnot lose sight of the out-put they have to deliver,Minister Reddy said.
In education, thereis an outcome that wetarget; this governmenttargets for a knowledge-based society.
This is an outcome
and we are here to deliv-er onto this outcome but
we must play our part.You all play a very
important role in deliv-ering the output which
will deliver that outcome,the outcome is qualified,educated people, and we
want you to deliver this.Minister Reddy said
leaders must talk withconfidence, have thor-ough knowledge in sub-
ject matters and be ableto boost the young peo-ple and teachers.
Leadership in Schools Vital toEducational Development
Dr Mahendra Reddy at the Future Leaders Workshop in Labasa.
Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy at the Future Leaders Workshop. Photos: DEPTFO.
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
8/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER8
ADVERTISEMENT
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
9/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 9
LOCAL NEWS
Ginger aLucrative
Commodityfor Export
TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE CREATION
AGE, LOCATION OR
QUALIFICATIONIS NO BARRIER
TO LEARNING ATTHE UNIVERSITYOF THE SOUTH
PACIFIC LAUTOKACAMPUS
Do you want to study while
working and living with your
family?
Learn in a relaxed & flexible
environment
Do you have experience
but wish to upgrade yourqualification?
Do you wish to study through
USP Lautoka Campus
APPLICATION FOR
ADMISSION TO SEMESTER II,
2015 IS NOW OPENED.
Application form is available at the USP Lautoka
Campus Front Office Counter and accessible
online via: www.usp.ac.fj/student
USP Lautoka Campus offers Certificate, Diploma,
Degree, postgraduate programmes and courses
from the three faculties Faculties of Arts, Law &
Education, Faculty of Business & Economics and
Faculty of Science, Technology & Environment andPacific TAFE.
For more information contact via email:
[email protected] or telephone: 6666800.
Government has identi-fied ginger as one of thepriority commodities dueto its potential for food andincome security and provid-ing employment to the localfarmers.
As such the AgricultureMinistry is making concert-ed efforts in revitalising theginger industry in a bid toincrease production and itscontribution to the Gross Do-mestic Product (GDP).
The industry which in-cludes both the immatureand mature ginger is cur-rently worth $12 million butit is likely to increase in fu-ture.
Speaking in Parliamentrecently, the AgricultureMinister Inia Seruiratu saidGovernment was making allefforts to make ginger as amajor export commodity.
Mr Seruiratu told themembers of Parliamentthat following the accessto export to the Australianmarkets, Government sawginger as one of the prioritycrops which had a potentialfor income and food securityand employment for manyFijian farmers.
He said in a bid to in-crease production, Govern-ment had increased its bud-get to $500,000 this year from$300,000 provided in 2014.
From 2006 2011 therewas no budget for ginger but
I salute the private sectorsespecially our farmers fornot abandoning this crop,said Mr Seruiratu.
Referring to the produc-tion figures in 2013, Fiji pro-duced 10,529 metric tonnesof both immature and ma-ture ginger which was an in-crease of 3477 tonnes com-pared to 7052 metric tonnesproduced in 2012.
Ginger from Fiji is export-ed to Australia, New Zea-land, European Union, USAand Canada.
He added that from2009 to 2011 export earn-ings of the immature ginger
was around $6million butit increased significantly to$12million in 2012 and 2013.
The increase in exportswas due to government in-vestment in the industry, afavourable and stable mar-ket price for ginger and Fijisaccomplishment to gain ac-cess into the Australian freshginger market, said Mr Se-ruiratu.
He said securing the Aus-tralian market provided Fiji agreat opportunity to furtherbroaden its economic baseapart from providing more
employment opportunitiesfor our farmers.
Mr Seruiratu acknowl-edged the work done bythe Pacific Horticultural andAgricultural Market AccessProgram (PHAMA) of theSecretariat of the PacificCommunity (SPC) and Bi-osecurity Authority of Fiji(BAF) in securing the Aus-tralian market.
The Ministry of Agricul-ture will focus on the qualityby adhering to the protocolsand pathways already estab-lished between Fiji and itstrading partners.
It will focus on improvingfarm management as it iscritical and goes with qual-ity.
There are currently a to-tal of 717 registered gingerfarmers in Fiji, 611 of whomare in the Central Divisionincluding areas of Navua,Namosi, Naitasiri, Rewa andTailevu, 106 farmers are inthe Western Division andOvalau. There are also afew farmers in Ra, Kadavu,Lomaiviti and Vanua Levu.These farmers produce gin-ger for the local and exportsmarkets.
Frespac Ltd and KaimingAgro Processors Ltd are thetwo major companies buy-ing the locally grown gingerfor export but other few ex-porters like Sai Foods Ltd aresome of the latest compa-
nies who are investing intothis lucrative industry.The Managing Director
of Kaiming Agro ProcessingLtd (KAPL) Calvin Qiu saysthat there was a short supplyof ginger and is urging morefarmers to plant ginger forexport.
KAPL that produces andexports processed imma-ture ginger has about 300farmers that supply about1000 tonnes of ginger everyyear.
Majority of these farm-ers are from Naitasiri while
others are from Serua andNamosi.
Mr Qiu wants more farm-ers from Serua and Namosito plant ginger because theyare close to the factory andhave easy market access.
We will need 1200tonnes of immature gingerand 400 tonnes of matureginger this year, said MrQiu.
KAPL exports crystallizedand glazed ginger to USA,Australia, New Zealand, UKand Germany.
There is good demandfor processed Fiji ginger inNorth America and the Euro-pean Union as our ginger isof a very high quality, saidMr Qiu.
Fiji ginger had very lowheavy metal content andno trace of chemical dueto our pristine environmentand the traditional farmingpractices used by the localfarmers.
Agriculture Officer Serua/Namosi Virend Chand saidthat in 2013 about six acresof ginger was planted on theflatlands under the GingerDevelopment Program bysix farmers.
However, due to heavyrain in December 2013 andJanuary 2014 there was highrisk of Fusarium oxyspori-um a fungal disease, so thefarmers had to harvest im-mature ginger and could not
save any for planting mate-rial, he added.This year the farmers are
keeping the ginger to ma-ture and will use as plantingmaterial for the next gingerplanting season, said MrChand.
Ginger planting is target-ed on the upper Serua andNamosi to avoid flooding.
He said that farmersshould treat seeds with hotwater soon after harvestingfor the control of nematodesand Pythium rots in order toattain pest-free planting ma-terials.
Farmers with harvested ginger plants. Photo: SUPPLIED
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
10/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER10
Fiji Regarded as the BestShark Diving Destination
Tomasi RaiulaMaui Bay, Sigatoka
Its not good because theywont concentrate well inschool
Emosi Lasaqa
Narewa, Nadi
Not good, should be bannedfrom school
Desmond ArtackSuva
I think its a bad idea
Sue NasilasilaNasoso, Nadi
I dont think its the best idea.Everybody knows that cell
phones are a major distractionto todays society, ESPECIAL-LY the younger generation andyou cannot control that becausesociety changes with time and
technology
What do you think of Pri-
mary School students having
access to mobile phones in
school?
Sweet Tweets
LOCAL NEWS
The Shark Dive of Fijihas recorded a milestoneachievement in the Chi-nese dive industry.
This was after theyrightfully received theBest Shark Diving Desti-nation Award at the DiveResort Travel (DRT) Expoin Shanghai, China.
Tourism Fijis Market-ing Manager for the Asia
Market, Ms. Kathy Koya-maibole who was pres-ent at the Expo, receivedthe award on Fijis behalf.
She said Fiji attractedmost of the participatingcountries at the Expo.
Fijis shark dive wasdefinitely top of mindfor most of the dive clubsand visitors to the expo.
Fiji was voted as theBest Shark Diving Desti-nation after impressingthe EZDIVE Magazine
who carried out an analy-sis of its members (the
Chinese divers).The three-day event
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
provided the exhibitors achance to actively partici-pate and exchange infor-mation pertaining specifi-cally to the dive industry
ranging from destinationsto best diving techniquesand equipment.
The DRT Expo which isthe only professional div-
ing exhibition in China isdeveloped for the divingindustry of Shanghai.
It attracts exhibitors enthusiastic diving re-
sorts and live-aboard op-erators from all over the
Asia-Pacific region.
A new codeshare agree-ment between the nationalcarriers of Fiji and Vanuatu,Fiji Airways and Air Vanuatuwillsee seven flights a week
between the two island na-tions.Fiji Airways and Air Vanu-
atu will now offer their cus-tomers code-shareaccesson flights to and from PortVila as well as interliningca-pability from each airlinesgateway points, further ex-tending their respective net-works.
Fiji Airways will place itsFJ code on Air Vanuatuservices from Port Vila toSuva and Nadi. Air Vanuatuwill place its NF code onFiji Airways services fromNadi and Suva to Port Vila.
The agreement will al-
low customers to purchaseflights through all thedistri-bution channels on both air-lines, providing a seamlesstravelexperience within theSouth Pacific and connectiv-ity to other populardestina-tions including Los Angelesand Hong Kong.
Stefan Pichler, Fiji Air-ways Board Director com-mented: This newcode-share agreement betweenthe two airlines will ensuregreatercooperation, coordi-nation, and ultimately betteropportunities fortravel be-
tween Fiji and Vanuatu.Fiji Airways, as one of
the regions leading airlines,is always on thelookoutfor partnerships like thesewhich provide benefits toall parties commercially.Further than that, it furtherstrengthens the ties betweenthe Melanesian neighbours.
Our customers can nowenjoy better access to pop-
ular Vanuatu destinationslike Port Vila and Santo withthe convenience of a singlebooking.
Air Vanuatus chief execu-tive officer Joseph Laloyersaid the two airlines had along history of deliveringexceptional service through-out the Pacific.
We share commongoals to be leaders in ser-
vice delivery and topromoteour national interests. ForAir Vanuatu, this codeshareagreement means more op-portunity for overseas holi-daymakers to visit
Vanuatu, with smoothconnections from Asia andNorth America. Codesharepassengers can travel todestinations serviced byHithe two airlines on a single
ticket, with onward board-ing passes and
checked-through bag-gage to their final destina-tions (if allowed by
respective airports).
q PRESS RELEASE
Fiji Airways General Manager Revenue Management Shalend Nair, and Fiji Airways Regional General Manager Fiji and the PacicIslands Robert Rounds, shake on the new deal with Air Vanuatu CEO Joseph Laloyer, with Floyd Smith, Air Vanuatu GM Sales andMarketing. Photos: SUPPLIED.
Fiji Airways and Air Vanuatu SignCodeshare Agreement
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
11/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 11
LOCAL NEWS
Suva 338 4888 * Nadi 672 1777 * Labasa 881 1688 www.asco.com.fj
I LOVE MYTOYOTA SUVs
Trusted Toyota SUVs....durable with the best
RESALE VALUESVisit an Asco Motors nearest you to test drive one of our SUVs today
Popular features:
4.5L D iesel Turbo Automatic
Sun Visor with Mirror
Driver & Passenger, Curtain & Side
Air Bags
Leather Seats
Chrome Outside Door Handle
Tilt & Telescopic Steering
Reverse Camera
Popular features:
3.0L Diesel Turbo Automatic / Manual
Vehicle Stability Control
Driver & Passenger, Curtain & Side
Air Bags
Fabric / Leather Seats
Active Traction Control
Tilt & Telescopic Steering
AM/FM CD, USB with Blue Tooth
Popular features:
3.0L Diesel Turbo Automatic
Touch Screen Audio
Driver & Passenger Air Bags
Leather Seats
Rear Arm Rest
Dual Air Conditioner
AM/FM CD, USB, iPod with Blue Tooth
Popular features:
4.0L Petrol Automatic, 6 Cylinder
Power Mirrors
Driver & Passenger Air Bags
Assist Grip
Wireless Door Lock
Anti Locking Braking System
Popular features:
2.0L / 2.5L Petrol Automatic
Controls on Steering Wheels
Driver & Passenger & Side Air Bags
Fabric / Leather Seats
Daylight lights
Rain Sensors
AM/FM CD, USB with Blue Tooth
Member of:
The University of theSouth Pacific Lautoka Cam-pus had a timely visit fromthe Director of the Pacific
Technical and Further Edu-cation (Pacific TAFE) Has-mukh Lal who conductedan open forum for his Lau-toka-based students on May1st.
More than fifty studentstook advantage of the op-portunity to meet the Direc-tor and discuss issues abouttheir courses.
According to Mr. Lal, themain purpose of organiz-ing this forum was to inter-act with students and allowthem to share their learningexperiences and discuss thechallenges they faced.
He said there was a simi-
lar forum held for LaucalaCampus students earlierthis year which proved to bequite successful.
The students freelyraised their issues andconcerns and shared theirsuccess stories and this isexactly what we hope to en-courage in this forum. Yourfeedback is important to us;it will help us to improve in
terms of course delivery, ourservices, facilities and otherareas, said Mr Lal.
He added, one of the stra-tegic objectives of USP wasto establish the Pacific TAFEso that learning opportuni-ties could be extended to
students who do not qualifyfor/not interested in pursu-ing year 13 or foundationstudies but were keen onacquiring other skill basedqualification.
Mr. Lal said Pacific TAFEalso provided a wide arrayof short courses and train-ing opportunities aimed atraising the professional stan-dards/performance of work-ing students.
Our classes are struc-tured to cater for workingpeople, he said. We arevery flexible in terms ofmeeting the needs of thelabour market, therefore
we even offer winter andsummer flexi courses on de-mand.
Mr. Lal said Pacific TAFEalso focused on addressingthe issue of the increasingyouth bulge in the South Pa-cific by increasing the em-ployability of youth by pro-viding skill-based trainings.
Timely VisitBy IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
USP lautoka-Campus students during the visit of the Director for Pacic TAFE. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Andrew Redfern, whois Fijis first participant inthe international speedsailing competition, aimsto increase his Fiji Nation-al Sailing Speed record of40.87 knots (76 km/hr)
which he set in Luderitz,
Namibia last year.He has registered forthe 2015 Luderitz SpeedChallenge which is goingto be held later this yearand his goal is to attain 45knots (83 km/hr.)
My participation lastyear created a great dealof interest from the in-ternational press andamongst the Pro sailors
who all expressed a de-sire to visit and sail inFiji, he added.
Redfern said in hisexperience at the speedsailing he received somuch help and advice
from the pros that it re-ally helped him raise hislevel of sailing.
Armed with this newfound knowledge and ex-perience, I am confident Ican raise the level of therecord even further.
He said two of theworlds top windsurfingstars are intending to visitFiji to shoot a video aboutsailing as part of a series
on sailing spots aroundthe world.With a worldwide
audience in tens of mil-lions, this would create
wonderful publicity forFiji and promote us as thesailing and water sportsparadise that we trulyare, Redfern said.
Redfern is currentlylooking for sponsors tosupport the record at-tempt and urge anyone
with an interest in sailingor has a desire to pro-mote Fiji or their busi-nesses overseas to comeforward.
By IVA DANFORD-
NAISARA
Fiji National Sailing
Speed RecordAttempt 2015
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
12/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER12
LOCAL NEWS
The Fiji Womens CrisisCentre (FWCC) welcomedthe remarks by Prime Min-ister Voreqe Bainimarama
on the problem of intimatepartner violence in Fiji andacross the Pacific.
Bainimarama acknowl-edged the appalling inci-dence of family violenceneeded to be addressedas a matter of urgencyand that despite the govern-ments best efforts, a lot ofwork were still required toaddress it.
FWCC Coordinator Sha-mima Ali said the Prime Min-isters remarks highlightedthe issue of family violenceat a high political level andforced officials to take se-riously the zero-tolerance
policy towards domesticviolence.
The Prime Ministerscomments about the crisisof family violence in Fiji andthe Pacific is an importantpolitical step in giving newimpetus to the laws thatare already in place andthat should be protectingwomen and children, saidMs Ali.
Ms Ali continued: Thesimple message that vio-lence is not acceptable inany form is a milestoneevent for the struggle toeliminate violence against
FWCC welcomes PMs Speechon Family Violence
women and children in Fiji.However, she said it was
now up to the relevant of-ficials, especially the policeforce and social services, toenforce the laws relating todomestic violence.
We need police officerswho know the laws relatingto family violence and whowill not be influenced to ig- q PRESS RELEASE
FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali. Photo: SUPPLIED.
Suva 338 4888 * Nadi 672 1777 * Labasa 881 1688 www.asco.com.fj
From just $5 per daydiscover your freedom.Contact Asco Motors today for free no obligation rider training and Crypton test ride
Conditions apply
For the price of a coffee a day,discover freedom on yourCrypton.
nore them or who would ad-vise women against seekingredress through the judicialsystem.
She said laws governingdomestic violence were inplace but that police neededto do more to put them intoaction and to refrain frompassing judgement on thosewho report cases or from
bringing cultural consider-ations into play.
The Police Commission-er and all officers under himneed to know thoroughlythe legal provisions in placeand that are also somethingBainimarama has acknowl-edged.
The zero-tolerance policyon domestic violence has, in
theory, been in place sincethe late 1990s, but has onlybeen sporadically imple-mented.
Ms Ali said with Bainima-ramas unequivocal callingout of the government ser-vices that should be imple-menting this policy, it is nowup to the relevant officials tobegin to put it into practise.
We look forward toworking in greater collabo-ration with the governmentand its agencies to betteraddress the issue of familyviolence at all levels.
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
13/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 13
ADVERTISEMENT
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
14/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER14
TOURISM
A new $70 million five-star hotel to be built on De-narau Island is expected toenhance Fijis position as apremier holiday destination.
The hotel is part of a con-glomerate between Inter-Continental Hotels Groupand Avoser Limited.
Minister for Industry,Trade and Tourism Hon. Fai-yaz Koya whole-heartedlywelcomed the investmentinto the tourism sector.
He said the new venturewould provide great hospi-tality to the tourists visitingFiji.
We want our visitors tocome to Fiji and enjoy ourhospitality and not just stayin the hotels but go out andspend in our stores, Minis-
ter Koya said.Therefore, such high-
end retail and commercialdevelopments are crucialfor the growth.
Minister Koya said one oftheir main motives would beto feature the Fijian crafteditems in the retail outlets.
Apart from providing the
finest services, he said thesector will also ensure thatlocal market needs are alsobeing satisfied.
One day we want thesehigh-end retail outlets tofeature exclusive, authenticFijian crafted items, as ourdomestic duty free outletsare currently retailing.
It will be the perfectpartnership of internationalbrands working with do-mestic brands.
Whilst we provide thebest and friendliest services,we need to ensure that weare able to cater to our mar-
New $70m Hotel to BoostTourism Industry
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
kets needs in terms of extraactivities, especially high-end shopping.
It is very encouraging tosee Fijian entrepreneurs en-
tering the tourism and hos-pitality sector, Hon. Koyasaid.
The project, which isexpected to complete con-
struction after two years be-ginning from this year, willcreate 250 new jobs duringthe construction phase and180 Fijians will be employed
by InterContinental HotelsGroup when the Resortopens for business.
The Minister for Tourism at the consortium signing agreement between InterContinentalHotels Group and Avoser Limited. Photo: SUPPLIED
Fiji Airways, Fijis NationalAirline, and Fiji Link, its re-gional and domestic subsid-iary, reported their March2015 on-time performance(OTP).
Fiji Airways reported anOTP of 84.90% in March,compared to 88.61% in Feb-ruary, and 75.92% in January.Fiji Link recorded an OTP of94.0% in March, comparedto 91.90% in February and86.90% in January.
Fiji Airways Board Direc-tor Stefan Pichler stated: Itsgood to produce a consis-tent result, and ensure thatwere meeting our monthlyobjective of an above 80%OTP.
The results for Fiji Air-ways in March were im-pacted by issues related tominor mechanical issues,slow boarding and loadingof cargo.
We obviously want to
Fiji Airways Group Maintains
On-Time Performances for
March 2015keep this consistency forApril and the months tocome.
OTP is a global airlineindustry benchmark whichmeasures aircraft flight de-partures as being on timeif they depart from the gatewithin 15 minutes of the air-lines scheduled departuretime.
q FIJI AIRWAYS
Monetary Policy Stance
Remains Unchanged
The Reserve Bank of FijiBoard at its monthly meetingon 30 April agreed to main-tain the Overnight Policy Rateat 0.5 percent.
In announcing the deci-sion, the Governor and Chair-man of the Board, Mr BarryWhiteside stated that theFijian economy is expectedto perform better-than-antic-ipated in 2015 with growthprojections revised upwardto 4.3 percent from 4.0 per-cent.
Governor Whiteside high-lighted that the pressure on
foreign reserves remainsgiven Fijis growing importdemand for consumptionand investment relatedgoods.
The Governor stated thatin its current assessment,both objectives of monetarypolicy are considered to re-main comfortable over thenear term. Inflation rose to2.4 percent in March, from2.1 percent in February,mostly due to higher food,alcoholic beverages and to-bacco prices. However, therecent announcement on
the reduction in domesticfuel prices by the Fiji Com-merce Commission is ex-pected to ease inflationarypressures in the monthsahead. Foreign reserves arecurrently (30 April) around$1,857.0 million, sufficient tocover 4.6 months of retainedimports.
The Governor empha-sised that any change tomonetary policy will beguided in particular by thedevelopments on the out-look for foreign reserves
q RBF
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
15/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 15
TOURISM
Sofitel Fiji Resort Makes Initiativeto Mark World Earth Day
Forty five staffs of theSofitel Fiji Resort & Spacame out yesterday try-ing to do something forthe environment to mark
World Earth Day whichis celebrated today(April22).
The program is partof its Planet 21 initiativethat deals with the objec-tives in the hotel industry
which includes respon-sible eating, reducing wa-ter and energy consump-tion and prevention ofillnesses.
Sofitel Fiji GeneralManager Alan Burrowssays Sofitels parent com-pany, ACCOR tries to dosomething for the envi-ronment and the planet21 program initiativesevery year and this yearthey have come out toNadi District School torun a competition to tryand make the studentmore aware of recycling.
We brought them
some bins so that theycan do some recycling inthe classroom, said MrBurrows.
He said the actual pro-gram has been runningfor over 10 years as thecompany initiative andPlanet 21 is the 21 initia-tive that the hotel has tofollow regarding recy-cling and reusing.
We have various pro-grammes in the hotel tomake sure that we arenot throwing anything outthat can be used someother way, says Mr Bur-rows.
Nadi District SchoolPrincipal Meli Cabebulasaid he was glad andproud that of the initiativeSofitel and with the 647students in the schoolthey will now know howto manage rubbish.
Since our school hasentered the Nadi TownCouncil clean schoolcompetition earlier thisyear, the planet 21 pro-
gram is a great boost for the
school, said Cabebula.
q SOFITEL FIJI
Sotel Sta educating the students of Nadi District on how to maintain the 3Rs.Photo. IVA DANFORD.
Sriman JagdishbhaiTrivedi to visit Fiji
The well known narra-tor of Shastras from India,Sriman Jagdishbhai Trive-di will for the first timeever visit Fiji and deliverKatha in a well organizedand clear manner and he
will be a key attraction tohis audience.
This will be held on
the 16th, 23th, and 24th ofMay in Shri Vishnu Man-dir, Lautoka.
According to the Indi-an Cultural Society (NZ)Incorporated, Trivedissession of the narrationof shrimad Bhagvat Katha
was a very successful onein Wellington, New Zea-land on December 30th2006 and 7 January 2007.
All who attended feltthe miracle achieved, an
impressive feat espe-cially considering this
was his first Katha inpublic. His Knowledgeand expertise in puttinghis message across tohis devotees was of thehighest level and needsmore than simple ap-preciation. All wouldagree an amazing andmoving atmosphere
was created, quotedthe Indian Cultural So-
By IVA DANFORD -
NAISARA
By IVA DANFORD -
NAISARA
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
16/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER16
TOURISM
Captain Manu Rajappa
has been appointed the
new Chief Pilot and Manag-
er Flight Operations for Fiji
Link, its domestic subsidiaryby Fiji Airways on May 4th.
Fiji Link General Man-
ager Thomas Robinson said
Captain Rajappa will man-
age Fiji Links 71 pilots and
ensure the safety of the flight
operations.
This role is obviously
crucial in maintaining all of
our professional standards,
which includes on-going
training, mentorship, opera-
tional excellence and reli-
ability of Fiji Link.
Two other management
changes were announced
by Fiji Link as a result of
Captain Rajappas promo-
tion.
Captain Nitesh Prasad re-places Captain Rajappa as
Training Manager and will
act as ATR Fleet Captain
until a permanent appoint-
ment is made and First offi-
cer NeliVuatalevu has been
appointed Line Operations
Manager.
By placing another
home-grown professional
in the position of Chief Pi-
lot for Fiji Link, were very
clearly signalling our focus
on what Fiji Link offers Fiji-
an aviators a fulfilling pilot
progression pathway within
the Fiji Airways Group. We
aim to increase our comple-
ment ratio of locals to ex-
patriate pilots, and the newpilot management changes
announced today speak
volumes about the skills
and experience Fijian pilots
have.
These were the words of
Stefan Pichler, Fiji Airways
Board Director.
q FIJI AIRWAYS
Fiji Airways AnnouncesCaptain Manu Rajappa asFiji Links New Chief Pilot
International delegates,media, and Fijian tourism
service providers attend-ing the Fijian Tourism Expo(FTE) 2015 will have accessto Managed High-SpeedWi-Fi services so that every-one stays connected to theirbusiness during the three-day event in June.
This is after Digicel Busi-ness came on-board as amajor sponsor and con-firmed its commitment to Fi-jis premier tourism industryevent as the preferred tech-nology sponsor in its secondyear running.
Digicel will be showcas-ing its market-leading Busi-
ness Solutions services likeCloud Storage and Telepho-
ny to the hospitality industry,and at the same time pro-vide overseas guests, media,and local exhibitors withcomplementary access toFijis best and fastest inter-net connectivity.
Tourism Fijis Director ofEvents, Ms Sally Cooper says,There could not have beena better partner than Digicelto manage FTEs connectiv-ity needs. They did a greatjob last year and we are veryconfident that Digicel willprovide the best businesssolutions to keep everyoneconnected over the course
Digicel to Manage
FTE 2015
Connectivity Needs
of the three days expo.Registrations for FTE 2015
closed last Friday 1 May.FTE 2015 is scheduled to
take place from 16-18 Juneat the Sheraton ConventionCentre on Denarau Island.For more information andregistration, please visit FTE2015 website at fijitouris-mexpo.com.
q PRESS RELEASE
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
17/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 17
TOURISM
It is now the exciting
times for the tourism indus-
try of Fiji.
The industrys new un-
dertakings including new
advertising platforms are
endlessly being made ac-
cessible for Fijis tourism
industry to use as part of its
awareness campaign.
Minister for Industry,
Trade and Tourism Hon. Fai-
yaz Koya highlighted these
as he launched the Fiji Island
Living magazine in Nadi.
He said it is a great op-
portunity for Fijis tourism
industry to boost its market.
This is a very wonderful
opportunity to further mar-
ket Fijis tourism industry
and give readers another
opportunity to know more
about Fiji, he said.
Island Living magazine
is a renowned magazine
and they have done simi-
lar advertisements for our
neighbour countries and we
are grateful that they would
like to further boost the Fi-
jian tourism sector to its
readers on what a wonder-
ful destination Fiji is.
The magazine is de-
signed to give readers an in-
side view of Fijian living and
hospitality including various
tourism-based destinations.
Fiji Island Living maga-
zine editor Tiffancy Carroll
said the magazine will be
disseminated locally as well
as across the Pacific.The magazines would
be distributed in Fijian re-
sorts, around the Pacific and
travel agents in Australia,
Editor Carroll said.
The magazines would
also be available in 45 top
hotels in Australia including
lounges in more than 12 in-
ternational airports.
Minister LaunchesTourism Magazine
q TOURISM FIJI
Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Hon. Faiyaz Koya reading the newly launched tourism magazine.
Photo: SUPPLIED.
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
18/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER18
BUSINESS NEWS
The Consumer Councilof Fiji maintains its earliercall to Vodafone Fiji to im-prove its current 3G and4G Networks. The Councilreiterates that Vodafone
Fiji owes a better serviceto all its users and not justhollow promises such asultra fast speeds. We haveinformation from Voda-fone Fiji users where con-nectivity and advertisedspeeds do not match whatthey actually experience.There have been instanc-es where consumers hadchosen to downgrade theservice after Vodafone Fijicould not deliver 4G speedas advertised.
The issue is not simplyabout speed. Its about
promised speed and ac-tual user experience. Itsabout the need for moreaccurate information onservice delivery; which is
why the Council is callingfor a Broadband Disclo-sure Statement.
Any ISP selling productsbased on speed shouldguarantee speed whichshould be clearly disclosedon advertisements to cus-tomers and in customerservice contracts. Consum-ers signing up to a serviceneed to give their consent
that they understand theseterms and that there is noguarantee of 3G, 4G or
whatever speeds are beingadvertised by the ISPs. It is
baffling to note that Voda-fone continues to advertise4G and emphasizes speed.
It has been running ad-vertisements with phraseslike Enjoy 3G High SpeedMobile Broadband with Vo-dafone. (See: http://www.
vo da fo ne .c om .f j/ pa ge s.cfm/personal/specials-offers/now-with-95-3g-cov-erge-fiji-wide.html)
One should look at itsFAQs on 4G on its website:http://www.vodafone.com.
. In number 8 it saysIn a word Speed. Voda-
Improve The Services
fone 4G provides ultra fastspeeds and this means that
you can do more in lesstime
Vodafone says it has
never guaranteed speedsbut always made sure itadvised customers of therange of speeds on averagethey could expect Howdoes Vodafone communi-cate this to customers? Wehave not normally seensuch a disclaimer in its ad-
vertisements.In regards to illegal
phones and the laws/regu-lations, Vodafone needs tospecify the particular tech-nical rules and standardsas per Section 55 (3) and(4) of the Telecommunica-
tions Promulgation 2008.For the benefit of consum-ers, it would be really help-ful for Vodafone or TAFto make people aware of
these specific rules andstandards pertaining tomobile equipment anddevices. Instead of blam-ing consumers and someretailers of bringing in suchequipment, consumersshould be educated onthese requirements. Dothe right thing by makingall necessary disclosures!
Ms. Bindula Prasad
Officer-In-ChargeConsumer Council of Fiji
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
19/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 19
ADVERTISEMENT
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
20/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER20
BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
21/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 21
ADVERTISEMENT
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
22/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER22
LOCAL SPORTS
Wardens Gold WinsNawaka 7s
Wardens Gold wascrowned the championsof the Fiji Bitter Nawaka7s as they walked away
with $10,000 prize mon-ey after thrashing ArmyGreen 33-19 in the cup fi-nal at Prince Charles Parklast month.
Team coach MaxwellHughes said the boys putthings together and as a
team they won the tour-nament.This was their best
performance from all theothers that the boys havehad and there are a lotof things that we needto brush up on, Hughessaid.
He said during theirpreparations for the CoralCoast 7s, they need tobrush up on a few things.
We should have
scored more tries and got
more points but I guessthats the way rugby is,
when you lose concen-tration things go the other
way.In the womens cat-
egory, Striders defeatedNadi Blazers 20-12 whilethe Big Bula Lions wonthe Oldies title beatingSemisi Naevos NawakaOldies 26-12.
The Nawaka Sevenshad a total sponsorshipof $30, 000 for the tourna-ment.
During the officiallaunch at Nawaka Villageon April 15, Paradise Bev-erages Marketing manag-er Joe Rodan handed thecheque to the Tui Nawa-ka Ratu Asaeli Naevo.
The major sponsor ofthe Fiji Bitter Nawaka 7s,Paradise Beverages haspromised to continue itssponsorship in the yearsto come.
FRU AGM Concludes; New Board Also AppointedThe Fiji Rugby Union
(FRU) concluded its AnnualGeneral Meeting (AGM) atthe Novotel in Lami on Sat-urday, April 25, with the elec-tion of a new board of direc-tors.
The meeting was chairedby the recently appointedFRU President, Prime Min-ister Voreqe Bainimaramawith over ninety (90) unionofficials in attendance.
The outgoing ChairmanFilimoni Waqabaca in hisreport (presented by boardmember Dr Esther Wil-liams in his absence) saidthat turning the FRU to asustainable, financially andadministrative strong unionpracticing good governanceprinciples and processesand dedicated manage-ment team to continuouslyimprove and develop rugbyin Fiji, was their main objec-tive.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTSThe immediate actions
for the first two years in-
cluded a total organisationrestructure, budget deficitreduction plan, financialstability plan, improved rev-enue including sponsorship,improved financial and ITsystem, improved recordsystem, improved humanresources and governanceand Constitution review, DrWilliams explained.
In terms of governance,our target was to put inplace a new organisationstructure, new policies, HRand Recruitment Manual,
Staff reviews and assess-ment, Financial Manual andKPIs and contracts for staff,she said.
All sponsorship agree-ments underwent legal vet-ting and we ensured theFRU Logo was registeredand copyright finalised.
This was the most criti-cal issue we put right as al-most everyone was usingthe FRU logo illegally, Dr
Williams added.She said the introduction
of a new financial and re-cording system has been akey achievement.
FRU will now be ableto maintain financial andall other records to ensuretimely and accurate dataand information that will as-sist FRU in its operations.
But more importantly,it will ensure the transfer ofknowledge processes fornew and existing staff mem-bers which World Rugby(WR) highlighted in its re-view report, Dr Williams
said.In June 2014, World Rug-
by, after a series of meetingsand agreements, restoredfunding to FRU. For 2015,funding support is FJD5m.
Dr Williams said WorldRugby has agreed to workwith FRU as a partner andwill engage with FRU inpreparation for World Rugbyin September 2015; projectsthat will assist FRU bothin terms of operation andpolicy; training and capacitybuilding, governance and .
Wardens Gold players, fans and oicials celebrate aer winning the Fiji Bitter Nawaka Sevens at Prince Charles Park.Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.
By IVA DANFORD -
NAISARA
World Rugby is also pro-viding additional assistancein the new engagementincluding funding costs ofsenior management staff in-cluding a General ManagerRugby.
And this has largely beendue to the fact that WRnow acknowledges whatthe Board has achieved inthe areas good governance,management, , administra-
tion, games, and player wel-fare.
She said in February 2014a sponsorship consortiumagreement was signed withVodafone for cash and kindover a five year period. In2015 this sponsorship is bud-geted at FJD3.1m.
We thank Vodafone andits consortium partners fortheir support and commit-ment to rugby.
There are other spon-sors who have come onBoard, big and small, and Ithank them all on behalf ofthe Fiji Rugby Union Board,
Council and members fortheir continued support.
FRU total sponsorship incash and kind for 2015 totalsFJD4.2m.
The Government of Fijithrough the Fiji NationalSport Commission (FNSC)supports Fiji Rugby meetingthe costs of the 7s and 15scoaches as well as participa-tion of our teams in interna-tional competitions. We aregrateful to the Governmentof Fiji through the FNSC forthis strategic support.
Support from FASANOCis equally and warmly ac-knowledged.
When this Board took upoffice, revenues were downconsiderably. There was adeficit of FJD$606,647.00 in2012.
All the positive out-comes in the past twentyfour months have resulted ina healthy financial situationfor FRU.
As the approved audit-ed accounts show, from adeficit of FJD$606,647.00 in2012, this was turned aroundin 2013 with a surplus ofFJD$63,716.00 and in 2014a surplus of FJD$586,213.00.
This is a remarkableturnaround for a small or-ganisation in a short periodof time and is attributed tothe hard work and commit-ment of all Board membersand FRU management.
FRU has not been in theblack for many years.
Income for 2015 budgetfor FRU is about FJD12m.
This is not a small operation.The goal is to sustain andgrow this.
PARTICIPATIONFor Rugby, one signifi-
cant feature is the growth inplayer numbers.
In Fiji in 2014, participa-tion in rugby numbers wascollected and entered in adatabase for the first time.
The target is to increasethis number going forward.And for such a small num-ber of people participatingin rugby and the high level
of success we have hadon the international arenain the past 100 years, it issomething we should all beproud of.
Rugby certainly puts Fijion the map and continuesto be a unifying force in thecountry.
In terms of the supportfrom fans, they play an im-portant role and strengthenthe unifying force of the
game in Fiji. A partnershipwith fans and members ofthe community in submit-ting feedback on ideas onimproving rugby in Fiji willcontinue.
MOVING FORWARDGoing forward, the FRU
Board recognises that therewill be significant positivechallenges for the game.These include: in key growthareas including sevens andschool rugby.
Providing full support forour flagship team, the FijiMens Sevens Team, to en-sure they have the best re-
sources and opportunity tobe the No.1 Sevens team inthe World.
Constitutional Reviewto be approved. The cur-rent 2010 Constitution withchanges needs to be ac-cepted and endorsed at anAGM. This has gone througha legal panel. The changescould not be accepted be-cause of the lack of a quo-rum in two arranged AGMsin 2014.
Sustainability of FRU. It iscrucial that other sources of
revenues is found. Merchan-dise revenue has grown inthe past year and has muchpromise. The FRU brand is agood one and is supportedlocally and internationally.
Commercial opportuni-ties and investment to bepursued.
Keeping good accountsand financial reporting. Thisis a challenge for FRU aswell as all unions. Financial
woes have been longstand-ing and some improvementmust be made.
Rugby participation at alllevels needs to grow overthe next 5 years.
Communication be-tween FRU management,Board and unions must beimproved going forward.
A partnership in rugbystrategy must be imple-mented.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSTodays Annual Gen-
eral Meeting will be the endof the term of the currentBoard and we wish to thank
the Honourable Prime Min-ister and President of FRU,the Trustees and the Councilfor your faith in us to under-take a mammoth exercise toright the course of Fiji Rugby.
It has been an honour toserve the Council, the rugbycommunity and family, andall rugby fans in the past twoyears.
q CONTINUED ON PAGE 23
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
23/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 23
LOCAL SPORTS
Waqa Wins Golden Boot Award
PM Receives International
Olympic Committee President
Ba striker Saula Waqasfive goals in the Fiji AirwaysOFC Champions Leaguehave gained him the GoldenBoot Award.
The 19-year-old, who is
also the Vodafone Fiji Un-der20 striker, has dedicatedthe award to the two mostimportant women in his life-grandmother and mother.
Waqa netted a hat trickagainst Lupe Ole Soaga anda double against AS Pirae forthe Men-In-Black in the re-gional competition and be-came the first Fijian playerto win the top award.
Im very happy and lostfor words, he said.
I want to dedicate thiswin to my grandmotherSereana Waqanicakau andmy mother Inise Naituva.They are my biggest source
of inspiration and motiva-tion. Its their guidance,love, affection and supportwhich give me a reason todo better and make themproud.
My grandmother andmother are always theresupporting me in everygame I play and this awardis dedicated to them. I alsowant to thank my team-mates for all their support.
I could not have scoredthe five goals if they did notpass the ball to me. Footballis a team sport and I would
not have won this awardwithout them.
The lanky striker said theaward comes as a perfectmotivation for him aheadof the FIFA U20 World Cupwhere he aims to score
more goals for Fiji.Winning the Golden
Boot in a tournament whichhas some of the best strik-ers from around the world isvery special to me.
I would say this is a
lifetime award for me andsomething I will alwayscherish and look at to getmore motivation before mygames, he added.
Ba coach and VodafoneFiji U20 assistant coach Sha-
Saula Waqa receives his Golden Boot Award from Fiji FA President Rajesh Patel. Photo: SHANE WENZLICK / Phototek.nz
len Lal said this is a hugeachievement for Waqa ashe is the first Fijian to beawarded.
He has been impres-sive and improving gameby game and I hope that
The Prime MinisterHon. Voreqe Bainimara-ma received a courtesycall on Saturday, May 2,
from the InternationalOlympic Committee(IOC) president ThomasBach.
Mr Bach led a high-level delegation to meetthe Prime Minister at hisoffice in GovernmentBuildings, Suva.
In welcoming thePresident and his del-egation to Fiji, the Prime
Minister said Fiji lookedforward to working withthe IOC to strengthenFijis sporting sector.
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
the award will be a moralebooster for him ahead of theFIFA U20 World Cup, Laladded.
q FIJI FA MEDIA
We thank all those whohave volunteered their timeto help FRU in many ways.They include our legal ad-visors, our marketing andcommunications advisors,I.T experts and media part-ners. We thank you all foryour time and without re-ceiving any remuneration.
Again, to the Govern-ment, all our sponsors andin particular Vodafone andits consortium partners,
thank you warmly for yourcontinuing partnership inrugby.
To the CEO Mr RadrodroTabualevu and his team,we thank you for your com-mitment and hard workin keeping rugby movingahead in our most challeng-ing time.
I also thank Dr Berlin Ka-foa who carried the ActingCEO role for a substantialperiod on top of his substan-tive position at the Fiji Na-tional University. He servedat the most critical timewithout remuneration.
Over the two years, theBoard had 25 Board meet-ings. Sub-Committees metfrequently, sometimes everyweek. I thank their familiesfor their time as I know Di-rectors have sacrificed agreat deal.
So to the Board Direc-tors Mr Daniel Whippy,Mr Mosese Taga, Dr BerlinKafoa, Dr Esther Williams,Mr Napolioni Batimala, MrBaljeet (Billy) Singh, Mr CarlNgamoki-Cameron and MrFilimone Vatuvoka a big
vinaka vakalevu to you all.Thank you for your supportand your commitment toFRU, the players and theunions, Dr Williams men-tioned on behalf of outgoingchairman Filimoni Waqa-baca.
NEW BOARD APPOINT-MENTS
The AGM concluded to-day with the un-opposednomination of the newboard of directors.
They are Jay White, JohnOConnor, Max Olsen, TevitaBolanavanua, Ratu AiseaVosailagi and Carl Ngamoki-
Cameron. Ngamoki-Camer-on is the only director thatwas retained from the previ-ous board
Three (3) directors re-main to be appointed. Thetrustees will appoint two (2)while the third will be thePrime Ministers nominee.The new board of directorsare expected meet soon anddecide on their Chairman.
The meeting was also ob-served by World Rugby, FA-SANOC and the Fiji NationalSports Commission.
qCONTINUED FROM PAGE 22
He pointed out hisGovernments commit-ment to develop thesporting sector for Fijisyouth.
They also spoke aboutFijis participation at the2016 Olympic Games in
Rio, Brazil, in particular,the Rugby sevens tour-nament that will featurefor the first time in Rio.
The visiting delega-tion included the IOCVice President andPresident of the Austra-lian National OlympicCommittee Mr JohnCoates and the OceaniaIOC President Dr Robin
Mitchell.
q FRU
q DEPTFO
As the newest tourna-ment on the PGA Tour ofAustralasia and OneAsiatours, the inaugural FijiInternational was a re-sounding success.
It was not only a greatgolf event, but also an
opportunity to show-case Fiji as a premiercultural, leisure andsporting destinationwith a diverse rangeof activities and attrac-tions.
120 players from16 different countriescame together at thespectacular NatadolaBay Championship GolfCourse to take on thechallenging layout, de-signed by local hero Vi-jay Singh, to compete inthe regions first ever in-
ternationally broadcasttournament.
Other players in thefield included threetime Major ChampionNick Price, Fijis DineshChand, Indias highestranked and world top-100 player Anirban La-hiri, Chinas top ranked
qCONTINUED FROM
BACK PAGE
players Liang Wenchongand Wu Ashun, and twoof Australias most suc-cessful and respectedgolfers Craig Parry andPeter OMalley.
Hitting the very firsttee shot of the Fiji Inter-national, Steven Jeffresswent on to make history
by sinking the last puttof the tournament as hebirdied the 18th hole toclaim the title by fourshots from fellow Aus-tralian Jake Higginbot-tom.
qPRESS RELEASE
Last years Fiji International winner Steve Jeress recieves the prize money.Photo: SUPPLIED
7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6
24/24
www.thejetnewspaper.com www.epapergallery.com/thejet
MAY 2015. ISSUE 65 www.thejetnewspaper.com 50 CENTS
Page 22 Page 23
WAQA GETSGOLDEN BOOTIN OFC
More Fijians are guaranteed to beplaying the countrys premier golftournament the Fiji International.
Four Fijians competed in the inau-gural Fiji International, held in Augustlast year, but that number is set to risein 2015 with more places in the tour-nament provided to local talent.
The Fiji Open champion will earna start, as will the top finishing Fijianplayer and in an exciting new devel-opment, a qualifying series will bestaged around the country with threeplaces in the Fiji International up forgrabs.
The increased number of playingopportunities for Fijians at the FijiInternational is one part of the PGATour of Australasias plan to grow thegame of golf in the country.
In 2014 we had four Fijian golfers
teeing it up in the inaugural Fiji Inter-national, this year we aim to see thisnumber increase, said Simon Butterly,General Manager Tournament Divi-sion for the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Through the Fiji International anumber of young Fijians are exposedto golf, we want to provide them withrole models to look up to and aspire tobe like.
Vijay Singh continues to inspire anumber of people to take up the game,but we want to find that next Fijian starto encourage future golfers.
Golfers aiming to compete in the FijiInternational will have their first oppor-tunity to qualify via the Fiji Open whichis to be played at the Fiji Golf Club inSuva from June 4-7.
We are very grateful to see an in-creased number of opportunities pro-
vided for Fijians to compete in theprestigious Fiji International, saidOfakilomaloma Tabunakawai, Presi-dent of the National Golf Associationof Fiji.
This allows for our local talent toearn the exclusive experience of play-ing against some of the worlds bestgolfers at the Fiji International.
Fijian PGA Professionals and elite
amateurs with a handicap of five orless who are also Fijian citizens or resi-dents will be able to compete in the FijiInternational qualifying series.
Played over three days, playerswill compete on three of Fijis best 18holes courses with the leading scorersacross the 54 holes earning one of thethree coveted positions into the world-class tournament.
It is great to provide our local golf
professionals a chance to qualify forthe Fiji International and prove them-selves at an international level, saidGraeme Bell, President of the Fiji PGA.
To compete against some of theworlds best golfers is an opportunitythat needs to be earned and we be-lieve the qualifying series will achievethis goal.
The 2015 Fiji International will be
held from October 15-18 at NatadolaBay Championship Golf Course.
The inaugural Fiji International,boasting a million dollar prize purse,signalled Fijis official arrival onto thegolfing world stage with the FijianGovernment, Fiji Tourism and Fijisnumber one golf ambassador, VijaySingh, all making a push to put theircountry on the lucrative world golfingmap.
More Fijian Golfersfor Fiji International
Steve Jeress (pictured )broke away from third-round co-leader Jake Higginbottom towin the Fiji International last year. Photo: SportAsia.com
WARDENS GOLDWINS NAWAKA7s
q CONTINUED ON PAGE 23