Monthly Archives: July 2015

Overpaid Spineless Representatives.

14 Tuesday Jul 2015

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Spineless

To level the media playing field
Professor Wadan Narsey
(edited version in The Fiji Times, 11 July 2015)

At yesterday’s parliamentary sitting, the Leader of the National Federation Party (Professor Biman Prasad) moved a motion that any fair-minded member of the public would have thought was completely reasonable and should have been supported by both sides of the house, just as several government bills were, on the previous day.

The motion read: “That Parliament agrees that the Minister for Communication through Cabinet immediately review the decision of exclusivity in terms of advertising in one newspaper in conformity to Sections 17, 25, 26 & 32 of the Constitution”.

The motion essentially asked the Government to treat The Fiji Times on the same level playing field as it did the Fiji Sun by placing its advertisements equally in both newspapers.

During the debate, it was admitted by the Fiji Government that in recent years, the Fiji Government had made a decision (documented) to place all its advertisements in the Fiji Sun, and discourage any in TheFiji Times.

As a rough guess, this government bias annually directs more than $5 million to the Fiji Sun, even taking into account the few advertisements placed with the Fiji Times in the last few weeks.

The facts about the newspaper media are that: the Fiji Times and the Fiji Sun are both privately owned; the Fiji Times has as high a circulation if not more, than the Fiji Sun; most readers, and especially the poorer people, cannot and do not buy both newspapers.

The Opposition Arguments Continue reading →

Doing the Right Thing

01 Wednesday Jul 2015

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FB Desk

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER ON THE FLAG

6/30/2015

I am delighted by the high level of engagement we are now getting from the Fijian people about a new national flag. After a relatively slow start, the national debate on the new designs for the new flag is now in full swing.

We are getting an unprecedented number of responses via our national flag website, through email correspondence and talkback radio. In addition, national flag feedback teams have already returned from Kadavu and certain parts of Lau, are currently in Rotuma and Lomaiviti and will soon be visiting the Yasawas, Mamanucas, Vanua Levu and Taveuni.

The response these teams have been receiving from the Fijian people has been very positive. And the Government recognises that they want more time to consider what form the new flag should take and are seeking more choices than are being offered by the existing 23 designs.

While we had originally set a deadline of today for the first phase of the flag selection process to be completed, the Government has decided to extend the period of consultation. More choices are going to be offered over the next few weeks and months. And the closing date for design consultations will now be 31 December 2015. Cabinet and then Parliament will consider the new flag design when it convenes in 2016.

By extending the deadline, there is now ample opportunity for Fijians of all ages and backgrounds to further contribute and consider what symbols most appropriately represent our wonderful nation. It has taken some time – in the Fijian way – for many people to become fully engaged and I very much welcome the current lively debate on the flag designs.

We will soon be announcing precise details of the revised timetable for consultations. And I appeal to all Fijians who have yet to do so to become involved in the process in a spirit of cooperation, collaboration, goodwill and nationhood.

I appeal to every Fijian to join our quest for a flag that represents who we are today, rather than our past, and that we can fly proudly into the future as we fulfil our vision to become a modern nation state.