Congratulations,Fijipensioners! We now own 20% of 3 Airbus Aeroplanes. This is, of course, in addition to all the rest of the stuff we own a chunk of, like that defunct resort. Recently, a Grand Old Lady was added – after her plastic surgery she will go into direct competition in with her neighbour, which we also own a chunk of. The problem is we all know that our chunks are undoubtedly the un-redeemable chunks. Do not deceive yourselves that you own something tangible which will one day provide some much needed cash. By the time that Airbus loan has been paid off we’ll be six feet under and the ‘planes will be mouldering in the Mojave. 

To reward us Silver Surfers for adding to their coffers for longer than anybody else – and adding more than anybody else – the FNPF board has decided to arbitrarily give us the chop. But never mind. We have 3 aeroplanes! So what’s to complain about?

 No travel insurance? Now look – you’d better get this straight. If the ‘plane falls out of the sky you were going to die anyway, weren’t we?

 No health insurance? Oh, for heaven’s sake! Just die, will you? And will you all, please, do it quietly with minimum fuss.

 Reduced pension? Good grief, haven’t you got the message? If it is cut and you can no longer eat and care for yourself as you once did – you will probably get sick and DIE.

 Get the point? Yeah – thanks FNPF, we get it. You are going to die anyway – hopefully as soon as possible. Meanwhile, stop all this nonsense about rights to pensions, agreements, and contracts, and how the loss of income will affect your future…

 As far as the FNPF board and management are concerned we have no future!

 Remember back in 1969 Peggy Lee recorded Is That All There is? Here’s the chorus

 Is that all there is?

If that’s all there is, my friends, then let’s keep dancing,

Let’s break out the booze and have a ball,

If that’s all there is.

WE CAN DO THAT!

For over a decade, due to my age, I have had to produce a medical certificate to prove I am fit to drive and that my eyesight is in good order. On production of this certificate the LTA allows me to renew my driving license for 12 MONTHS, only after I have got my ticket from the machine and waited 40 minutes plus, while others, ( perhaps friends of the clerks ) come rushing in, jumping the queue, or even worse handing their documents to one of their “Friends” who they spot near the front.

Having finally renewed the driving license, carefully reversed my car out of the parking area, driven out to the main road, carefully avoiding the pot holes, what can I expect:

1. While driving at the normal speed limit keeping a two car distance length from the car in front I can expect at any moment some young wanker who is allowed to renew his license for at least 5 years at a time, to overtake my car and jump into the gap and tailgate the car in front with total disregard for anyone’s safety.
   It is these same wankers who when they have an accident tell their insurance company that the car in front stopped suddenly and caused the accident, not that they themselves were driving too fast and too close.
2. I can expect to see the driver and passengers of cars in front tossing empty packets of Bongo’s, Twisties Coke bottles lunch wrappings and other assorted crap out of the car or bus windows.
   ( My car has been hit by a Coca Cola bottle thrown out of a bus window)
3. I can expect to be choked by excessive black diesel smoke from buses and trucks whose owners never bother to have the injectors serviced.
4. I can expect to be driven off the road by an oncoming idiot that has overtaken 10 vehicles and is unable to push his way in.
5. I can expect to see at least one Minivan with a Maxi Load complete with a Kamakazi driver who is intent on not only killing himself and his passengers,  but anyone who gets in his way.
6. I can expect to be constantly blinded by headlamps set too high if I am foolish enough to drive at night.
7. And last but not least I can expect pedestrians to leap on to the crossing with the velocity of a speeding bullet and then turn into zombies who have expended all their energy

Enough is enough, it is about time the LTA and the Police had “Q” Cars ( Unmarked cars) and the authority to stop these wankers on the spot, suspend their driving license, send them for an IQ test, get them cleaning roadside litter for a month and make passing an advanced driving test compulsory before their driving license is renewed…..(a “no bribe” pass). As for the Zombies, no doubt the wankers will get them in the end.

THE recent revelations that Air Pacific has drawn substantial resources from our superannuation fund which the FNPF approved without consideration to what it would do to reduce members’ entitlements. This must be reviewed immediately.

Our creator demands honesty in our work as he wants honesty in the workplace; your business is his business. God doesn’t bless dishonesty. The Bible says: “The Lord demands fairness in every business deal.” (Proverbs 16:11) That includes wages, sales, taxes and other business dealings. If Air Pacific and FNPF want God’s blessings, they have to be honest. You can’t rip people off. Profit made dishonestly always brings trouble. “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.” (Proverbs 10:22)

Many global organisations have made enormous profits but it eventually only brought them trouble. It was the main cause of the global financial meltdown. Many of these companies are based in the US and their culture is about making a quick buck without a thought for the consequences of their actions.

We will always reap what we sow You cannot mock God and get away with it. The FNPF Board members and executives should be honest with our finances. “It is the Lord’s blessing that makes you wealthy.” (Proverbs 10:22) That includes both organisations negotiating without members’ consent. Anything done without following God’s laws will definitely fail.

Joe Gonewai
Suva

Dear Mr Kodagoda and associates
I refer to my previous letters and emails to you that you have not replied to.
To further enlarge on my previous comments it appears that you have missed the plot in your deliberations to restructure FNPF pensions.

The Real Problem 
The real problem you should be tackling is to immediately take action to reduce future pensions as this is where your biggest problem lies.  It does not take a mathematician to deduce that everyday that you procrastinate and do nothing FNPF future liability for pensions is increasing daily as future pensions will continue to be paid at 15% and so the FNPF liability for future pensions gets bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger …………………………….. 

FNPF continues to pay new pensioners 15% when this liability could be reduced today, and so your liability for future pensions would steadily decline. 

The constantly growing  FNPF liability for future pensions is a far, far greater problem for FNPF than your erroneous assumptions  concerning the  Unlucky 1,209 pensioners where you have a steadily declining liability.  

The sad fact is that we the  Unlucky 1,209 pensioners are a declining liability as our numbers are constantly reducing as we steadily pass on to our Maker, and so the FNPF liability for our pensions  is continuously reducing.  It’s just a matter of time.  In this respect can  FNPF give an update on the current number of surviving pensioners from the initial 1,209 FNPF announced. 

The Solution 
As previously advised to you the solution is to not only immediately adopt the Blaxland Report recommendations, but to go one step further. 

FNPF should immediately announce future pensions will reduce by 1% annually from the current 15% down to 9%.  This goes 1% further than Blaxland who recommended 10%.  The reason you should go to 9% is that this is the figure FNPF have announced is sustainable. These changes should be implemented over six years, in the same manner the Blaxland recommendations were implemented over ten years.  The commencing date for the change should be either 1 January 2012 or 2013, or it could even be 30 June 2012.    Making this announcement now will immediately place a cap on future pension liability and bring future pensions to a maintainable level. 

FNPF should also adopt the Blaxland recommendation that existing pensions should be left unchanged, in view of the legally binding contract that exists between pensioners and FNPF. The FNPF balance sheet can be restructured in line with the Promontory recommendations to provide for these existing pensions.

FNPF should also announce it will  review the position of the Unlucky 1,209 pensioners annually,  in consultation with a representative group from these pensioners  so that their position is constantly monitored. 

Conclusion 
In immediately adopting this modified Blaxland recommendation FNPF will have implemented a practical and effective solution to the problem it faces.

Most importantly there will be no need for FNPF to call up the Government guarantee,  honour will be preserved as it is a win win situation for all stakeholders and FNPF can be assured  it has put in place a realistic solution that will enable  FNPF to confidently meet its’ future long term obligations to both pensioners and members.

I can be available at any mutually convenient time to assist in discussing this solution with you.

 Yours sincerely
 RG McDonald
(Pensioner

The recent review of the Consumer Security Deposit by the FEA due to Section 62 of the Electricity Cap Act has been nothing more than a well orchestrated maneuver by the management of FEA to fleece the people of Fiji of their hard earned dollars.  It began as an increase in electricity rates, due to excess diesel fuel usage on their diesel generators thanks to the falling water levels in Monasavu Dam. There is no rain, and the oil price is high, went the nightly cry on Fiji 1 News by Hasmukh Patel. 

And so they got their increase, and the households of Fiji had no choice but to pay. 

Now, just as we’re getting used to the rates, the FEA has chosen the moment to unleash its next salvo – an increase in Consumer Security Deposit thanks to an increase in monthly electricity bills.  “It is a requirement of the ACT,” they boldly claim – Pay-up, it is the Law! 

They have not released any figures to the public, but a quick look at the Bureau of Statistics, and this writer estimates that about 120,000 households that have access to electricity, will be paying an average of an additional $50 into their Security Deposits. A nice windfall of at least $6million for the FEA and its bank account, from its customers who the FEA confidently feel have no choice but to pay. In terms of the general economy and the multiplier effect of money, this will result in a $30million decrease to the economy in the months leading upto Christmas. Seemingly small, but enough to push our GDP back into the red. 

Is this how its going to be? It was not the consumers who increased their electricity usage. It was FEA who increased the charges.

With Oil falling below $80, and increased rainfall throughout the Fiji group, have the consumers been given any indication that their rates will now come down? Of course they have not.

Have the FEA, and those in charge ever paid interest to their customers on the Security Deposits held in their account?  If not, why not? It is money that FEA has either already used in its day to day operations, or if it is holding it in trust, is enjoying the interest accumulating on the amounts.  Any bank manager will be able to tell you that $45 attracting an interest of 5% for 30 years will accumulate to a little over $216. Is it time then, for the long-serving, and long-suffering customers of the FEA to demand reimbursement on their security deposits?

The managers of the FEA may be able to pull the wool over our law-makers eyes, but we will not be fooled. The people of Fiji, including the pensioners, are the Nation. Therefore matters that affect the People, affect the Nation.  A question that now must be asked of our Government must be, whose interests will now be served? The Nation or FEA’s?

Rick Rickman Pensioner