19 Sunday Feb 2012
Posted in Articles & Reports
Click on the following link to hear Australia’s Pacific Beat broadcast and an analysis of the current FNPF pension situation:
http://www.abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/stories/m2065300.asx
Please give your support to the pensioners by adding your name in the Comments section of the following article
18 Saturday Feb 2012
Posted in Grey Power Editor
Friday 17th February flight from Auckland to Nadi was cancelled without any prior notice to the passengers. Passengers had checked in received seat allocations and were then told that there would be a 90 minute delay. Two hours later they were told that the flight was cancelled, they were then told to come back Saturday afternoon.
When is Frank going to realise that Fast Talking High Flying Dave is managing the airline into destruction. Promises do not make profits, if things continue this way we can wave the pensioners $400,000,000 Four Hundred MILLION loan goodbye.
Prime Minster, wake up and smell the Jet Fuel, stop listening to Dave’s slick sponsor the Multi Tasking Minister, get a professional organisation to assess the situation ( from China if you wish ) but do something before Air Pacific follows Air Australia down the drain and Fast Talking High Flying Dave departs forever on an ID 100 ticket to live a life of luxury on ill gotten gains.. And there is no need for FTHF Dave to purchase Airbus A330 aircraft because there are 5 leased by Air Australia available for IMMEDIATE leasing!!
The pensioners challenge FTHF Dave to tell the shareholders ( the public and pensioners of FIJI ) how much has been spent in the past 6 months for Hotel accommodation, vouchers and chartered aircraft.
UPDATE: Sunday 19th Flight to BRISBANE CANCELLED, does no one in government realise how much damage is being done…?
Is there anyone in the Fiji Navy who will show this man the
Golden Rivet ?
Greybeard
17 Friday Feb 2012
Posted in Letters
Dear Fiji Pensioners
The last thing the malicious muppet style management of FNPF wish to be is fair. What they do is make up new rules as they go along. Less than two weeks ago I was told that because my wife was more than 7 years younger than myself I would now get a joint pension of 12.1% of my original collateral sum, and when I die my wife would receive a pension relevant to her age at the time of my death. This seemed realistic based on the new pension rules.
Later when I went to the FNPF Namaka office with all the required documentation to sign for a joint pension, I was then told that due to my wife being more than seven years younger than myself my pension which under the new system had been reduced from 16.6% of my residual sum to 12.1% was now (due to my wife’s age) to be further reduced to 9.3% which equates to a 44% reduction of my current pension and is the equivalent of the new pension rate for a person who is ten years younger than me on a joint pension.
This was so obscene and unfair I sought an explanation and documentation detailing this new policy from FNPF Suva ( the Namaka FNPF staff said they had explicit instructions from Suva not to give any details in writing), I was later advised by Suva that my query had been referred to the FNPF Prime Division, who clearly are not primed for action since they have not yet responded, or perhaps it takes time to print a new amended set of rules and regulations to filch more from us of what is now a very meager pension.
As the FNPF advertisements state, time is running out, but they continue to create delays.
Everyone in the country should sign your petition to the Prime Minister, because everyone’s future is at stake here, even though a great many do not realise it.
R T Rickman
If any of our readers have similar problems please detail them under Comments at the top of this letter
Greybeard
16 Thursday Feb 2012
Posted in Articles & Reports
Key points on Meeting between Tevita Nagataleka and Christopher Jackson MarHeld at Sheraton Fiji Resort on 04 February, 2012 from 10:00 to 11:30 am.
Tevita Nagataleka
I have been very impressed with your extensive research and the information that you have provided me. This is the reason that I decided to meet with you.
Jackson Mar
I would also like to show my appreciation for your efforts in meeting with me. One of the great frustrations of pensioners is that neither FNPF decision making executives nor government ministers are willing to meet pensioners to exchange views in a meaningful, professional and constructive way..
Impact resulting from reduction in pension. I would like to outline my life experience so that you can understand my position. I started earning an income at the tender age of 12. I have only a high school education but have participated in ongoing executive management development programs including a six-week executive management development program at theUniversityofHawaii.. My career spans from being a bank clerk, airline accountant, senior executive management positions in the hotel industry including company secretary, financial controller, resort manager, owners’ representative and chief executive officer. The companies include Fiji Resorts Limited (owning company for Shangri-la Fiji Resort), Four Seas Regent Resort, Raratongan Beach Resort, Sheraton Denarau Villas, Richmond Limited (owners of Sofitel Fiji Resort). I was also a past director of Denarau Corporation Limited for three years.
It took years to plan my retirement finances and every dollar saved with the FNPF was entrusted to the Fund for a contracted life time pension. Now at age nearing 69 years, my pension (if I decide to accept one again) would be reduced by more than half.
In my advanced age, it would create an untenable financial blow resulting in a substantial reduction in my living standard, dependence on our children and eventual sale of our home in order to make ends meet.
As you grow older many expenses increase e.g. medication, dietary requirements, tertiary medical, old age care, inflation (pension is not subject to inflation adjustment as with Fiji government pensions) etc.
It would also have a very negative psychological impact on me, and many pensioners are in a similar cruel predicament.
TN
There is a need to understand the underlying principles of the reform i.e. sustainable, non-discriminatory and no cross subsidy.
Sustainability and FNPF’s capacity to pay pensions are dependent on returns on investment, life expectancy and pension take up rate.
Initially the take up rate was very low and FNPF encouraged and promoted members to take up pensions.
Many countries are also reducing pension rates and pensioners need to face reductions. Pensioners have received large payments many times what have been paid for annuities and the offer to pensioners is fair.
Continue reading
15 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in Letters
A friend died recently; a man of 75 who had come to terms with a cancer diagnosis and decided to not put himself through the debilitating and nauseating side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. He decided, instead, to enjoy what he could of what life there was left for him.
For quite some time that proved to be possible, despite his deep concern that his FNPF pension would soon be drastically cut – a concern that no doubt caused him great stress and hastened his demise.
Unfortunately, the cancer wrecking his body caused him great pain. His last days were not at all easy, nor were they eased as they might have been: and that, to this writer’s mind, is an indictment of many in the world’s medical profession today.
Aged 18, and about mid-way through a nursing course, I stood beside my ward Sister while she took instructions from a dying patient’s doctor. He said that he would neither increase the dose, nor the frequency, of the morphia being administered to ease the patient’s pain. We tidied the patient’s bedclothes, turned her pillow and made her as comfortable as we could, but it was clear that she was in distress.
Continue reading
15 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in Press Releases
PRESS RELEASE February 15 2012
David Burness and other pensioners who are taking the Fiji National Provident Fund and the Attorney General to court over FNPF’s proposed pension cuts are fully supporting the petition to the Prime Minister to review government’s decision to slash FNPF pensions on March 1st 2012.
Lawyer for David Burness and Others in the court action, Dr Shaista Shameem said that her clients were supporting the petition to the Prime Minister because their hearing date of 8th February had been cancelled by the Court and no new dates had been set for the case to be heard.
She said her clients were disappointed with the High Court for not informing them or their lawyer about a new date for the hearing. She said it was crucial that the case was heard before the new Decree slashing her clients’ pensions came into effect.
Daily telephone calls to the High Court Registry on the proposed date for the hearing were answered with a mere ‘we will let you know’ which is not satisfactory, Dr Shameem said. Her clients had a right to be heard without delay, especially when the February 8th hearing date had been cancelled without explanation other than information given informally that the judge dealing with the case, Justice P. Hettiaracchi, had not yet returned from his leave.
Apparently Justice Hettiaracchi returned to Fiji last weekend but no further communication was available from the court on the status of Burness and Others’ applications for human rights redress. David Burness has now been joined by 13 other applicants to claim a rights violation in relation to their pension cuts.
Dates for filing of documents by Burness, FNPF and the Attorney General were set by the court in October 2011. However, neither the FNPF nor the AG met the deadline given by the court for filing their documents. No documents have yet been filed by the AG.
Dr Shameem said that the entire court process for the Burness case was both confusing and detrimental to her clients who had been praying for justice from the court.
Her clients were disappointed with such silence from the court system.
15 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in Articles & Reports
Fijians can be proud of their national airline and confident of its world renowned customer service.
That was the assurance by Air Pacific’s Managing Director David Pflieger with the selection of Global business, ‘Rolls-Royce’ Trent 700 engine to power its three new Airbus A330-200 aircrafts.
Air Pacific had announced last year the order of three brand new Airbus A Three Zero- 200s which will begin arriving in March 2013 and will be operated on flights to Fiji from Sydney, Auckland, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
Pflieger said the trent engine is the only engine specifically designed for the A330 adding the two market leading innovators with superior safety service, operational and environmental performance track records will be ideal partners.
The agreement with Rolls Royce which also includes long term support services is valued at FS370 million Fijian dollars said Fast Talking High Flying Dave.
But International uncensored media say the cost is UK Pounds £210 million which is over F$600 Million Dollars
Who do you believe ????
Check out: Meanwhile, In the FTSE 100, Rolls-Royce (LON:RR.) caught the eye of investors as it reported another contract win. The turbine and engine manufacturer has secured an order worth £210 million from Fiji’s national carrier Air Pacific for Trent 700 engines to power three Airbus A330 aircraft.
This is the first time Air Pacific has selected Rolls-Royce engines and the contract includes long-term TotalCare service support, the group said.
08 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in Letters
In case anyone may want to accuse me of being a political person, let me say that I have never been a member of a political party nor have I attended a political rally or meeting.
The intention of this letter is to correct two FNPF myths (they are really untruths to put it mildly).
The first and main untruth is that return on investments and or interest have been paid or credited to annuitants’ conversion amounts accounted for in the FNPF Annual Reports under the title “Pension Buffer Reserve”.
Not a single cent of return on investment or interest has been credited to the Pension Buffer Reserve (pensioners account). Attached are pages of FNPF Annual Reports from 1975 (commencement date of the pension scheme) to 2010 (Addendum 1 to 18). There is no evidence that return on investments or interest has been credited or paid.
It seems that the FNPF management and Board Members have advised and convinced Government of this untruth resulting in it being incorporated in the Fiji National Provident Fund Transition Decree 2011 (Decree N0. 51).
Continue reading
08 Wednesday Feb 2012
Posted in Articles & Reports
A non government organisation, Fiji Council of Social Services/Help Age Centre is calling on the government to extend the dead line to May for pensioners wishing to reach FNPF centres to discuss their options and to continue the payment according to the old system.
The Executive Director Hassan Khan said that the deadline which is 29th of this month should be extended to 31st May 2012 as flooding and extremely bad weather conditions have restricted the movements of older persons including the pensioners.
He said there is rush to get the papers in order before the deadline and there are many pensioners required to wait in long lines in the various FNPF centres which is bad for the health of both the FNPF staff and the pensioners, who are not able to wait in long lines due to ill health.
He said there many pensioners on wheel chairs as well.
Khan said many pensioners are facing extra financial burden as they are required to make several trips to get their papers right and to avoid the long wait.
He said it would also be a good idea for the FNPF to have JPs on hand to avoid the extra running around by the pensioner’s who are not aware of the JPs.
He said that the Fiji Pensioners Association had already called for such an extension and he hopes the request will be seriously considered.
GreyPower Comment = Wishful thinking
06 Monday Feb 2012
Posted in Letters
It has been said a progressive society educates its young and cares for its elderly.
Whilst the current administration is working at excelling in the education of the young, it is virtually propelling the elderly into poverty.
Since there is no State pension of any consequence and the FNPF is failing its members by not planning adequate pensions for either now or for the future, the government should give favourable consideration to assisting pensioners in other ways.
They could:
Also given that $400.000.000 has been gifted to Air Pacific as an unsecured loan by the FNPF of pensioners funds, pensioners could be given a 50% discount on all air travel in return for funding the airline.
They could, but will they ? What do you think?.
Rick Rickman
Fiji Pensioners 