National flag

Edward Nagaiya, Nadi

I refer to the news item in the Fiji Times of Thursday 02/07/15 the comments by the leader of NFP Biman Prasad criticising our Honourable Prime Minister on the national flag issue.

It is somewhat surprising that the learned Biman Prasad chooses to make such comments that it is a pure waste of taxpayer’s money on the new flag design.

Dr. Biman simply does not understand that the present flag which has been in existence for quite some time does not have our own identity but depicts the Union Jack and the British Lions. It is apparent that our beloved country is no longer under the British rule and as such the British identification does not serve any purpose on our flag.

Dr. Biman must be reminded that the British have failed miserably in their commitments to our beloved country.

One of the glaring examples is the non-compensation to our brave soldiers who were taken to Christmas Island. It is history that these soldiers were subjected to harsh conditions of nuclear testing thus the radiation affected them badly, the British evaded their responsibility towards compensating these brave soldiers who with their families suffered immensely and at the same time no other government who came into power considered the plight of these brave soldiers and their families.

The Bainimarama Government recently compensated the surviving soldiers and also the families of other soldiers who gave up their lives through pain and suffering. It is naïve for any learned person to still feel that the British symbols must appear on our national flag. Dr. Biman also made a scathing attack on our hardworking, learned and knowledgeable Honourable Prime Minister that his decision to have the flag design extended till 31st December 2015 not realising that our Prime Minister has the foresight and a very clear vision towards giving an identity to our people through the change of the national flag which must be realised by every right thinking person of this beloved nation.

Instead of supporting this honourable course Dr. Biman has thought fit to criticise probably because he has got nothing better to give to the nation.

Dr. Biman’s outburst on this issue is nothing but to get political mileage in favour of the SODELPA team.

Hence, it is clearly evident that one can be very learned but lacks knowledge so now it is my humble plea to Dr. Biman and his cronies to support the Honourable Prime Minister on this issue, since our Prime Minister is both learned and knowledgeable as Mr. Bainimarama has very effectively run this country so far and also has an extremely good record of leading the military for a number of years and his clear insight is now giving an opportunity to a vast majority of our people to participate in this noble course.

Potential disaster

Satish Narayan, Suva

I wish to raise concerns about the potential danger that is increasing everyday due to the increased rate of farming on the slopes of the Edinburg Drive. Years ago there was a notice placed at the site warning and discouraging anyone to plant which also attracted a fine.

Gone are the trees which helped stopped soil erosion and the subject area is now covered with root crops. The root crops which are frequently harvested disintegrate and weaken the soil and due to the very steep nature of the slope a major land slide is on the menu which will cause a lot of damage, cut out the major route to the city and can also result in fatality.

There is evidence of soil erosion and small landslides which occurs frequently during a heavy down pour. Just recently few trees were fallen to extend the farming area.

Efforts should be made to rehabilitee the slopes by planting trees and enforcing policies and discourage planting. This has to be implemented immediately in order to saves lives.

Best for PNG

Tomasi Boginiso, Nasinu

Whatever sport you are part of in the Pacific Games we wish you all all the best.Bring home the glory we deserve. Play to your outmost best and never hesitate to being the best on what you do.

You have been selected out of the many who also wished they were there and will only rely on you to bring glory.

All of Fiji are behind in prayers, support and cheers all the way .

Language use

Waisale Ramoce, Suva

I had mixed reactions at the comment given by the Minister of Education regarding the standards of English in our country.

His assertion that the level of English by our graduates is so complicated and sub-standard only implies a re- examination of the curriculum that the education system now integrates.

One only has to watch the Spell Well programme to question whether or not these are the kinds of words that our primary school students are exposed to.

Given the digital age that is now upon us, accessibility to information is not a problem, however, it is the usage, applicability and relevance of this information is what matters most.

It is high time that reading should be emphasised as an important element of literacy.