A gentleman’s handshake
The video of PM Sitiveni Rabuka and former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama shaking hands, hugging and cutting the commemoration cake to welcome the first battalion Fiji Infantry regiment from the UNAMI in Iraq, was a beauty. It delighted many and touched Fijian hearts. The camaraderie between the two former military commanders was a delight to watch. Their togetherness reflected unity. I’m thankful to PM Rabuka for inviting the former PM to help him cut the cake at Albert Park. PM Rabuka asked Bainimarama to come and join him at the front to help cut the cake as he was one of the leaders that sent the soldiers to Iraq. The best part was that after the cake cutting ceremony PM Rabuka asked Bainimarama to join him at the top. This gesture by PM Rabuka reflected the true meaning of the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Our PM demonstrated that he walks the talk. God bless Fiji! RAJNESH ISHWAR LINGAM Balgovind Rd, Nadawa, Nasinu
The rights of passengers
The recent incident at Nadi airport makes me wonder whether Fiji Airways and travel agents are instructing passengers from source on their rights as paying customers as to what they are entitled to in the event of delays. A 24-hour delay certainly warrants more than a mere $30 meal voucher. The comfort and care of passengers is paramount in an airline industry. It doesn’t begin in the flight cabin. It starts on the day the flight reservations are made taking into consideration reschedules of flights, meal preferences, medical issues and special needs. Where did Fiji Airways expect their passengers to sleep? Did they take into account the aged, the infants or those with medical issues? Were their connecting flights including hotel and tour bookings rescheduled accordingly? IATA regulations were not followed in that, the passengers should have been provided hotel and meal accommodation, transport to and from the airport and access to free telephone usage for emergency calls. Irrespective whether “operational issues” was conveniently used as the reason for the 24-hour delay, the lives and wellbeing of passengers should have been prioritised. Let’s hope that the customer care ground service to the in-flight cabin service, management and board of directors wake up. This is the entry and exit of Fiji’s tourism industry! VIRGINIA WICKHAM Rosi St, Nasinu
Showing kindness
By urging Fijians to show kindness Lynda Tabuya shares a profound message of altruism — of being other oriented ( FT 22/12 ). I wonder if she was thus other oriented when she recommended that hefty 130 per cent pay rise for parliamentarians who then voted to give themselves the rise recommended at a time when nearly half the people in the country lived in poverty and struggled to make ends meet? Minister Tabuya’s message of kindness is a good one for her fellow parliamentarians and the Rabuka gang in government to reflect upon. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my fellow Fijians. With love and kindness. RAJEND NAIDU New Delhi
Unforgettable experience
On 20 December, my family and I, along with other passengers were stranded at the Nadi Airport for 16 hours due to repeated delays, five notifications in total, for travel to Auckland. Despite this, Fiji Airways failed to provide hotel accommodation, even though passengers from a late-night Hong Kong flight were accommodated because their flight would also be delayed. Whilst Hong Kong passengers were being ushered by Fiji Airways staff to their accommodation, ATS staff began handing out blankets to the delayed Auckland travellers. This contradicts Fiji Airways’ public claim that families with young children and elderly passengers were prioritised, as many solo travellers from the Hong Kong flight received accommodation while many with children did not. Fiji Airways also stated that safety was their priority, yet the aircraft for our scheduled 11.10am flight had been in use the night before and also took the 10am flight to Auckland only an hour earlier. That same plane returned at 10pm, but the airline waited until after 1am to announce another delay until 7am. By then, some passengers had been at the airport for 16 hours already. When questioned, we were told by a Fiji Airways representative that there was no crew to take the flight. Rather than arranging accommodation earlier, passengers were told at 2am they could leave the airport but would have to find their own accommodation. Adding to the frustration, a Fiji Airways call centre representative advised my family the night before to arrive at 8am for check-in despite conflicting online information. We did not stay at the airport, but returned at 5pm. As a result, my children had minimal sleep. My 9-year old had about four hours sleep in 24 hours, and my 16-year old less than 2. My wife and I had none. The departure lounge is not designed for rest, making the situation even worse. Meanwhile, another Auckland flight departed at 8pm with hardly any schedule issue. The lack of updates, transparency, and accountability from Fiji Airways demonstrated a clear disregard for passengers. We lost a night’s accommodation and a day’s car rental in Auckland. Others missed significant events, including a wedding, while first time flyers received a rude welcome. What should have been the start of a holiday for us became an exhausting and stressful ordeal. Fiji Airways’ double standards and poor handling of this situation left us feeling undervalued and ignored. Many of us agreed that if accommodation was not provided, then we should have at least been told much earlier than being told at 2am. Almost 23 hours later (9.30am the next day), our flight finally departed and passengers that were at the airport for more than 24 hours were glad to leave. While sitting there in the airport lounge waiting and wondering when my next shower would be, I chuckled to myself when I recalled Fiji Airways’ message before take-off, “Sit back, relax, and enjoy. You’re on Fiji Time!” Thank you very much for an unforgettable experience Fiji Airways! SHANE LEE Berry Rd, Suva
Noisy neighbours
I have lived at my current address for over four decades and have never had any problems until recently when the new tenant moved in next door. This person has absolutely no regard for God or neighbour. He has a group of people who sigidrigi every weekend and sometimes during the week. Now apparently there is a group of them who don’t have permanent jobs as they are always home whole day asleep and stay awake whole night. They have now progressed further (twice now) by hiring scaffolding where they carry on with their night parties drinking kava. Often now they have consumed alcohol which last week eventuated in a violent incident with police. The noise has become a nuisance and has become unbearable. The matter has been reported several times to the police and was expected to go before the court. However, nothing has been done and the nuisance continues. I also personally took the matter up to the commissioner of police, yet the issues continue to persist. As a ratepayer I also approached the Suva City Council on two occasions and had a meeting on December 18 with the CEO of SCC. However, the party went on that night until 4am. Apparently, the authorities I have approached are not able to or unwilling to do anything to address this issue. In the meantime, the scaffolding will probably remain there until new year. I am totally at a loss as to where or to whom I can address this further. BENARD CHUTE Vatuwaqa
Eyesore
God forbid, a cyclone comes and blows the burnt remains of that Toorak warehouse, potentially causing severe damage to nearby properties and vehicles, and maybe fatalities. Who gets the blame? But it hasn’t happened so no worries. Nothing to solve here. Nobody to blame. Is that the mentality? DONALD SINGH Suva
Streetlights
Few streetlights in Korolevu were off due to negligence despite emailing from June onwarsds to FRA and the Oopposition on Parliament, which forwarded the mail to minister responsible but no reply. The streetlights were fixed a day before minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau was visiting for ground breaking ceremony at Korolevu. Wonder if ministers constantly visit areas than actions would be taken. JAHEED BUKSH Korolevu, Sigatoka
Lazy workers
I believe it’s not about refusing to work. It’s refusing to accept the low minimum wages offered. DAN URAI Lautoka
Rising costs
Why is the FCCC bias? Why does it listen to big corporations like EFL, but cannot see the rising costs of individual landlords? Why does it not publicly come out and say that the never-ending rental freeze is unfair, unreasonable and uneconomical? Does it lack basic technical expertise to evaluate inflation or has it grown selective ears? Does this put its independence to question? Can the FCCC chief executive officer make a public statement about this or are you too high up there that you only respond to statements made by ministers and not individual concerned citizens? KIRAN KHATRI Samabula, Suva
Trump’s rating
I agree with Rajend Naidu (LTE 19/ 12 ) on President Trump’s falling approval ratings. USA has begun looking inwards due to its financial limitations. How the stand-off with Venezuela will be resolved is a big question. It’s all about oil and minerals. RAKESH CHAND SHARMA Adelaide, Australia
Justice for all
I believe the champions of the “free Palestine” drive happening here in the Capital are a bunch of racist Fijians hiding behind the veil of women rights movement. I stand to be corrected, I have not seen or heard of them gather and take to the streets to protest against the Palestinians actions carried out on October, 7, 2023. “Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both” – Eleanor Roosevelt. AREKI DAWAI Maharaj Place, Suva
Bondi Beach shooting
Tragedy at Bondi
The tragedy at Bondi Beach wounded the nation not only because of its shocking brutality, but because it struck at something profoundly Australian — our belief in shared space, shared safety and shared humanity. Bondi belongs to everyone. It’s not merely a stretch of sand or an iconic postcard image. It’s a meeting place of cultures and generations where families gather, strangers exchange smiles, friendships are formed and life is openly celebrated. When violence erupts in a place so deeply woven into our national identity, it leaves a scar that words struggle to heal. The loss lingers not only in grief, but in the unsettling question it leaves behind: Are we still safe in the spaces that define us? History shows, however, that in moments of deep national pain, Australia’s greatest strength has been its refusal to fracture. We grieve together. We stand together. We resist the corrosive pull to turn sorrow into suspicion or fear into division. That instinct toward unity is not naïve idealism, it’s moral strength in action. It’s how a free and diverse society preserves its soul when tested by violence. Unity, however, does not demand silence. Healing does not require us to avoid difficult or uncomfortable truths. When acts of violence are justified, whether cynically or sincerely by appeals to God, ideology or sacred texts, we owe it to the victims, and to future generations, to examine those claims honestly and responsibly. This isn’t an attack on faith. It’s a defence of faith’s highest ideals. True belief, in any tradition, must be held to account when it’s distorted and developed into a weapon. This is where reconciliation begins: not with denial, but with moral clarity. When peaceful Muslim leaders, including voices within the Global Council of Imams, condemn such atrocities unequivocally, they challenge extremism from within and reclaim their faith from those who seek to weaponise it. When those voices are amplified rather than ignored, society becomes safer for everyone. And when communities stand shoulder to shoulder, without fear, without suspicion, the space for hatred begins to shrink. At the heart of this moment lies a truth Australians of all beliefs, or none, can affirm together: no faith, no grievance, no ideology and no cause can ever justify the killing of innocent people. Once that line is blurred, humanity itself is diminished. Bondi calls us not to retreat from one another, but to draw closer. It asks us to choose understanding over outrage, courage over fear and truth over the poisonous simplicity of racist slogans and shouted blame. It calls us to reject the lie that violence is inevitable, or that communities must be pitted against one another to feel safe. A loving God does not call for bloodshed. A just society does not excuse it. By affirming this calmly, firmly and collectively, Australia honours the victims, strengthens its social fabric and lights a path toward genuine national reconciliation. Bondi must not become a symbol of fear. Let it stand instead as a reminder of who we are at our best: a nation that refuses to surrender its humanity, even in the face of unspeakable evil and unfathomable loss. We must also confront another uncomfortable reality. Public racist chanting — whether on the streets or in digital spaces — has consequences. History shows that when hatred is normalised, violence soon follows. Fiji offers a sobering lesson. Nationalist narratives that inflamed racism against Indo-Fijians ultimately culminated in coups that nearly tore the nation apart. If racism of any kind is allowed to spread unchecked in the public domain, the consequences should surprise no one. That’s why it’s incumbent on every government to act decisively to shut down racism wherever it emerges before words harden into violence and before lives are irreparably lost. COLIN DEOKI Australia
The post Letters to the Editor | December 23, 2025 appeared first on The Fiji Times.
No comments yet.