Bula Crush them! This is the consequence that Home Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua says should befall those engaged in illicit activities, particularly the drug trade. “We have relative peace in Fiji. Fiji is a very peaceful country but there are bad people,” he said.
“And bad people need to be crushed.” That’s the lead news on Page 1 of The Fiji Times for Friday, August 23. In the second story, Fijians must demand to be consulted on the Local Government Act.
This was the call made by former Supervisor of Elections and constitutional lawyer Jon Apted. He said Government replaced the outdated Local Government provisions by mimicking the rules that applied to parliamentary elections in Fiji, and there was uncertainty about how the system would work. We also have a story about the revelation that trade is strong between Fiji and New Zealand and opportunities abound promise stronger economic transactions.
New Zealand Trade Commission to the Pacific in Fiji David Dewar made this comment as he revealed that trade between Fiji and New Zealand rose to $NZ1.39billion ($F1.89bn) as of the March quarter this year.
Synopsis The death penalty? Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Lynda Tabuya has forced discussions on drugs and the death penalty! That’s the big news this week. It goes against the grain so to speak, and places the issue of drug abuse on a very high plane. It’s stimulated discussions and put the spotlight on one of our biggest challenges as a nat.