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 He said Government replaced the outdated Local Government provisions by mimicking the rules that applied to parliamentary elections in Fiji, and there was uncertainty about how the system would work.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 nation.
There is a massive disruption in the way a lot of people live their lives now. Drugs have infiltrated their lives, and in some instances, changed mindsets. It has negatively impacted families and affected loved ones.
Now we have the good minister calling for the death penalty. We realise the emotions attached to that statement. It may have been a fiery response to the seemingly out of hand rise in drug cases and the associated health impact of HIV cases.
Ms Tabuya sees the death penalty as a deterrence. Because, she says, as Fiji continues to be used as a transit point, we are vulnerable. Our border is vulnerable.
That’s why she believes there is a need to explore the death penalty, to tackle traffickers. It’s also about sending out a very strong message to drug traffickers and drug lords, she reckons! But in the face of the complexities of the drug trade, there are questions that will need to be asked. Do we know for certain that the death penalty is a deterrence? We know the drug trade affects people.
On one side of the divide sit those who benefit from it. We reflect on the massive haul of 4.1 tonnes of methamphetamine in January this year at Legalega in Nadi which was worth over $2billion on the streets, and consider how long that container had been around and how many more consignments passed there.
When you do the Maths, it adds up to quite a substantial amount of money, worth billions of dollars! It illustrates the massive scale of this industry, and what drives it! Then there are the users, and the addicts at the end of the chain! We reflect on the impact of the habit on the family structure, society, and the nation! And we also reflect on other associated factors, from petty crimes to feed addiction, to the rise in HIV cases. Remember, we now have 552 new cases of HIV from January to June this year as opposed to the 415 cases for the whole of 2023! That’s a shocking state of affairs, and we reflect on connections to drug abuse, especially the use of shared needles for meth! These are major challenges and get worse when you consider or add addiction, and place that alongside poverty and unemployment! So we wonder how we are going to deal with these complexities? Or how do we control importation, and reduce usage? If it’s anything, Ms Tabuya has raised an important issue. She has her points but we may not all agree with her.
According to a BBC report in January this year, Amnesty International’s latest figures highlighted that 55 countries had the death penalty. In our context, the fact that so much is being said about this topic is actually encouraging. There is so much passion! We also reflect on religious considerations, and the right to life.
We consider emotional attachments to the beauty of life, and second chances! For now, our challenge is going to be on how we maintain that level of energy and attention, and shift the focus onto the big topic of drug abuse! We may differ in our opinions, yet we have an opportunity to put our voices behind the war against drugs! So let’s talk! Let’s make some meaningful changes! Let’s secure our borders! Let’s keep our country safe! And let’s protect our loved ones from the negative impact of drug abuse!.
