The Jet Volume 7 Number 2 - 2015

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015. ISSUE 61

www.thejetnewspaper.com

50 CENTS

Business Boost

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

One of the leading business entities, Carpenters Finance, opened
its doors in Nadi on Wednesday,
January 28.
Located in the main street of
Nadi town at Westpoint Arcade,
the business aims to expand its
operations with all-in-one service
making it convenient for the Jetsetters.
General Manager Mr Alok
Mishra said the dream of having
their business operations in Nadi
has finally come true.
“It’s a great pleasure being here
in Nadi. I was always aiming to be
here, but it was tough to get with
the Nadi’s hard life, it may have
been costly. Somehow we managed to setup here and I’m optimistic that our business will be
great here,” said Mr Mishra.
“The thought came into our
mind to open a business centre
here as Nadi being the most important area would certainly boost
our business.
“Maybe in one month’s time,
we will be opening in Ba so our
outreach to the customers will be
wide.”
The outlet provide services
in terms of bill of sales, hire purchase, money link card, payments,
money exchange and financial arrangements for people who face
hardships in doing repayments.
“This will give our customers
a lot of convenience as we have
everything in just one place,” he

Carpenters Finance Opens Business Centre in Nadi

Carpenters Finance staff during the opening of the Nadi outlet. Standing from left: Nunia (Collections officer), Anita (Foreign exchange staff), Manaaz
(Moneylink officer), Anup (Team leader), Reenal (collections officer), Kunal (Bill of sales officer). Sitting from left: Mr Raj Deo (Manager West) and Mr Alok
Mishra (General Manager). Photos: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
added.
Nadi Town Council special administrator Robin Ali was the chief
guest at the opening ceremony.
He said there has always been
a strong bond between the council
and Carpenters Finance.
“The relationship between Nadi
Town Council and Carpenters has
been very strong and I am sure it
will continue to be like this.
“Nadi Town Council is a service
organisation and its main objective
is service delivery. We create opportunities for the people to come

into the business and then we provide them with the services.”
Mr Ali also acknowledged the
presence of former mayor Dr. Abdul Gani.
Morris Hedstrom (MH) Money
Express Ltd has also been a prominent corporate in the market and
it is their ninth outlet to start its operations.
Extended hours of service will
be offered for customers as the
business also sends money instantly to over 200 countries across
334,000 locations worldwide.

Carpenters Finance general manager Alok Mishra (fifth from left) and Nadi
Town Council special administrator Robin Ali (fourth from left) during the
opening of the Nadi outlet on Wednesday, January 28.

www.thejetnewspaper.com

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

“Fiji - the way the world should be”
PICK OF THE MONTH

Valentine’s Day
Festivity
Each year on February
14, many people exchange
cards, candy, gifts or flowers
with their special ‘valentine’.
The day of romance,
we call Valentine’s Day, is
named for a Christian idealist and dates back to the
5thcentury, but has origins
in the Roman holiday Lupercalia (an ancient Roman
festival).
Many people around the
world celebrate Valentine’s
Day by showing appreciation for the people they love
or adore. Some people
take their loved ones for a
romantic dinner at a restaurant while others may
choose this day to propose
or get married.
Many people give greet-

ing cards, chocolates, jewellery or flowers, particularly
roses, to their partners or
admirers on Valentine’s Day.
It is also a time to appreciate friends in some social
circles and cultures. According to Wikipedia, Valentine’s Day in Finland refers
to “Friend’s day”, which is
more about remembering
all friends rather than focusing solely on romance.
Eventually the custom of
sending anonymous cards
or messages to those whom
one admired became the
accepted way of celebrating
Valentine’s Day.
May everyone have a
happy and safe Valentine’s
Day.
q

ANUSHIL KUMAR

THE JET is Fiji’s first community newspaper published bi-monthly
by YOURSPACE LIMITED from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
PRODUCTION
NEWS
ADVERTISING

OFFICE PHONES
EMAIL

WEBSITE

: SAMUEL SHANKAR
: ANUSHIL KUMAR
: MUNAUWAR KHAN
: SALOTE QALUBAU
: MARGARET NAQIRI
: ARON GOUNDAR
: 6707075 / 6750443
: [email protected]
: [email protected]
: www.thejetnewspaper.com

Cell: 9966115
Cell: 9203847
Cell: 9222456
Cell: 7147179
Cell: 9360047
Cell: 9203790

PRINTED BY DAVUI PRINTERY LIMITED, 12 BAKA PLACE, LAUCALA BEACH ESTATE, SUVA
Phone: (679) 3394755. LAYOUT BY MUNAUWAR KHAN / ANUSHIL KUMAR

“ Being the hub of the Pacific, Fiji has everything that a spectacular tropical paradise has to offer from private island resort accommodations, top class restaurants to white sandy beaches, inbound
tours, jet boat rides, hot air balloon rides, mountain trekking, inland tours, eco tourism, sky diving,
helicopter rides, cruise trips, scuba diving, massage and beauty parlours, vibrant night life and a
lot more than any other destination in the world offers ”

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Assistant Minister Donates
Utensils to Nadi Hospital
By SALOTE QALUBAU

The Honourable Assistant Minister for Health and
Medical Services, Mrs Veena
Bhatnagar made a personal
donation to the Nadi Hospital on Thursday, January 15.
According to Ms Bhatnagar, the idea of donation
came up after her visit to the
hospital earlier in January.
“When I spoke to the hospital sister-in-charge, she
told me there were 77 beds
so I thought I’d get them 77
buckets,77plates, 80 spoons
and 77 cups.
“I take this as an opportunity to serve the people who
need us to do something for
them. It’s just a small gesture
and gives me alot of satisfaction and pleasure to be serving my people,” said Ms Bhatnagar.
Assistant Minister said
she will be holding further
discussions in Tavua, Ba

Assistant Minister for Health Veena Bhatnagar (6th from right) with Nadi Hospital Staff and patients. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
and Rakiraki and has placed
hand sanitisers in both the
Nadi and Lautoka hospital
conveniences as well as
supplying the Sigatoka hospital with linen.
“The lights in the reception
area will be changed by the
board of visitors in the Nadi
out-patients department and
the senior citizens as well as

the physically disabled will be
given special assistance.
“I had a good talk with
the staff of Nadi hospital
yesterday
(Wednesday,
January 14) and they have
agreed that they will look
into their departments, train
the nurses and improve their
approach towards the patients.”

She concluded by acknowledging the immense
support provided by the Acting Divisional Medical officer
Doctor Susana Nakalevu in
terms of assisting the Ministry of Health by highlighting
key areas that needed to be
addressed in the western division’s health sector.

Over 600 Teachers Provided Employment
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
A total of 653 unemployed
teachers will be absorbed in
the teaching field and will be
posted in primary and secondary schools across the
country.
This was announced
by the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts on
Wednesday, January 14.
The proclamations followed the initial speech delivered by the Hon. Minister
for Education, Dr Mahendra
Reddy in Parliament last
year.
Dr. Reddy informed Par-

2

liament, in his speech, the
Government would provide
the opportunity for teachers
to pursue their profession
and address the disparity in
the ‘student-teacher’ ratio at
the same time.
“This is one of the many
reforms we are undertaking
in the ministry to improve
our service delivery to the
people of this nation. We
want to create opportunities for all aspiring teachers
to venture into this career
pathway,” said Dr. Reddy
From a total of 653 new
teachers, 317 will be posted
to secondary schools while

336 teachers will be posted
to primary schools.
The Ministry also announced all those qualified
teachers who graduated
from higher education institutions before December 31,
2014 and were unemployed
will be absorbed into the
Ministry.
“I am certain that these
teachers will come in and
be selfless in their service to
the students of this nation.
“This opportunity will
provide these new teachers
employment and in turn we
expect them to provide the
students of this nation the

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Hon. Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy with the Hon. Assistant Education Minister Mr
Vijay Nath and Director Secondary Education Mr Jai Narayan during the press conference in
Suva.Photo: SUPPLIED.
best possible service they
can give,” concluded the
Minister.
The staffing will include
new establishment plus va-

cant positions.
All the new recruited
teachers will start as an Assistant Teacher 9A with a salary of $12,360 and would be

promoted on a higher scale
succeeding the necessary
performance
assessment
process after one year of
teaching.

www.thejetnewspaper.com

ADVERTISEMENT

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

3

EDUCATION

www.thejetnewspaper.com

Scaling of Marks Removed
By ANUSHIL KUMAR

Cabinet has approved the
removal of scaling of marks
for the Fiji Year 12 and Fiji
Year 13 Certificate Examinations effective from this year.
The decision by the cabinet was made on a submission by the Minister for Education, Heritage and Arts, Dr
Mahendra Reddy.
The Minister, in his submission to Cabinet, said
despite the good rationales
for scalings, it concealed the
raw marks and did not reflect students’ true achievement.
Dr Reddy said with the re-

moval of scaling from external examinations, the curriculums from Years 1-13 will
be revised and standardized
with specific learning outcomes.
He said the internal assessment components will
be strengthened in all subjects and moderated internally in schools with strong
emphasis on teaching and
revision.
The Minister also stated
Year 10 National Examination (formerly known as Fiji
Junior Certificate Examination) shall be reintroduced
and externally prepared final examinations for each
subject for Years 6-9 and
Year 11 introduced for which

the Ministry will provide detailed solutions and marking
guide for each of the subject
examinations.
Measures were also outlined by the Hon. Minister
to uplift student’s performance.
These include the removal of administrative duties
from teachers and directing them to spend all their
time on lesson preparation, teaching and revision,
specialized and short-term
training for teachers, ensuring that schools have adequate resources for enhancing of teaching and learning
such as quality class rooms,
furniture, adequate amount
of stationary and library

resources; boosting IT resources and student access
to personal IT resources;
and identifying below average students in every class
and mounting remedial
classes for these students in
the Schools every day.
In addition, he said emphasis shall also be placed
on improving teacher quality in collaboration with
teacher training institutions.
The scaling system was
introduced in 1979 for the
Fiji Seventh Form Certificate
Examination and in 1989 for
Fiji School Leaving Certificate Examinations as a principled method of addressing
subject equivalence.

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Classroom Teaching Must Start
All schools within the
country were directed by
the Ministry of Education to
begin classes on the very
week of school.
While enrolment may
still be happening in some
schools, this should not halt
the teachers from classroom
teaching.
“I am instructing all
schools to begin classroom
teaching. Head teachers
and school principals must
adhere to the instruction.
Whilst you continue with
your enrolment process, you
must ensure that students
and teachers are in the
classrooms engaged with
classroom work,” directed
the Minister for Education,
Dr. Mahendra Reddy.
Parents have also been
urged to send their school

aged children to school.
“I am also requesting parents with school aged children to send their children
to school. We are working
towards a knowledge based
society and the government
is providing free education,
transport assistance, free
text books to assist parents.
An educated population will
certainly assist our nation
achieve better living conditions, reduce social ills and
boost our economy,” Dr.
Reddy added.
Meanwhile, parents and
guardians who find difficulty
in enrolling their children
into schools are advised to
seek the assistance of the
education offices closest to
them.
q DEPTFO

Ministry Signs MOA with Technical College
By SALOTE QALUBAU
The Honourable Minister
for Education, Heritage and
Arts Dr. Mahendra Reddy
signed a Memorandum of
Agreement on Thursday,
January 22, for a new technical school based within the
premises of the former Nadi
College which will now be
the Fiji Technical College’s
Nadi campus to cater for vocational students.
“I never thought that I
would be here on this historic day to transit Nadi College
from offering secondary
education to tertiary education,” Dr. Reddy said.
“Any effort to develop
skilled people would not
only immediately deal with
the shortage of skilled labour in Fiji but also could
provide Fiji a rapidly increasing and sustained source of
foreign exchange should
we be able to export skilled
human resource for other
countries.”
The Honourable Minister
stressed that failure to cater
for sectors that relied heavily
on-skilled workers such as
he tourism sector would result in missing out on foreign
exchange.
In addition, the government has provided a total of
$7million for the establishment of ten technical institutes, three of which will be
established this year while
the remaining seven will be

Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy (sitting third from left) and Assistant Minister for Education Hon Vijay Nath with the Ministry officials and Board members of
Fiji Technical College during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
established in 2016.
The full list of courses
offered in the Fiji Technical
College Nadi campus will be
announced soon, however
courses offered will include
hospitality, electronics and
mechanical studies to mention a few.
“There is a sizable proportion of students in Fiji
who’s aptitude does not
lie in the higher education

stream for example to become an economist, dentist
or a chemist but their aptitude lies in skilled areas to
become an engineer or an
electrician and by pushing
these students into a higher
education stream we are
not only wasting government money but we are
doing injustice to them, because they will only fail once
we screen them for exams.

“It is for this reason that
government has decided to
establish technical colleges
to provide a pathway to students who’s aptitude lies in
technical areas after year
10, so when students complete year 10 they will then
have the option to move to
the technical college or continue to year 11 and so on,
there will be no forcing of
anyone.”

Students will also be able
to pursue subject areas that
they are passionate about
and as such those enrolled
in the technical college
will be eligible for the TELS
scheme in terms of acquiring financial assistance and
short courses will also be offered for school dropouts for
the time span of one month
or one week and will be fully funded by the Ministry of

Education.
Dr. Reddy concluded that
the paramount vision of the
Bainimarama government
was to assist students in tapping into their hidden talents
by providing them with a
quality education regardless
of the race, creed or background.

Technical College is Not Meant
for Failures: Dr Reddy
By ANUSHIL KUMAR

This Technical College
is not meant for failures, it
is meant for people whose
aptitude lies in the technical area, said the Minister
for Education Dr Mahendra
Reddy during the signing of
the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) at the Fiji Technical College Nadi Campus
on Thursday, January 22.
“The government’s vision
is to provide higher education to every segment of

4

the society wherever your
(student’s) interest lies,
on whatever subject area
you’re passionate about.
“To ensure that there
is no obstacle, we wish to
open Technical Colleges
throughout Fiji. To ensure
that it is not financial obstacle, all those students who
are enrolled in the Technical
College will be eligible to get
financed from the Tertiary
Education Loan Scheme
(TELS).”
Dr Reddy highlighted the
importance of the Technical College to all the school
drop-outs.

“Apart from the normal
award program 1 and 2, the
college will also offer short
courses to those students
who are dropped out, who
are wandering in the village to come and take short
courses.
“The short courses will
be one week or one month
long and for them too, the
Ministry will pay the full
cost. All they need to do is
to come, enroll and comply
with the operational rules of
this institution.”
Honourable Minister said
this is also a vision of the
Bainimarama government.

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy (left) hands over the signed MOA to the trustee of Nadi
College Mohammed Galib Shah. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
“The vision of the Bainimarama government is to

look through your eyes, understand you, and make you

realise your dreams.”

www.thejetnewspaper.com

LOCAL NEWS

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Top Class Postgraduate Surgery
Programme Commences
One of Fiji’s well known
surgeons, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete has been appointed
to lead the Postgraduate Surgery programme at the Fiji
National University’s College
of Medicine, Nursing and
Health Sciences.
Dr Waqainabete, former
president of the Fiji Medical Association, said he was
honoured to be given this responsibility.
Being a former student,
he was privileged to join the
institution as an academic.
“This is a new chapter in
my professional life as I get
to join my wife and many
other colleagues from my
student days at the old Fiji
School of Medicine,” he said.
“I will be one of the many
cogs in the wheel of CMNHS

to help nurture the future
champions of Health in the
Pacific,” he added.
Dr Waqa said the review
of programmes and curriculum is part and parcel of any
academic institution.
The program underwent
a review last year by the senior surgeons in FNU, Ministry of Health and experts
from the Royal Australasian
College of Surgeons.
Pacific Islands Surgeons
Association president, Lord
(Dr) Viliame Tangi from Tonga said he was happy with
the new surgical curriculum
developed in November. Dr
Tangi is a fellow of Royal
Australian College of Surgeons (RACS).
“I think it was an excellent work and product,” he

said.
Dr Tangi said surgeons
from the region trained under the College and then
Fiji School of Medicine have
contributed significantly to
the region.
The College of Medicine,
Nursing and Health Science
Acting Dean, Professor Rajat Gyaneshwar said the rewritten surgery programme
would deliver quality surgeons.
He said he was particularly pleased with the curriculum development process.
“It was further reassuring
that senior surgeons from
the region have been actively involved in the review
process. We expect things to
stabilise this year,” he said.
Top surgeons from the re-

Dr. Ifereimi Waqainabete.
gion including Lord Viliame
Tangi from Tonga and Dr
Kiki Maoate from New Zealand were part of the review
team.
q FNU

FHEC Advises On Validity of Programmes
The Fiji Higher Education
Commission [FHEC] is advising students enrolling into
higher education institutions
to fully understand the programmes and courses they
are committing themselves
into.
The Commission is raising this to avoid students
taking some programmes
especially short courses
where they gain unrecognized qualifications. Many

such courses are not scrutinized as thoroughly as academic ones and this is being
looked into by the Commission in 2105.
The Executive Chairman
of the FHEC, Dr Richard Wah
emphasized that students
and parents have to know
background information of
the courses they have chosen.
“People have the right to
find out whether the pro-

grammes offered by higher
education providers are registered under the Fiji Qualifications Framework,” described Dr Wah.
Dr Wah said the public
can cross check with the
Fiji Higher Education Commission about the validity
of programmes offered by
higher education providers
in the country.
“Accrediting and registering these programmes is all

part of the Quality Assurance
of Fiji’s higher education
system,” assured Dr Wah.
The Fiji Higher Education
Commission is also advising
higher education providers
to be fair enough in providing valid and quality assured
programmes.

q DEPTFO

Get Vehicle Valuation Done
Before Renewing Insurance
As consumers around
the country contemplate
whether to renew their vehicle insurance policies with
the start of the New Year, the
Consumer Council of Fiji is
urging vehicle owners to get
a valuation done.
In Fiji, it’s a common
practice amongst vehicle
owners to insure their vehicle at a buying price or by
dropping few hundred dollars without proper valuation with the view that if an
accident occurs, they will
not go out of pocket.
This thinking is not right
when the insurance company will only pay the market
rate and not the sum insured
without valuation.
Vehicle owners should
consider using the vehicle
valuation services provided
by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to establish the
correct market value of their
vehicle before getting the insurance cover.
LTA provides vehicle valuation service at a fee of $17
per vehicle and all vehicle
owners are encouraged to
pay and get their vehicle
valuated before taking out
insurance coverage.
The Council’s call comes
in light of a recent case
where a vehicle owner
had insured his vehicle for
$18,000 with a well-known
insurance company.
He was involved in an
accident where he was not
only injured but his vehicle

was badly damaged. The
insurance company happily
offered the vehicle owner a
write-off amount of $3,050.
The vehicle owner was
very disappointed at the
pay-out amount. The explanation given by his insurance company was that the
vehicle was over-valued at
the time insurance policy
was finalised.
The primary question
asked by the vehicle owner
was why was the insurance
company paying him only
$3,050 when his policy was
worth $18,000, and, if his
vehicle was indeed overvalued as claimed by the
insurer – why didn’t the insurance company raise an
alarm then when the policy
was purchased and premium amount was discussed
and paid.
Many consumers may
be caught in such situations where they may have
insured their property for a
substantial amount without
proper valuation.
Consumers should shop
around for insurance companies to get a good deal
and proper coverage and
service for you.
Also, when insuring your
motor vehicle, it is important
that you disclose all information that may affect the acceptance of the insurance.

Ms. Premila Kumar

CEO – Consumer Council of
Fiji

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

5

www.thejetnewspaper.com

LOCAL NEWS

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Punjas Funds $0.5m Medical
Centre in Lautoka

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

The newly built Punjas
Medical Centre was officially opened by the Prime
Minister Honourable Voreqe
Bainimarama in Lautoka on
Friday, January 23.
The Medical Centre,
built at a cost of $500,000,
will ensure more people in
Lautoka have access to basic medical services. This
community service drive
also coincides with the 80th
anniversary since the founding of the first Punjas store
by the late Punja Kara in Sigatoka in 1935 and Mr Kanti
Punja celebrating his 80th
birthday this year.
Hon. Bainimarama, while
addressing during the official
opening ceremony, mentioned one feature about the
medical centre which made
it uniquely different from the
other Centre’s he launched
earlier in the week at Vatukarasa, Cuvu and the new
extension at the Sigatoka
Hospital.
“The entire cost of building this facility – half a million dollars – has been born
by the Punja and Sons family through their charitable
trust,” Prime Minister said.
“It is a wonderful act of
generosity on the part of this
family and the Punja and
Sons Group of Companies.
And I want to say a heartfelt “vinaka vakalevu” to
them on behalf of the Fijian
Government and the Fijian
people.”
He said this is also a day
to celebrate a wonderful
partnership between Gov-

ernment and the private
sector.
“Because while the Punjas Group has paid for this
facility, it is the Government
that will resource it through
the doctors and nurses of
the Ministry of Health.
“From today (January 23)
the people of Lautoka have
a choice in whether to come
here or to go the Lautoka
hospital, which we all know
is under pressure because
of the demand on its services. This facility will do a
great deal to relieve some of
that pressure, so it is a valuable addition to the health
infrastructure of the Sugar
City and its citizens.”
Punjas managing director
Mr Nitin Punja said health
care and well-being plays
a major role in the corporate social responsibility activities of the Punjas Group
which is led by the senior
director Mr Kanti Lal Punja.
“This new centre is the
result of many years of work
by many people but more
than anybody, it was a project that was led and driven
by Mr Kanti Punja.
“We believe health care
is a universal right, though
our company, Punjas Charity Trust, we have fully
funded the construction of
this community medical
Centre. We sincerely hope
this new medical Centre will
give more people in our city
easier and quicker access
to health care services they
need.”
The Medical Centre, located at 10 Cakau Street,
includes an ambulance bay,
two consultation rooms, a
ramp for bed transfers, a re-

cords room, a pharmacy, a
staff kitchen, cleaning and
change room with shower
facilities and amenities for
people with disabilities.

Staff nurse Sujata Kumari
checks Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama’s pressure after the Punajs Medical Centre’s opening ceremony. TOP:
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama unlocks the new
Medical Centre while Punjas
Group chairman Kanti Punja
looks on.
Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.

Tavua Residents Urged to Take Precautions
Against Dengue Fever
The Hon. Assistant Minister for Health Veena Bhatnagar has reminded the
residents of Tavua to carry
out precautionary measures
to avoid contracting dengue
fever.
During mid January, the
Minister for Health and Medical Services announced significant high cases of dengue fever in the Northern
Division and pointed out the
need for Fijians to take basic
precautionary measures.
This message was also
reiterated by the Assistant
Minister to residents of Tavua at a public consultation
held in the town on Wednesday, January 21.
“The Ministry is doing all
it can to address dengue
fever. However we need
you to ensure that you are
keeping your compounds
free from dengue breeding
receptacles,” the Assistant

6

Minister said.
“Get rid of dengue mosquito’s breeding places such
as tyres, empty cans and
coconut shells and white
goods. Common breeding
grounds for dengue mosquitoes are pot plants that have
collected water.”
She added the Tavua
Health Office will look at vulnerable areas identified in
2014 as hot spots for dengue
breeding mosquitoes.
She also said insecticide
spraying will be carried out
in these areas to stop the
breeding of dengue mosquitoes.
Participants at the public
health consultation were
also advised on the signs,
symptoms and prevention of
dengue fever.

q DEPTFO

Hon. Assistant Minister for Health and Medical Services Mrs Veena Bhatnagar meets with Tavua Hospital staff on Wednesday, January
21. Photo: SUPPLIED.

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

www.thejetnewspaper.com


PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS IN WEST

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Minister Calls on Fijians to Assist Welfare Recipients
The Hon. Minister for
Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar
has called on Fijians to assist
in providing support for the
welfare of women, children
and senior citizens.
At public consultations
held in Sigatoka and Nadi
earlier in January, the Minister said while the State
would act on its obligation
to provide welfare assistance, Fijians also need to
take responsibility for family members, especially the
elderly.
“The Ministry will help
families to walk out of poverty, however once their economic situation improves,
we will exit them from the
welfare scheme. So new
families can be assisted. A
maximum of six weeks has
been allocated to process
all the welfare applications,”
Minister Akbar said.
She also raised concerns
on the increasing number of

senior citizens and children
being pushed onto streets
for begging.
Designed to strengthen
awareness
on
Government’s welfare program, the
consultations also provide
an opportunity for the Minister to speak on new laws
relevant to her portfolio.
“Through such consultations, we aim to inform people about the No Drop Policy
in relation to domestic violence -there is no room for
reconciliation, charges will
be laid and the Ministry will
work with police to intensify
efforts in reducing the rate
of domestic violence in Fiji,”
Mrs Akbar explained.
Fiji Disabled People’s
Federation representative,
Ms Neelam Jyotika Naidu
said she found the consultation both interactive and
empowering.
“I am visually impaired
and people like me face a
lot of challenges out there.

It’s encouraging to find that
government
recognizes
the rights of persons with
disabilities and such consultations are important to
address our concerns,” Ms
Naidu said.
“This is the first time
for us to witness government Minister’s coming out
like this to talk to people;
it builds our confidence to
work together with the government to create an inclusive society for all,”
Similarly, Mr Jone Nabou,
a social worker from Nakavu village in Nadi acknowledged the Bainimarama
government for assisting the
senior citizens.
“It’s encouraging to find
that the government is taking its services right down to
the people at grassroot level.
We really appreciate initiatives like the Food Voucher
Program, the Social Pension Scheme and Bus Fare
concession that is positively

Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Rosy Akbar while attending to the request of a senior citizen during the public consultations organised in Nadi. Photos: DEPTFO.
impacting the lives of the senior citizens.
“I am 74 years old and
I can say that in all these
years, THE Bainimarama

government is the first to
have created equal opportunities for the poor and disadvantaged people in Fiji. This
public consultation dem-

onstrates the government’s
commitment to enhance its
service deliverables,” Mr Nabou said.
q DEPTFO

Public Consultations
Receive Great Response
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Over 900 people were
reached through the weeklong public consultations
organised by the Ministry for
Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation around Fiji
during mid January.
Coordinated under the
leadership of the Hon. Minister Rosy Sofia Akbar, these
consultations provided immediate information on
social welfare, women and
child empowerment programs.
Minister Akbar explained,
to the public, the advantage
of holding these consultations.
“It is one of the strategies
used by the Ministry, to ex-

pand its reach out and assist
as many people, particularly
those residing in the rural
and remote locations,” Ms
Akbar said.
“We have received positive feedback from the consultations conducted so far
through which have advised
more than 900 people and
given them information on
the Ministry’s programs and
plans.
“More importantly, we
have been able to swiftly
process the pending social
welfare applications and at
the same time identify the
new cases.
“Women are also able to
report and seek advice on
cases of domestic violence
and child welfare.”
She mentioned the dis-

cussions with public allowed her staff to explain
the different income generating ventures instigated
through her Ministry.
“The people are also informed about the ‘Welfare
to Workfare’ programme
and ways in which the Ministry is able to empower
the able bodied recipients
through skills training and
resources to venture into
income generating projects.
“We are currently identifying 500 families who
would be assisted through
such initiatives to help them
walk out of poverty.
Minister Akbar also added more than 20,000 families were being assisted by
the Ministry and they look
forward to assist more poor

No Child Begging

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

The Ministry of Women,
Children and Poverty Alleviation will now ensure there is
no practice of child begging.
The National Taskforce
on Beggars will closely monitor streets across the country to make certain that no
child is found begging.
The taskforce, which is
headed by the Ministry of
Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, is made up
of different interventions
that identify ways to assist
beggars by providing them
with opportunities to generate income.
An alarming area of concern for the taskforce is the
presence of children found
begging with adults where
in some cases, they are accompanying their parents.

The Minister for Social
Welfare Rosy Sofia Akbar
said any child found begging
will be taken into State care
as children begging on the
streets are often vulnerable
to abuse and exploitation.
“We have intensified efforts to ensure that any child
found begging will be taken
into our care. Previously the
police were just warning the
parents, now we have started to take action and it’s sad
to see that some people use
children to gain public sympathy,” Ms Akbar said.
“The police will continue
to monitor the situation in
Suva and other towns as
well. If any family is burdened with financial difficulty they are advised to
visit the nearest social welfare office for assistance,
but we will not compromise
the safety of any child found
begging.”
Underlining a recent case
where a woman was found

begging with her young infant, the Minister said the
Government has a duty to
protect young children from
mistreatment.
She stated the young
child was taken into State
Care while the Taskforce
will ensure the mother is assisted with having employment opportunities.
Minister Akbar met with
Nadi Special Administrator,
Mr Robin Ali to look at how
the Ministry and Nadi Town
Council can work together
to assist beggars in Nadi
town.
The taskforce will also
work hand-in-hand with
municipal councils across
the country to look at ways
of assisting the beggars.
“The Ministry is stepping
up its work through the Taskforce and we will ensure
that no parent or guardian
uses their child for begging.”

Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Rosy Akbar (seated in middle) with the
social workers of Sigatoka during the public consultations in west
families.
“Currently, there are more
than 20,000 families assisted
through social welfare programs and while we would
like to assist poor families,
there are those who have
been in the system for quite
some time.

“These are people whose
children have grown up,
their life is more secured
now and hence they are
weaned off from the system to make way for other
families that are genuinely
in need government’s assistance.”

The vice-president of
Nadroga/Navosa Counselling and Social Services, Mr
Peniasi Vakili, thanked the
government for organising
such initiatives.

Senior Citizens to be Given More Care
The Ministry for Women,
Children and Poverty Alleviation is calling on families to
play a more proactive role
in ensuring the wellbeing of
senior citizens in Fiji.
This message was reiterated by the Hon. Minister
Mrs Rosy Akbar while speaking at public consultations
held in Nadi and Sigatoka
midway in January.
During these consultations, the Ministry received
reports of senior citizens
who were ill-treated by their
family members.
“The Ministry is urging
families to demonstrate
more care and compassion towards the welfare
of senior citizens. Families
need to make every effort to
look after their seniors, they
should be respected and
recognised for their years of
contribution,” the Minister
said.
“Through my visit to
some of Fiji’s residential
care homes, I have been
told that the number of senior citizens in these homes
is increasing.
“In fact there is a long list

of applications received by
the care homes from families who no longer want to
take care of their elderly parents.
“It’s sad to see that seniors in some of the care
homes, are never visited by
their families - they often
long to see their children.”
The Ministry, she said,
would organise awareness
programs to educate the
communities on such important social issues.
“There is a need to
change the mindset of children, to instill the values of
respect and care for our seniors, who should be looked
after and cherished by their
families”, the Minister said.
Through its Social Pension Scheme, the Ministry is
assisting more than 11,000
senior citizens.
“This Scheme is for seniors who are 70 years and
above, and don’t have any
form of income or access
to superannuation funds so
they qualify for a monthly
pension from Government.
Government has allocated $8 million for this

Scheme in the 2015 national
budget with a total of 33,000
senior citizens expected
to benefit. It’s a three-fold
increase in the number of
senior citizens that are currently assisted through the
Scheme.
“From July this year, the
eligibility age for assistance
will also be reduced to 68
years and this Scheme is
provided to senior citizens
who are living with their children who look after them.
“However, for those senior citizens who don’t have
anyone staying with them,
they are assisted through
Poverty Benefit Scheme,
which has monthly cash
component and $50 Food
Voucher.
“The Bus Fare Concession for seniors who are 60
years and above in age, will
also continue, with a budgetary allocation of $150,000.
Currently 42,475 individuals
continue to be assisted by
this initiative,” Minister Akbar said.
q DEPTFO

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

7

www.thejetnewspaper.com

NADI TOWN COUNCIL

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Council Notice Board

Council Advises
Ratepayers and Citizens
This is to inform the ratepayers and citizens that Council will be providing collection of
white goods, E-wastes and tyres in all three (3) wards as per the schedule.
Please note that all other items should be discharges on recyclable days as per schedule
provided earlier. Resident are also reminded to compost all green waste and organic waste
from kitchen.
“NOTE: NO GREEN WASTE AND RECYCLABLE ITEMS WILL BE COLLECTED DURING
THIS CLEANUP CAMPAIGN.”
Discharge Manner
All residents are advised to discharge target items by 7.00am on the first day of collection in each ward. The collection truck will go through the street once only and target items
discharged after collection will be considered as litter and will be dealt under Litter Decree
2010.
Dated this 7th day of January, 2015.

Town Ward
Martintar Ward
Namaka Ward
March
23rd
24th/25th
26th/27th
June
15th
16th/17th
18th/19th
September
21st
22nd/23rd
24th/25th
November
2nd
3rd/4th
5th/6th

Use of Proper Garbage
Receptacles
The Council has observed that despite several
reminders people are continuing to use shopping plastic bag, cartons, ordinary
buckets and small (20 litre)
empty gallons without lid to
dispose garbage.
Please be reminded that
it is an offence under the
PUBLIC HEALTH LEGISLATION and LITTER DECREE
2010 to dispose garbage in
IMPROPER GARBAGE BIN
WITHOUT TIGHT FITTING
LIDS.

8

Placing of garbage in
shopping bags or any plastic bags in the roadside for
collection is not permitted
and anyone found placing in
such manner will be treated
as littering.
You are therefore requested to dispose your garbage in a proper receptacle
as required by the Council.
Be reminded that under Litter Decree 2010, the
fine ranges from $40.00 to
$10,000.00 and the Council
would not hesitate to issue

on to the offenders Fixed
Penalty Notices requiring to
pay on-spot fines.
It is anticipated that all
business and residents will
co-operate and assist the
Council in Keeping Nadi
Clean and Beautiful.
Dated this 23rd day of December, 2014.

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Separate Collection Service of Recyclables and Garbage Collection

Nadi Town Council has
continued with the separate
collection of recyclables as
has been the practice since
2011.
Target Items
•
Paper,
newspaper, office paper, magazine,
cardboard, old clothes (dry
and clean)
•
Pet bottles, plastic
bottles, hard plastic (dry and
clean)
•
Metalscopper,
brass and iron
Town Ward
a.
Separate collection
service of Recyclables
Frequency:
twice
a
month (1st and 3rd Wednesdays)
b. Garbage collection
service
Frequency: twice a week
(Monday and Friday)
Martintar Ward
a.
Separate collection
service of Recyclables
Frequency: (Residential):
Twice a month (2nd and 4th
Wednesdays)
Frequency:
(Commercial): 5 days per week except Wednesdays
b. Garbage collection
service
Frequency: (Residential):
Twice a week (Monday and
Friday)
Frequency:
(Commercial): 5 days per week except Wednesdays
Namaka Ward
a.
Separate collection
service of Recyclables
Frequency (Residential):
Twice a month

1st and 3rd Thursdays
– Bountiful, Waqadra Housing, Namaka Park, Waqadra
Cooperative, Beddoes and
Namaka Industrial
2nd and 4th Thursdays ATS Stage I/II, Concave Subdivision, Votualevu Lowcost,
Deo Street, Matavolivoli, Savuniwai, Tanoa Housing
Frequency
(Commercial): Every Thursdays
b. Garbage collection
service
Frequency: (Residential):
Twice a week (Tuesday and
Saturday)
Frequency:
(Commercial): 5 days per week except Thursdays
“NO COLLECTION OF
RECYCLABLES ON PUBLIC
HOLIDAYS”

Robin Anganu
Chief Executive Officer

NOTES:
How to Discharge Recyclables
•
Place the bag on
the curb side by 7.00am.
•
Do not discharge
cartons/clothes on the rainy
day.
Home Composting
Home composting is an
effective tool to treat kitchen
and garden waste which
is easy to manage. The
Council is promoting home
composting throughout the
town.
If you are interested in
home composting, please
come to our office for more
information.
Dated this 30th day of December, 2014.

LOCAL NEWS

www.thejetnewspaper.com

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

PM Opens New Maternity
Unit at Sigatoka Hospital

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

The newly renovated
maternity unit was officially
opened by the Hon. Prime
Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at the Sigatoka Hospital
on Wednesday, January 21.
Hon. Bainimarama said
he was delighted to be in
Sigatoka to open the new
extension to the hospital
where a great deal of more
Fijians would enter the
world in the coming months
and years as he regarded
mothers as the backbone of
the nation.
“It’s always a special pleasure to improve facilities for
the most important people
in all our lives - our mothers.
They are the backbone of
our nation and deserve the
best we can give them,” said
the Hon. Prime Minister.
“Unfortunately,
they
haven’t always had that here
in Sigatoka. But from today
all that changes with a new
maternity unit that is a wonderful addition to Sigatoka
and Nadroga and a won-

derful improvement in the
conditions we can provide
for our women during the
most important experience
of their lives.”
The Prime Minister was
grateful to the Fiji Hotel
Association, Coral Coast
Chapter, for joining them in
building the wonderful new
facility.
“This new extension is a
public-private partnership
between the Government
and the Fiji Hotel Association through the Board of
Visitors at Sigatoka Hospital.
“Of the total cost of $2.6
million spent on this project,
the Hotel Association, Coral
Coast Chapter, has contributed $600,000, with the rest
provided by Government.
I want to thank the Association on behalf of every
Fijian, and especially the
people of Nadroga, for that
contribution.
“This Hospital not only caters for about 50,000 people
within the Sigatoka Hospital
catchment area, but another
5,000 or so tourists who are
our honoured guests at hotels along the Coral Coast.”
Mr Bainimarama also
paid tribute to all the other

stakeholders behind the successful completion the project – the Ministry of Works,
the Ministry of Health, the
Office of the Commissioner
Western, Provincial Officials,
and the Contractor Cope
Construction.
“This new maternity unit,
health centre, and health office comes on top of a range
of other developments at
Sigatoka Hospital over the
years, including an eye clinic, a dental clinic, and accident and emergency unit,
and the refurbishment of the
hospital wards.
“About 100 babies are delivered here every month.
And a similar number attend
the ante-natal care clinic
as we prepare our mothers
for their important day. So
everything about this new
facility is designed to make
them more comfortable and
give them the best possible
care.”
The Prime Minister, earlier that day, also opened
the new health centre in
Vatukarasa Sigatoka before
opening the Cuvu Health
Centre the following day on
Thursday, January 22.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama (left) and Minister for Health Jone Usamate (middle) with
the Nadroga Navosa subdivisional medical officer Dr Sravaniya Dasi duirng the opening of the
Sigatoka Hospital new maternity unit. Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.

Ministry of Health staff members pose for a group photo after the opening of the Sigatoka Hospital new maternity unit.

New Locomotives to
Reduce Waiting Time
for Sugarcane Crushing
The purchase of new locomotives will reduce the
waiting time to transport
sugarcane to mills across
the country and in turn, increase crushing capacity.
The Fiji Sugar Corporation recently purchased
seven new locomotives to
reduce the burden on cane
farmers to transport sugarcane to mills.
The new purchase is also
intended to improve efficiency by transporting more
sugarcane at a faster pace to
mills.
FSC executive chairman
Abdul Khan says this latest

development would also
mean less reliance on vehicles to transport sugarcane.
“We were initially to have
bought only three however,
we ended up buying seven
altogether and this would
greatly bring efficiency to
the transportation of yields
to the mills,” Mr Khan said.
“Currently, we heavily rely
on trucks and this causes
traffic jams in the major centres of Ba, Lautoka, Nadi,
Sigatoka, and Labasa especially in the peak hours of
the day. So the purchase of
these locomotives will not
only speed up transportation

of cane but also reduce travelling time on our roads for
motorists.”
He says transportation of
cane has been a major problem for farmers who find it
costly and time consuming
to transport sugarcane to
mills.
“FSC has taken over the
transportation of cane to the
mills and all these procurements have been made in
line with the demands of the
industry,” Mr Khan said.
The Ministry of Sugar director Viliame Gucake says
this purchase by the FSC is
a move that will benefit Fiji’s

Sugarcane on its way to the Lautoka mill, the Fiji Sugar Corporation
has brought in another seven locomotives to assist in transporting
cane to the mills. Photo: SUPPLIED.

$10K fine on
Traders/Retailers,
Illegal Price Increase
Not Tolerated

sugar industry.
“We have seen our figures increasing since Government introduced the reforms and 2015 is an exciting
year that the whole industry
with its 200, 000 people are
looking forward to,” Mr Gucake said.

Ms. Premila Kumar

CEO – Consumer Council of
Fiji

q DEPTFO

The Consumer Council of
Fiji welcomes the amendments made to the Customs
Tariff Act 1986, to stop any
illegal price increases imposed by traders/retailers
immediately after annual
national budget announcements by the Government.
We applaud the Government for modifying the
law, particularly the imposition of a fine to as much as
$10,000 on those traders/
retailers who act illegally by
increasing the price of old
stock when new duty rates
are announced. All old stock
should be sold at old prices
reflecting the old duty rates.
Increasing prices on old
stock where previous duty
rates have already been paid
is unethical profiteering.
This is a victory for all Fijian consumers who expect

protection from unscrupulous traders/retailers who
act unethically by increasing
the prices of goods soon after every budget announcement on the same day.
In reality, new prices
should only apply when the
trader/retailer pays the new
rate of duty on the items arriving for the first time in Fiji
or on all un-cleared cargo.
Now, with such stringent
law and a state-run Price
Monitoring Taskforce in
place, we expect traders to
pass benefits to consumers
by matching reductions in
retail prices.
Council is aware that the
traders normally approach
government for duty reductions to express the benefits
consumers will get from
such reductions.
Unfortunately, duty reductions are not often reflected through drops in retail prices.
The amendments to the
Custom Tariff Act will stop
years of bad practice where
retailers do not pass on the
tax cut in full.
The Council will keep a
tab on such notorious traders/retailers who act unethically to hoodwink the consumers and it is also urging
consumers to take a proactive role by exposing such
businesses who continue to
operate unethically.

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

9

LOCAL NEWS

www.thejetnewspaper.com

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Nadi Chamber to Celebrate First
Chinese New Year

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (NCCI)
have come up with the idea
of celebrating Chinese New
Year later next month.
Chamber president Dr
Ram Raju (pictured) said
this will be celebrated by
NCCI for the first time in
Nadi on Saturday, February
21.
“I’m trying to put together
a program shortly with the
help of the Chinese Community and others,” Dr Raju
said.
“We’ll have our first business forum to coincide with

this function focusing on
Chinese Tourism, Trade and
other opportunities.”
Dr Raju said invitations
will be sent to the key stakeholders while the new Chinese Ambassador to be the
chief guest for the first ever
celebration in the Jet Set
Town.
Meanwhile, NCCI organised a boat cruise on Saturday, January 17, which was
described as one of the best
events setup by the Chamber.
He said the members enjoyed and had a good social

get-together to start off the
New Year.
“We had groups of Hashers and Doctors from as far
as Suva and New Zealand,
and quite a good number of
potential members,” said Dr
Raju.
There were a record
number of Ministers and
MPs including the Minister
for Fisheries and Forests
Osea Naiqamu, Minister for
Health Jone Usamate, Minister for Youth and Sports
Laisenia Tuitubou, Assistant
Minister for Agriculture Joeli Cawaki, Deputy Speaker

Ruveni Nadalo, Assistant
Minister for Youth and Sports
Iliesa Delana, Government
Whip Semi Koroilavesau,
Member
of
Parliament
Samuela Vunivalu, Member
of Parliament and Deputy
Whip Sanjit Patel.
“I would like to thank
Van Meds for their generous
sponsorship,” he said.
Members are requesting for another similar boat
cruise in the near future for
which Dr Raju said can be
planned at some stage with
the help of some sponsors.

New Classroom and Teachers
Quarters for Nasivikoso Village
School
By ANUSHIL KUMAR

Prime
Minister
Hon.
Voreqe
Bainimarama
brought smiles to the people
of Nasivikoso Village in Ba
after he opened a new block
of classrooms and teachers’
quarters on Friday, January
16.
While speaking at the
opening ceremony, the
Prime Minister said he was
delighted to have the opportunity to meet the villagers
face-to-face as his Government has always been willing to invest in the education
of Fijian Children.
“My Government has always been willing to invest
in the education of Fijian
children and as I’ve said before, I am more proud of our
free schooling program than
anything else we have ever
done,” he said.
“With the free schooling
we introduced last year, every Fijian child now has an
opportunity to reach for the
stars, to fulfil their dreams
through better access to
learning.”
The school will provide
classes to 137 students from
Year 1 to Year 8, all thanks
to the initiative of the Prime
Ministers Office, International NGO Rustic Pathways
and also the community of
Nasivikoso, Ba who raised
$40,000 dollars.
“It’s also important for the
community to play its part
wherever it can and the fact
that you have done so here
has set a wonderful example to the rest of the country.
I understand that community-organised fundraising
raised $40,000, which is an
incredible achievement.
“I would also like to thank
Rustic Pathways for its generous assistance. This organisation has worked hand

in hand with Government
to improve the lives of the
children and families here,
so a big Vinaka vakalevu to
you all.
Hon.
Bainimarama
thanked the teachers of the
Nasivikoso Village School
for the efforts they are making to improve the lives of
the young people.
He said teachers are an
integral part of the education system and it must be
ensured that their conditions of employment are
conducive to them giving
their best.
He also thanked the parents for their support and
to the students for their enthusiasm and eagerness to
take advantage of these new
facilities.
“My Government is doing
everything it can to address
this problem – not only in
Nasivikoso – but across Fiji.
Building more classrooms,
especially for Years 1 to 3,
to prevent young children
from having to live away
from their parents is one
of the chief priorities in our
early childhood education
reforms.
“That’s why I’m especially proud that these new
facilities mean that many of
the children in this community will no longer have to
live apart from their mums
and dads.
“As a father and grandfather myself, I understand
what a huge relief this must
be.”
Before the school was
built, the children had to
travel all along from Nasivikoso Village to attend
Magodro District School in
Bukuya, Ba and Natutale
Primary School in Wauosi,
Navosa, some with the prospect of living away from
home as boarding students.

Sweet Tweets
What is your opinion on
the removal of scaling
from national examinations?

Ashtosh Singh,
Viseisei Lautoka.
“Despite the good advantages
for scaling, scaling underminds the raw marks and
does not reflect a students
true capabilities.”

Milika Kuruilada ,
Manoca road, Nausori.
“I think it’s a good thing to
remove the scaling, because
it’s unfair for those who actually study. This will actually
see who works harder and
who enjoys free ride.”

Shamal Segran Pillay
Mountain View road, Nadi.

“I think it’s good because
people will know their actual
marks, because the marks of
most of the smart students goes
down because of scaling.”

Prime Minister Hon. Voreqe Bainimarama on his way to open classrooms at Nasivikoso Village
School at Nasivikoso Village in the highlands of Ba. Photos: DEPTFO.

Monika Sovagusu
Malawai, Nadi.

“It’s good to remove this
scaling system because it’s
totally unfair on students who
work hard while the others are
spoon-fed. It will help them
(students) in a way as nothing
is handed on a silver platter.”

Achuda Nand
Korovuto, Nadi

Prime Minister Hon. Voreqe Bainimarama and students of Nasivikoso Village School infront of
their new classrooms which was opened by the Prime Minister.

10 THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

“It’s good because the government knows what’s best.”

www.thejetnewspaper.com

ADVERTISEMENT

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

11

DEVELOPMENT - DENARAU MARINA MASTER PLAN

www.thejetnewspaper.com

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Denarau Marina Announces
New Development Plan

Nigel Skeggs, Port Denarau Marina CEO, has announced a long-term strategic plan for the future
development and growth of
the Port Denarau Marina.
This plan is currently with
the Government and the
Land’s Department awaiting approval subject to the
new Mangrove Resource
Management Act due out
this year.
Land in excess of that required for the current plans
has been secured by the
company to allow for further
expansion in the future.
“Since Port Denarau Marina is an important part of the
Fiji tourism infrastructure,
providing access to all the
resorts in the Yasawas and
Mamanucas as well as the
operators of tourism experiences such as tours, cruising, fishing and other marine
based businesses, yachting
and the constantly growing
international cruise ship visits, we believe the time has
come for us to invest heavily to further develop the
infrastructure at Denarau,”
Skeggs said.
The development will be
staged over several years,
but to successfully build the
infrastructure to meet the

future demands it is essential to have a long-term plan
that provides the services
that will be required in the
future.
Port Denarau Marina has
always been very environmentally aware and has,
from the start of the business, had a separate environmental plan in place.

New development
Location

The development is sited
on land on the mainland and
immediately adjacent to the
harbor. Access is by a road
to the right on Denarau Road
about 300 meters before the
Denarau bridge. There is a
small river running at right
angles to the proposed new
road and the development
land starts immediately after
the bridge is crossed.

The Master Plan

The master plan concept
is for the available site to
be developed in a number
of distinct stages. There are
nine distinct areas in the
initial stage of the proposed
development, each with its
own specific purpose

The Mangroves
There

are

extensive

stands of Mangrove on the
site and the scheme seeks
to retain large areas particularly along the waterfront
as well as in a Mangrove
Experience Centre. Raised
wooden walkways will allow sightseeing deep within
the mangrove stands without the danger of the visitors
damaging the delicate environment.

The Sailing Club

A sailing club will be built
at the North end of the marina with a hard stand area
of 5,000 square meters. This
area will have a large ramp
to a sheltered section to the
harbor. It is proposed that
this facility will provide sailing lessons and more advanced instruction to people
who want to learn to sail,
particularly children and
young adults.

The Marina

A marina, protected from
prevailing winds by a barrier
of Mangroves, will be built
with an access from the harbor. The marina will provide
200 berths on four pontoon
arms reaching out from the
marina village. The marina
will provide the facilities
currently available in the

12 THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

leading marinas overseas.

The Marina Village

A village with stores, cafes, restaurants and retail
outlets will be developed
adjacent to the marina. This
will also include office areas
and a large residential unit
precinct with 100 two and
three bedroom apartments,
a lot of open space, car park,
pool and dedicated parking.

The Maritime
School
A Maritime School will
be established adjacent to
the boat yard. This is ideal
for the teaching of maritime
subjects and the objective of
the facility is to train people
in the trades used in boat
building and maintenance
of vessels typically used in
the Fiji waters

The Boat Yard

A very large hard stand
area will be provided by the
boat yard with various haul
out devices, the largest of
which will be a 600 tonnes
travel lift capable of lifting
any of the vessels currently
operating in the western division. There will be workshops for the different trades
required by boat owners,

buildings for small boat storage and warehouses for
goods and materials. The
objective is to provide a service that is equal to overseas
yards so the cruising and
Superyachts can have work
carried out in Fiji, adding to
the economy.
The Stadium
A football stadium capable of holding 20,000 people will be built next to the
boat yard. The facility will
have covered stands and
open seating with spacious
grounds surrounding it on
all sides. There will be adequate vehicle parking close
to the entrance and access
to public transport.
The Industrial and Commercial Zones
Inland from the marina
and boat yard there will be a
series of buildings designed
to provide leasing space for
both commercial and Industrial use.

The Harborside
Apartments

36 residential apartments
will be built on the harbor edge with spectacular
views to the west of both
the harbor and beyond that
Nadi Bay. Each apartment
will have a personal park-

ing place and there will be a
number of nearby places for
visitor vehicle parking.

The future

The concept of the fully
integrated development is
the culmination of a great
deal of research on best
practice worldwide for this
sort of integrated tourism,
residential and commercial
project, and will significantly
add to the product variety
available in Fiji.
“We have been steadily
building the business and
following
our
strategic
plan ever since we started.
There have been some really hard times, events such
as cyclones that caused
significant damage to the
infrastructure, changes in
government policies and
issues in the Fiji tourism industry, but we persevered
through all these problems
and continued to grow the
business. Now, with the results of the general elections
in September 2014, investor
confidence has surged and
we believe that the future of
the tourism industry is very
positive,” Nigel Skeggs said.
q PRESS RELEASE

www.thejetnewspaper.com

NATIONAL YOUTH SCIENCE FORUM - AUSTRALIA

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Nadi Scholars Represent Fiji
in National Youth Science
Forum in Aussie
By ANUSHIL KUMAR

Two form seven students
from Nadi based schools
were given the green-light
to participate in the National Youth Science Forum
(NYSF) in Australia, representing Fiji for the first time.
Neha Shonali Sharma of
Korovuto College and Shonal Shivneel Kumar of Sangam SKM College took part
in the Australian National
University hosted Science
Forum from January 5-17.
The Rotary Club of Nadi,
Fiji in partnership with the
Rotary Club of Belconnen in
Canberra selected these two
students from Fiji, from the
applications received from
Year 13 students across five
colleges in the Nadi District,
to attend this prestigious scientific program.
Rotary Club secretary
Mr Hemant Kumar Maisuria
said it was a proud moment

for the club and country as a
whole to see local students
participate in the most prestigious science forum.
“We are proud to recognise and support our young
and bright science students,” said Mr Kumar.
“We look forward to seeing them develop into future
scientists serving our region.”
The NYSF is a unique 12day program held in January
each year that offers students the opportunity to test
drive in the fields of science,
technology, engineering and
maths related careers.
The forum brings together 200 aspiring youth-scientists from countries like New
Zealand, Canada, Germany,
South Africa, hosts Australia
and Fiji for the first time.
It prepares students so
that they are able to independently make informed
decisions about courses and
careers in the sciences and
gain professional skills set to
help them realise their po-

tential.
NYSF-Pacific
Project
Manager at the Rotary Club
of Belconnen, Dr. Padma
Narsey Lal said students in
the Pacific region should
take the full advantage of
these opportunities.
“This kind of opportunity
is often difficult to come by
in Fiji and elsewhere in the
Pacific,” said Dr Lal, who
was the first Gold medalist
in Science from the University of the South Pacific.
There are also opportunities to see how study leads
into careers by engaging
with scientists from universities, industry and research
organizations, whose operations are built around innovative science and engineering.
Sessions are run in Canberra and Perth, where
participants live on the Australian National University
campus while experiencing
real science at a range of
laboratory visits, field trips
and workshops.

Youth Scientists Share Experiences of the Science Forum

NEHA SHONALI
SHARMA
Fiji Representative

2015 was the first year in
which NYSF invited two Fijian students to participate in
this marvelous program. Directed by my science teachers, I had applied sending all
the requirements based on
the selection criteria of the
Rotary Club of Nadi. There
were students who were
shortlisted for an interview
from schools in Nadi and I
was one of them. After an
interview, the next thing
I knew was that I was selected as one of the two to
actually attend the forum in
January, 2015.

My Experience

It was a privilege to be
given this wonderful opportunity and I was indeed
proud to represent Fiji being
a student of Korovuto College and a resident of Nadi
town.
Prior to leaving for Australia, I had only wondered
what the National Youth
Science Forum would be
like. I also had certain expectations of the program.
However, it was so much
more than I had expected
and wondered about. NYSF
certainly “shows you things
you’ve never considered”.

The moment I reached
our host university, the Australian National University,
I was astonished to see 199
more students like me ready
to get on board the 12-day
journey. It was interesting
and fun meeting like-minded people where I got the
chance to share ideas and
even put them into action
in the form of a lot of group
activities.
Although we were divided into our interest groups,
for example, I was in the
chemistry group, we got a
taste of all the other areas
including
Biomedicine,
Physics, engineering and
Environment. It definitely
shows you the world outside
the learning classroom and
reading whether it be media
or any piece of written script
about Science.
Moreover, I had the
chance to go for lab visits
with my group members
and do experiments. It was
breathtaking visiting Canberra’s sightseeing places like
the Parliament house and
the Royal Australian Mint to
name a few. Presentations
of a lot of science expatriates as well as representatives of NYSF partners were
very informative, interesting
and encouraging. Meeting
and talking to them personally was more encouraging.
In addition, we as students got the chance to
develop our intellectual
thinking. It was very beneficial doing presentations,
individually, in pairs and in
groups which has made me
even more confident and I
am 100% sure that I will remain confident in all aspects
of my life just because of this
experience.
It’s not only about work,
work and work. It has tonnes

of fun, fun and fun too! We
have ample time for breaks
and time with friends, floor
groups and staff of the NYSF
who actually bring life to the
session.
Most importantly, you get
to realise that making a difference in this world is all
that matters when you are
at the top of your scientific
career. It’s not at all about
only dreaming about a positive change in this world
and planning your move. It’s
about dreaming and making that dream come true! A
dream of yours, a dream that
benefits the people around
you and the whole world.
NYSF is a forum where you
absorb that energy and
come out strong and brave
to leave your mark and actually make a difference.

Future Fijian “NYSFers”

If you have interest in Science, it is essential to learn
and experience science
whole heartedly so that this
passion finally leads you to
making a positive change
which benefits all and not
only because it will do you
good. It is also important to
follow your heart and perform your level best in all aspects of your school. At the
end of the day, you should
consider yourself as not only
academically
developed,
but developed holistically in
order to live the life which
science offers.
The National youth Science Forum is hoping to continue inviting Fijian students
in the forthcoming years. It’s
a challenge, so work hard,
compete, be yourself, do
your best, prove that you are
the best, get selected and
leave a mark internationally.
Good Luck!

SHONAL SHIVNEEL
KUMAR
Fiji Representative

National Youth Science
Forum (NYSF) is an Australian Science program which
was founded in 1984 to provide final year High School
science students with an
opportunity to discover the
world of science; something
more than what they see in
their everyday life.
The program is held in
sessions whereby students
in association with their
Rotary clubs are able to attend this program. In this
continuing worthy program,
this year was the first time
for the students from Fiji to
be given the opportunity to
explore science more than
what they learn inside their
classroom.
This grave step was taken by the Rotary Club of
Belconnen, Australia who
contacted several Rotary
Clubs in Fiji for this Program.
Through the keen interest
which Rotary club of Nadi
had in this program, students from Nadi were able
to grasp the golden opportunity for a trip of lifetime.
I was one of the lucky
one from the two to be selected for this wonderful

program in Canberra Australia. The twelve day program
was a great success and attending this forum with 200
other students in session A
was a great fun. The schools
in Nadi were contacted by
the Rotary club of Nadi after which we had to submit
applications to the club.
Through this process, the
applications were screened
and students were shortlisted, and after that interviews
were conducted.
After some time, I clearly
remember it was during one
of the exams when I was
informed that I had been selected for the program. This
indeed was a great news for
me and for this I would like
to thank my school, Sangam
SKM College Nadi, my science teachers and Rotary
club of Belconnen and Nadi.
Neha and I left for Australia on the 4th of January and
returned on the 20th. The
program was from the 5th till
17th and during the program
we got to learn more than
what we knew ( I would say
something new everyday).
I was in the medicine
and human biology group
but was so glad that we not
only got to see our interest
fields but most of the other
science fields as well. This
program is truly one of those
which actually transforms
what you think, how you
think and most importantly
the perspective which most
of us have about science. It
is a very useful program as it
not only allows us to decide
on our career path but get to
meet many of the scientists
and socialize with them,
take their advice, and go
forth to strive towards a better future.
The lab visits, lectures,
morning and evening ac-

tivities organized by the
NYSF are amazing because
other than science, there
are many other stuff to do
such as having disco nights,
swing dance, concert and
going sightseeing. Most of
the things which we actually
hear about in our text and
reference books, we actually get to see it in the program and get to experience
it ourselves.
The long term goal of the
organization is to spread the
forum throughout the Pacific Islands and we being the
first students to the forum is
just a little step forward.
I would like to tell all the
budding high school scientists out there and also to all
those students who are planning to take up science, to
go forward and take up the
challenge because science
is not hard, it all depends on
your interest and dedication
which you have towards it.
It’s not only what you learn
in books, it is more than
what you even see around
yourself.
I would like to encourage
the students out there that if
you are given the opportunity for such programs, don’t
let it go. It is a great step in
helping you achieve what
you want to be.

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

13

TOURISM

www.thejetnewspaper.com

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Soft Opening for Yatule Resort and Spa
The newly rebranded
and refurbished Yatule Resort and Spa at Natadola
Beach was opened on Saturday, January 17, with a soft
launch, introducing tourists
to a whole new experience
with a competitive edge in
Fiji’s tourism market.
In opening the resort,
FNPF Board Director Mr
Sashi Singh said the newly
branded Yatule Beach Resort and Spa will turn around
the performance for Yatule
Resorts Limited and improve the returns for member’s funds.
“The newly renovated
Resort was a critical part of
the Funds investment rehabilitation under the current
reform program and the
Fund will take necessary
measures to ensure that
member’s funds invested
into the Resort is fully recovered,” he said.
The property was originally built in 2005.
It was designed to serve
as accommodation for consultants and contractors involved in building the Inter-

Continental Fiji Golf Resort
& Spa, next door on Natadola Beach.
Upon completion of the
InterContinental Resort, the
construction property was
then converted to bungalow-type accommodation
and opened as a beachfront
resort.
The Resort sits on a
prime location alongside
the world-renowned Natadola beach and given its
potential, the Board made a
decision to re-invest into the
upgrade of the Resort with
the Fund investing just over
$2million for the upgrade.
The reinvestment also
signifies the confidence in
the economy and will help
in building Natadola as a total destination.
The Resort will now be
operated by Tour Managers Fiji. The company was
nominated as a successful
bidder following a public
Expression of Interest process. Tour Managers Fiji is
a locally-owned destination
management company that
offers a wide range of ex-

clusive transport services,
facilities, and value adding
products to Free Independent Travelers (FIT’s), Conferences, and Groups and
Incentive Markets.
The company enjoys the
support of credible and well
trained professional management staff with over 18
years of experience, and
has an advanced in-house
reservation system with a 24
hour turnaround policy on
all bookings and enquiries.
It also owns and operates
a fleet of deluxe transport
including mini-coaches and
VIP transfer vehicles and
limousines. This will add
value to the experience of
guests at the Resort.
“We congratulate Tour
Managers for taking up the
challenge being a local operator and bringing to the
table a unique approach
in hotel operation that will
boost employment for our
local Fijian nationals and
economic activities that will
be generated into the economy and brings to the tourism industry a totally new

Mr Sashi Singh and Mr Goundar during the soft launch at Yatule. Photo: SUPPLIED.
experience,” said Mr Singh.
Yatule Resort and Spa at
Natadola Beach will provide
employment to 70 locals.
The extensive makeover and rebranding will
introduce another level of
comfort, style and service
boosting the resort with
the addition of 36 premiere
beachfront and pool view
rooms with modern facilities.

Chinese Speaking Associates
Join Starwood Fiji
Sheraton & Westin Resorts Fiji is happy to announce the increase of
Chinese speaking Guest
Relations to assist with the
growing number of visitors
from China to its four Fiji
properties.
Within its Fiji portfolio
Starwood Fiji consists of the
newly opened Sheraton Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island,
Sheraton Fiji Resort, Sheraton Denarau Villas and The
Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa.
With the Chinese market being one of the fastest
growing in bound tourism
market and the recent State
visit of Chinese President Xi
Jingping, Sheraton and Westin Resort Fiji have imple-

mented a number of initiatives to best embrace their
Chinese guests.
“Emerging markets remain a main focus for us,
we want to ensure that our
guests are at ease knowing
we are able to communicate with them,” said Paul
Yui, Director of Sales & Marketing.
“We hope that our guests
will then be able to enjoy
more of our beautiful country and not miss out on anything that we have on offer
by not being able to understand anyone,” he continued.
A total of four Chinese
Guest Service Relations will
be on its four properties during the much celebrated

Chinese New Year in February, with Lin Zhou (Catherine) already on board at
The Westin Denarau Island
Resort & Spa this week and
the rest to begin in February.
“We are also very excited
to announce that we will be
acquiring the services of a
Chinese chef from one of
our Starwood properties in
Hong Kong and he will be
here for 6 weeks commencing early February,” said
Paul Yui.
Yeung Kim Ming Jacky
has been with Le Méridien
Cyberport for 10 years and is
the Restaurant Chef and will
spend majority of his time at
the new Sheraton Resort &
Spa, Tokoriki Island.
“During his visit, he will

14 THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

be training our local chefs
on authentic Chinese dishes
and how they are prepared.
We hope that our chefs will
take away with them a different perspective of how
the Chinese prepare their
meals.”
With the added resources, Sheraton & Westin Resorts Fiji hopes to build on
its solid foundation of its already established brands, to
give a better experience to
its guest plus a service culture dedicated to providing
guests with enriching experiences that builds loyalty.

q STARWOOD FIJI

Mr. Singh added the partnership with Tour Managers
Fiji reflects the company’s
commitment to the people
of Fiji and to the tourism industry by ensuring that the
resort is managed with exceptionally high standards,
generate returns and provide employment for the
locals.
“Tour Managers looks forward to steering the Resort

into becoming a renowned
and preferable holiday accommodation in the Region,” Mr Singh continued.
Yatule Beach Resort Limited, trading as Yatule Resort
& Spa at Natadola Beach is
fully owned by FNPF Investments Limited; a wholly
owned subsidiary of the Fiji
National Provident Fund.”
q FNPF

Sofitel Fiji Thank Local DMC Partners
Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa
thanked local DMC partners
for their continued support
with a casual Spa Soiree in
the So
SPA Courtyard on Tuesday, January 27.
Guests received a So SPA
Reception, guided through
to the relaxing patio by So
SPA Ambassadors and received Express shoulder
and neck massages then
mingled with resort management and key ambassadors.

“This is a celebration
hosted by Sofitel Fiji Resort
& Spa key members of the
resort team who work closely with the local operators
on a daily basis,” said General Manager, Alan Burrows.
“It’s really about nurturing a healthy relationship
with our local partners, acknowledging them for their
contribution in 2014 and
looking forward to their continued support in 2015.”
q SOFITEL FIJI

Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa Ambassadors and guests from Rosie
Holidays and Southern World Travel. Photo: SUPPLIED.

www.thejetnewspaper.com

TOURISM

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Bollywood Deal Set to Transform Fiji
into Hub for Indian Film Productions

Fiji could be transformed
into a Bollywood production
hub after a six-film deal was
struck by a Nadi production
house and a Bollywood film
studio.
Bollywood films are wildly popular in Fiji, partly due
to its large ethnic Indian minority.
About 40 per cent of Fijians are of Indian descent.
Stardom Entertainment
and Promotions director
Mohammed Khan has established a partnership with

India’s Once More Studios,
which he hopes will bring
the world’s biggest film industry to Fiji for the long
haul.
He says he has six productions in the pipeline with
a view for many more.
“Through our partnership
with Once More Studios, we
can do a lot, we can bring a
lot more movies,” he said.
“We’ve got some major productions coming up
soon, big banner movies.”
Though Bollywood films

have been produced in Fiji
before, Mr Khan says this
deal will establish a longrunning partnership between Bollywood and Fiji.
West Indian producerdirector Jaykishan Patel is
making his next three films
in Fiji.
He said he had always
dreamt of filming in the island nation.
“One of my childhood
dreams was to visit Fiji, and
Fiji is the perfect location for
our script and story,” Mr Pa-

tel said.
Shooting on Mr Patel’s
film Desi Dhamal - Pagal
Panti began in December
last year.
He was also planning a
horror movie and a romantic comedy in Fiji.
Bollywood is the world’s
biggest film industry, producing hundreds of films per
year shot across the globe.
“Bollywood industry is
going like anything nowadays and more than 300
movies are made in Bolly-

wood [per year], with more
than 1,000 movies made in
India,” Mr Patel said.
He said Fiji’s huge Indian
population made it a natural
fit for Hindu directors.
“Indian population is
there in Fiji so that is also
one of the good points that
many filmmakers, and I
think many talents from Fiji,
extras and crew members
will get chance to work in
lots of movies,” he said.
The deal is set give a
huge boost to the local in-

dustry. Mr Khan said Fijians
will make up 70 per cent of
the cast and crew.
“Actually we want to utilise [locals] as much as possible, we want to utilise our
Fiji people who have talents
in these things,” he said.
“We are also planning to
open an acting school here
soon, so later on we’ll have
our own photographers, assistant directors and stuff.”
q ABC NEWS

Neil Diamond Tribute Performance
Set to Entertain Fans
By SALOTE QALUBAU

The Sofitel Fiji Resort and
Spa will be organising a tribute performance of American singer and song writer
Neil Diamond by renowned
UK Neil Diamond tribute artist Gary Ryan on Saturday,
August 29.
“This the first ever we
have done at Sofitel - we
are organising this event
ourselves and our plan is to

have a regular ‘Calendar of
Events’ throughout the year
offering something different
to both our guests, as well
as the local market here in
Fiji,” said Sofitel Fiji Resort
and Spa Sales and Marketing
Director Michael Bell.
Ticket prices will be categorized into two packages
for fans, the first one being
the diamond package and
the second being the standard package.
The Diamond package
will cost $199 while the
standard package will cost

around $149.00 both will
include a 3 course dinner,
photo opportunity with Mr.
Ryan, DJ and dancing till
the early hours of the morning however the four-hour
beverage deal will only be
reserved for the diamond
package.
“We feel there is certainly
a demand for locally higher
end international acts, and
our plan would be to bring
more of these events to Fiji
in the future.”

MONTH OF LOVE

time away for two at the
Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa
FJ$260.00
Superior Oceanside Room
Bonus:
• Welcome Drink and Cold Towel on arrival
• Buffet Breakfast in Lagoon restaurant
or
A La Carte Breakfast in Salt
•25% discount off Lagoon Seafood Buffet (Saturday’s Only)
• 20% Discount off all Spa Treatments in So Spa
•Voucher for 2 “Cupid’s Kiss” Romantic Cocktails in Breeze Bar
Enjoy our Lagoon Grill & Salad Bar Dinner
FJD$59 per person VIP (Daily except Saturday)

For reservations call 675 1111 or
Email: [email protected]
and quote SFLOVE
Conditions:
• Valid for new bookings only and stays
from 1 February - 28 February.
•Blackout Dates: 16-19 February inclusive.
• Offer is available to Local residents only.
Local ID must be presented upon check in.
• Offer cannot be combined with any other offer
or discount card (Advantage Plus etc).

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

15

www.thejetnewspaper.com

16 THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

ADVERTISEMENT

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

TOURISM

www.thejetnewspaper.com

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Koro Island
Resort Owners Commended
for Providing Youth Employment Gets New Flight
Navutu Star Resort in the
Yasawa Group has been
commended for its commitment in continuing to
provide employment opportunities for the youth in
neighbouring villages.
At a meeting between the
Hon. Minister for Youth and
Sports Mr Laisenia Tuitubou
and the Resort’s management team, the Minister said
Government welcomed this
initiative.
“On behalf of the Fijian
Government, I would like
to commend your contribution to the community,” Hon
Tuitubou told Navutu Start
Resort manager Jeff Gush at
the resort.
“As Minister responsible
for youth development, Government recognises your
commitment towards providing employment to the
young people of Yaqeta and
the whole of Yasawa,” said
the Hon Minister.
“Government will continue to provide incentives
and support to investors like
you and we are appreciative
of your contribution to the
Fijian economy.”
Navutu Star Resort manager Jeff Gush said the Minister’s visit was an opportunity
for him to look at how the

Service from Suva

Staff of the Navutu Star Resort and Youth and Sports ministry delegation pose for a photo shoot
at the resort. Photos: SUPPLIED.
resort and the village have
worked together to create
opportunities for the youth.
“We are so fortunate that
the Minister accepted our request for a quick stop over.
We are committed and will
continue to provide employment for the locals in the future,” Mr Gush said.
q DEPTFO

Navutu Star Resort assistant
manager Varanisese Naboutini
(left) cuts a cake with Hon. Tuitubou at the resort.

The Fiji Airways Group
is expanding its domestic
network with the introduction of a new flight between
Suva and Koro, with services
beginning on the February 4,
by its subsidiary Fiji Link.
To launch the new weekly Wednesday service, the
airline is having a special
launch fare of $164 one way,
available for purchase via
the Fiji Airways website and
its Sales Offices.
Fiji Link will operate the
service using its 19-seater
Twin Otter aircraft to provide a direct flight connection between Suva and Koro
Island. The flight will depart
Suva at 10.05am for Koro,
taking 35-minutes. The return flight departs Koro at
11.25am, arriving in Suva at
12pm.
Fiji Airways Managing
Director and CEO Stefan Pichler commented: “We’re
grateful that the Government has encouraged this
service through the provision of a subsidy, thereby establishing a direct flight link
between the Capital and
Koro Island.

“This will be of tremendous assistance to the people of Koro to get to Suva,
and will also allow those
originally from Koro to visit
their home island from Viti
Levu.”
“Because of accessibility, infrastructure and other
determining factors, some
remote islands may be
more difficult to maintain
profitable services to, but
by working with the Government, we are able to
provide regular air travel to
these normally inaccessible
destinations.”
Year-round fares for the
route start from $190 one
way.
Bookings are now available through any Fiji Airways
sales office, by calling the
reservations centre on +679
672 0888 or +679 330 4388
or online at www.fijiairways.
com

q FIJI AIRWAYS

Fiji Airways Group Opens New “Centre of
Excellence” Call Centre in Suva
Fiji Airways, officially
opened its new Global Reservations Centre in the Fijian
Capital Suva on Wednesday,
January 21.
The Reservations (Call)
Centre will be operated by
Pacific CentreCom (Fiji)
Ltd, a joint venture between
Pacific Call Comm Ltd, a
wholly owned subsidiary of
Fiji Airways, and CentreCom
Pacific (PTY) Ltd, an Australian-Maltese call centre provider.
The new Fiji Airways Call
Centre Pacific CentreCom
takes over from Fiji Airways’
current call centre provider
Mindpearl. The gradual
cutover began with the Fiji
and New Zealand calls
routes to the new centre,
while the rest of the airline’s
Global markets will cut over
by the end of the month.
The new call centre setup came after the expiry of
the current call centre provider’s contract at the end of
December 2014.
“We embarked on a global tender process last year to

manage our call centre and
received good interest from
reputable companies,” Stefan Pichler, Managing Director and CEO of Fiji Airways
said.
“Our vision is to turn the
Centre into a profit-making
part of our business, and we
ultimately decided that the
airline needed to have control in the ownership in the
venture to deliver this.
“More
importantly,
through part-ownership, Fiji
Airways can exercise greater customer service by having its own managers and
coordinators based within
the centre.”
“We’re fully committed to
increasing our customer service across all touch points,
and the Call Centre is a vital
part of our service delivery.
“It fields some 400,000
calls per year from Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, United
States and Hong Kong. We
will also be able to field calls
from China and Europe later
this year by adding multilanguage service capabili-

ties into the Centre. So it will
be a centre of excellent service for all our customers!”
The joint venture partner,
CentreCom Pacific (PTY)
Ltd, expressed its great delight with the start of its Fiji
operations with Fiji Airways.
Anthony Cassar B. Sc.
LLB, the Managing Director of Centrecom Pacific
said the company was very
proud to have won the global tender to partner with Fiji
Airways in this Joint Venture
to create a Centre of Excellence and provide best and
caring service for Fiji Airways passengers and other
clients in the future.
45 staff and management
started the Centre’s operations in a purpose-built facility in the heart of Fiji’s capital, Suva. It can support 24/7
operations for up to 150 consultants, and there’s scope
for call centre services to be
provided to other business
in the near future.
q FIJI AIRWAYS

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

17

BUSINESS NEWS

www.thejetnewspaper.com

FNPF Requires Birth Certificate
for Fund Withdrawals
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Fiji National Provident Fund requires its members to submit their Birth
Certificates when making
an early withdrawal of their
FNPF funds.
FNPF Chief Executive
Aisake Taito said this is required to ensure credibility of member’s information
and to safeguard member’s
funds.
He said submission of
birth certificates is crucial

in the updating of close to
400,000 members records
held by the Fund.
“Birth certificate is a
unique proof of identity
for a Fijian and it is in the
best interest of members
to know that FNPF is mitigating every risk whilst
safeguarding member’s
records,” Mr Taito said.
“There have been cases
whereby some members
have attempted to defraud
the Fund by regarding their
withdrawal applications.
“The Fund will not take

this lightly and intends to
maintain strict measures to
ensure safety of every member’s funds.”
Members, being assisted
through the withdrawals
such as member’s spouses,
parents, siblings and children, will also need to provide birth certificates to the
Fund.
“The Fund appreciates
your understanding and
cooperation in this matter
and we request members to
bear with us during this process,” Mr Taito said.

FRCA Celebrates International
Customs Day
By SALOTE QALUBAU
Stakeholders from private sector organizations as
well as government agencies along with staff of the
Fiji Revenue and Customs
Authority collectively gathered at the Tokatoka Resort
Nadi on Wednesday, January 29, to celebrate international customs day.
“We have limited resources and tools and there
is a need for more collaboration and team work, we
in the pacific islands are
always being targeted by
smugglers, those who bring
illegal drugs so they use Fiji
and the pacific islands as a
transit point,” said Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority
CEO Jitoko Tikolevu.
“The world is developing rapidly, criminals and
crimes are getting more sophisticated, and we the bor-

der soldiers need to work
smarter and keep abreast
and ahead of things.”
A total of $30 million
worth of heroin was seized
at the border in the Lautoka
Port last year, which according to Mr Tikolevu was
a great example of the collaborative approach that the
FRCA were aiming to solidify
in terms of security for our
borders.
“We need to balance
trade facilitation on the one
hand with trade security on
the other—allowing legitimate goods and travellers
to pass through borders
without unnecessary hindrances while protecting the
international trade supply
chain from threats posed by
organized crime, smugglers,
commercial fraudsters, terrorists, and even goods that
could endanger people,”Mr.
Tikolevu said.
The FRCA are urging the

public to be vocal about any
illegal activities that they do
witness taking place such as
undeclared tax or any activity involving illegal trading of
drugs to and from the Fijian
borders.
Mr. Tikolevu also spoke to
the Jet Newspaper regarding
the forty staffs that were sent
home and emphasized that
internal moderation was
crucial in terms of government agencies improving
internal operations for their
organizations to function effectively and transparently in
order to gain the trust of the
community by ensuring that
the staff eradicated all forms
of illegal activities at grassroot level.

Punjas Unveils New Biscuits
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Punjas Biscuit Limited
has added two new products to its portfolio - Milk Arrowroot and Scotch Finger.
Prime Minister Voreqe
Bainimarama
launched
the biscuits at the Punjas
Headquarters in Lautoka on
Friday, January 23, following the inauguration of the
Punjas Medical Centre at 10
Cakau Street.
The tea-time biscuits join

Punjas leading Breakfast
Crackers, which hit the market in mid-December last
year and is already gaining
popularity in Fiji and across
the pacific.
Director of Punjas Biscuit
Mr Rajesh Punja said the
best ingredients have been
used to manufacture its
newest edition to the market.
“We have used the finest
quality ingredients to bake
Punjas Milk Arrowroot and
Punjas Scotch Finger and

you will find these biscuits
to be Simply Delicious,” he
said.
“This new range of Milk
Arrowroot and Scotch Finger will certainly add to this
new range and flavours that
people have come to expect
from Punjas.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Bainimarama opened
the $25 million Punjas Biscuits Limited Factory at Navutu in Lautoka on December 13 last year.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama with the Directors of Punjas Group of Companies during the
launch of their two new biscuits. Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.

18 THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Digicel Introduces
Online Phone Back-up

Digicel Fiji has introduced
another market first innovation named ‘Digicel Space’
which allows its mobile
phone users to store pictures, music, video and other personal files in a secured
space online, that bypasses
their smartphone or tablet.
Everyone is talking about
‘cloud’ storage, and now every Digicel customer in Fiji
has access to it.
Cloud storage is a service model in which data is
maintained, managed and
backed up remotely and
made available to users over
a network (typically the Internet). You will never lose a
contact or a picture on your
phone ever again, with these
being safely stored within
‘Digicel Space.’

With Digicel Space, users can create an account,
login and start uploading
their precious photos and favourite tunes. Digicel Space
removes the need to delete
items to make room, instead
storing them in the Cloud.
Users can also download
and share their files on social networking sites with
ease once stored on Digicel
Space.
Digicel Space is accessible and affordable to all
Digicel smartphone and tablet users. The application is
available on Google play for
download and use.
“We are excited to have
introduced this new product to our customers and
believe Digicel Space will
eliminate that frustration

customer’s face when they
lose or break their phone. As
with most items these days
the distress is over losing the
photos and data stored on
the device. Digicel Space directly addresses and solves
this issue,” said Digicel Fiji’s
Commercial Director, Mr Andrew Skelton.
When installed, users will
need data on their devices
to access, store and share
their files as more information is available on www.
digicelspace.com regarding
the online back-up service.

q PRESS RELEASE

www.thejetnewspaper.com
ADVERTISEMENT

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

19

www.thejetnewspaper.com

20 THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

www.thejetnewspaper.com

Fast & Furious
7

ENTERTAINMENT

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

DIRECTOR: James Wan
STARRING: Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson,
Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Vin Diesel, Djimon Hounsou,
Kurt Russell, Tony Jaa, Dwayne Johnson, Nathalie Emmanuel, John
Brotherton, Iggy Azaela
GENRE: Action
PREVIEW: Continuing the global exploits in the unstoppable franchise
built on speed, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the
returning cast of “Fast & Furious 7.” James Wan directs this chapter
of the hugely successful series that also welcomes back favorites Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris”
Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black. They are joined by international
action stars new to the franchise including Jason Statham, Djimon
Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey and Kurt Russell. Neal H. Moritz,
Vin Diesel and Michael Fottrell return to produce the film written by
Chris Morgan.

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

21

LOCAL SPORTS

www.thejetnewspaper.com

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Josateki off Fiji Water Partners with FRU
to 2016 Rio
Olympic
Games
By ANUSHIL KUMAR

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

Judoka Josateki Naulu
(pictured) is one of the six
athletes that were awarded
with the Olympic Scholarship.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Scholarships for Athletes “Rio
2016” program is a unique
opportunity for the local athletes to benefit from technical and financial support
from IOC Olympic Solidarity,
and from the whole olympic
movement.
The olympic scholarship
remains conditional until
the athlete has qualified
for the XXXI (31) Olympic
Games in Rio.
FASANOC Chairman High
Performance Commission
Mr Paul Yee said the schol-

arship program targets to
endorse opportunities for local athletes to feature in the
Olympic Games.
“The IOC Olympic Scholarships for Athletes “Rio
2016” program aims to promote opportunities for qualification and representation
at the Olympic Games and is
targeted at National Olympic
Committees that have traditionally sent small delegations to the Games,” said Mr
Yee.
According to Mr Yee,
scholarship recipients from
Fiji are also regarded as
international-level athletes
and have been assessed in
consultation with the relevant National and International Federations.
“Our athletes have a sufficient and promising technical level to be able to qualify
for the Rio Olympic Games.

Fiji Water will now be the
official bottled water for all
rugby tournaments till 2017.
This is after the Natural
Artesian Water, Fiji Water,
signed a multi-year partnership with Fiji Rugby Union.
Under the terms of agreement, Fiji Water will be the
authorized water provider,
ensuring all players are well
hydrated throughout the
seasons.
“We are thrilled to partner with Fiji Water. Like our
rugby players, Fiji Water
prides itself on its commitment to excellence as well
as its community. This will
be a strong alliance for both
Fiji Rugby and for Fiji Wa-

ter,” said Radrodro Tabualevu, Chief Executive Officer
of the Fiji Rugby Union Trust
Board.
Fiji Water Chief Executive Officer, Mr Rokoseru
Nabalarua said the partnership between FRU and Fiji

Water is a perfect fit.
“A partnership between
the governing body for our
national sport and national
bottled water brand, Fiji Water, is a perfect fit,” said Mr
Nabalarua.
“We are proud to work

“Proof of our athletes’
technical skill is evident in
the results obtained at recent national and international competitions.”
While for the Judoka &
IOC scholarship recipient
Josateki Naulu, getting best
results and setting up a good
status for himself is his main
aim.
“My goal is to improve
my world ranking and get

results at International Judo
sanctioned tournaments to
enable me to qualify,” said
Josateki.
He further mentioned
the IOC scholarship has
empowered his preparation
to attend vital qualification
events and training camps
with leading Judokas.
Josateki represented Fiji
at the 2012 London Olympic
Games and recently at the

2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. He will be
attending qualifying events
that include the Oceania
Judo Championship in April
at Noumea, New Caledonia.

Ministry to Prioritise
Physical Education
for Rural Students
The Ministry of Youth and
Sports has received requests
from schools and youth
groups in rural communities
for new playgrounds and
sporting assistance.
During the Ministry’s recent outreach programs to
certain rural communities in
the country, senior ministry
officials advised the schools
and the youth groups on
the criteria that need to be
met before requests are endorsed.
“There has been and
overwhelming
demand
from villages and schools regarding new playgrounds,”
said the Hon. Minister for
Youth and Sports Laisenia
Tuitubou (pictured) who
was present at these meetings.
“This could be the resulting influence and impact
of the professional sporting
era we are currently facing and also from our Fijian
professional sportsmen and
women plying their trades in
overseas countries.
“Fiji has an abundance
of raw talent but we lack
certain standard amenities
and technical expertise.
Therefore, as the ministry
responsible for sports development, we will ensure we
disburse our resources to
meet the most urgent and
necessary demand.”

The Ministry’s permanent
secretary Mr Josefa Sania
told requesting youth clubs
during the recent outreach
and awareness programs
that the ministry will make
school requests a priority
because of the importance
of physical education for
students.
“The education ministry
is also working with the Fiji
National Sports Commission and other sporting federations, both locally and
internationally, to strengthen
physical education programs so sports development can begin early,” said
Mr Sania.
“The ministry, towards
the end of 2014, has begun
developing and expanding
some existing grounds as
we see it economical. The

cost of constructing a totally
new ground is extravagant
and our allocation for the
program is not much compared to the demand coming in.
“We will assess all requests and prioritise urgent,
appropriate and economical
ones since carting of equipment to maritime areas is
very costly.”
Mr Sania said Government recognises the contribution of sports to Fiji’s
economy and will ensure
that proper development is
conducted all over Fiji.

22 THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

q DEPTFO

From left - Mr Radrodro Tabulalevu Mr Rokoseru Nabalarua and Mr Baljeet Singh.
Photo: SUPPLIED.
alongside the Fiji Rugby
Union to help cultivate and
promote the sport throughout our great country and
around the world.”

www.thejetnewspaper.com

LOCAL SPORTS

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

Ba Back with a Boom

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

4R Electric Ba made a
perfect start of their 2015
soccer season after winning
the Pillay Garments Champion versus Champion title
beating FastKil Pest Control
Suva 2-1 in the second leg of
the series at Govind Park in
Ba on Sunday, January 25.
The Men-in-Black, having
the upper-hand with a 5-3
win in the first leg in Suva
last week, started the match
on a high as they applied
early pressure on the Suva
goal with a bumper crowd
of over 5000 fans enjoying
every bits of the game.
Josefata Neibuli blasted
home the opening goal in
the 17th minute with his 45
yard pile-driving shot which
gave the diving Suva goalie
Uliasi Tamanisau no chance
at all.
The first goal gave more
fire-power to the hosts as
they dominated most of the
possession in the first half as
Abbu Zaheed, Shamil Rao
and Avinesh Swamy kept
the Suva defenders Kolinio
Sivuki, Leone Damudamu
and Waisake Navunigasau
busy on their duties.
Lanky Avinesh Swamy
rifled-in the second goal in
the 26th minute with another pile-driving shot from outside the 18-yard-box as Suva
defenders and goalie were
caught off their mark as Ba
led 2-0 at the breather.
The Capital City boys
tried all possible ways to
get the needed goals and
claim the CVC title for the
first time since it started in
1993, however, it was again

It’s ours... The victorious Ba team celebrate with Fiji FA president Rajesh Patel and Pillay Garments managing director Narendra Pillay at Govind Park in Ba.
Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
shattered by Ba as their only
goal in the 83rd minute via
Shahil Dave’s penalty was
not enough to give them the
victory.
Winning coach Shalen
Lal was happy with the win
and commended the boys
for a job well done.
“This win is dedicated to
the hardworking players of

Ba and it was team effort as
the players really played out
well sticking to the game
plan,” Lal said.
“I think the boys really did
wonders today.”
He said the performance
of each player decides the
final squad for the Men-inBlacks now.
“It all performance based

for Ba now. You perform,
you are in the team, and if
the performance is down,
you (players) know what
will happen.
“A lot of weaknesses
were also seen in this game
and we will go back to the
drawing board and see
what we can do in our training sessions for our next

games.”
Suva coach Gurjit Singh
congratulated Ba for successfully defending their title
once again this year.
“I congratulate Ba for
winning the title for the 19th
time as it was their day,”
Singh mentioned.
“I knew it will be tough
beating Ba as we needed

three goals.
“A good build-up for us,
trying all the players in the
second game and building
up for the National League.”
Ba walked away $5,000
richer with the winning trophy while Suva settled for
$2,500 as runner-up.

Nadi Thumps Newcomers in League Opener
By ANUSHIL KUMAR

The Jetsetters made
a perfect start of its 2015
campaign as they thrashed
league newcomers Tailevu
Naitasiri 6-1 in the opening
match of the Galaxy Premier
League at Ratu Cakobau
Park in Nausori on Saturday,
January 24.
However, it was the debutants who scored the first
goal of the season.
Tailevu Naitasiri’s Kaliova
Tivulu punished Nadi for a
making a slow start with the
opening goal in the ninth
minute of play.
The home-side could not
maintain the lead for long as
youngster Jolame Vukivuki
equalised for the Jetsetters
in the 18th minute.
The
equalising
goal
opened the floodgates.
Midfielder William Valentine gave Nadi the lead in the
22nd minute before replacement striker and Vodafone
Fiji U20 rep Mataiasi Toma
slotted-in the third goal as
the Westerners enjoyed a
3-1 lead at half time.
With Tailevu Naitasiri

getting encouraging words
from the coach Elvis Goundar, the hosts, laced with
players like Ajesh Narayan,
Jale Vota, David Matavesi
and Nalinesh Reddy, displayed a better football in
most of the second spell.
It was then the experience that mattered the most
in the second half.
Sensational striker Samuela Drudru scored in the
80th minute, Toma netted-in
his second goal in the 83rd
minute before Drudru putting the final nail into the
newcomer’s coffin in the
84th minute.
Nadi assistant coach
Pranesh Amarsee said the
team settled well midway in
the first half despite a slow
start.
He said fitness is another factor that needs to be
worked on as it was clearly
witnessed in the first league
encounter.
“Coming out of the festive
season, training for four days
and putting together a team,
I think I am proud of the
boys,” Amarsee told Times
Sport.
“We will go back to the
drawing board and see
where we lacked and we

Nadi’s starting line-up during the opening match of the 2015 Galaxy Premier League against Tailevu Naitasiri at Ratu Cakobau Park.
Photo: AVIKASH CHAND/ FIJI FA MEDIA.
will work accordingly.
“We also tried the 4-3-3
formation for the first time
and I think it worked really
well.”
Tailevu Naitasiri president
Sundeep Roy said the losing
start does not dampen their
spirit.
“We are here to stay,”
Roy said.
“It’s a good learning experience especially playing

against a champion side like
Nadi. The boys did whatever
they could. We could see a
bit of fitness problem and
we had to tidy up our defence.
“I would urge the fans not
to be disheartened. This is a
new team and we are just
coming up to that level. Be
with the team and support
us and we will deliver.”
Meanwhile, in another

match played the same day,
Rewa and Labasa played to
a 1-all draw.
The
Babasiga
Lions
scored the earliest goal of
the season in just 20 seconds, however lethal striker
Iosefo Verevou, who made
a comeback for the Delta
Tigers after his suspension was uplifted by Fiji FA,
equalised for the home side
a minute before half time.

In Round two matches,
Nadi hosted league defending champions Suva
at Prince Charles Park, Ba
battled Rewa at Ratu Cakobau Park, Nadroga hosted
Tailevu Naitasiri while Lautoka traveled to face Labasa at Subrail park as all
the matches were yet to be
played when this edition
went to press.

THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

23

www.thejetnewspaper.com

www.epapergallery.com/thejet

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2015. ISSUE 61

Page 23

Page 22

BA RETAINS
CVC
TITLE

FIJI WATER
PARTNERS
WITH FRU

www.thejetnewspaper.com

50 CENTS

Nadi Mourns ‘Lambu’
A Pall of Gloom over Nadi,
29 Years On
By ASUAD ALI
Vancouver BC

A pall of gloom has hung over
the Nadi football fraternity again
after 29 years following the drowning death of Nadi Muslim College
standout and Vodafone Fiji U17
midfielder Shalit Muni Reddy in Samoa on Monday, January 27.
Reddy’s death brings back fresh
memories of the 1985 loss of U19
national team and Nadi College
striker assassin Petaia Ratu.
Ratu, like Shalit, had gone for a
quick unsupervised cool-off in the
Nadi River following a scrimmage
at the Nadi Muslim school grounds.
Soccer great Ivor Evans was
a marquee player on the team at
the time preparing for the Oceania
World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
Evans told The Jet Newspaper
in Vancouver, Canada that Shalit’s
drowning death news inundated
him of Ratu’s fatal dive under the
Nadi Bridge on that Sunday afternoon in 1985.
“We had just come off a scrimmage on a scorcher midday Sunday and decided to walk off the
walkout by heading down towards
Prince Charles Park,” he said.

24 THE JET - FIJI’S FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

“Ratu, a Nadi boy elected to
jump in the Nadi River for a quick
cool off with some other team
members. Ratu never surfaced
again.”
The former Vancouver Whitecaps soccer legend says Ratu’s
loss was felt by the teammates and
the management.
“He (Ratu) was an amazing
athlete, a starter on the team, and
his loss took time to sink in as the
entire team had bonded following
periodic camps,” he said.
The British Columbia Hall of
Fame said there is a dire need for
an independent investigation into
Shalit’s death as the FFA is duty
bound for every player’s welfare
and safe return home upon the
completion of national duties.
“Death is ineluctable yet I believe the very people who were
tasked keep a close tab on Shalit
must bear responsibility.
“The coaching staff and the
management were simply asleep
at the switch.”
Evans said a budding player lost
his life to complete negligence on
some level.
“There needs to be some compensation here.
“I feel for the Shalit’s family. I
extend my condolences to his family”, said Evans.
Nadi Muslim College soccer

coach Nadeem Mohammed is
awe struck. He said the loss is insurmountable.
“Shalit was a model soccer
player and a down to earth human
being.”
“We the NMC family are all in
a state of shock with Shalit’s departure. Shalit is gone to eternal
life but he will forever be in our
thoughts,” Mohammed said with a
heavy heart.
Mohammed said the affable
Shalit, who was fondly called ‘
Lambu’ will have his No.2 jersey
reserved for him for future tournaments.
He has even pledged to register
the player for all scheduled games
for the year.
“I have made up my mind to
have Shalit on my team list,” he
said.
When asked if he has given
any thought of retiring his jersey
for good, Mohammed said he will
take that decision a later date.
Shalit took up soccer at an early
age of 10 when he was a student at
AD Patel School.
He made U10, U12 and U14
teams.
He represented U15, U17 and
U19 team for Nadi Muslim College
and also represented Nadi U16
team last year.