Honeymoon?
Aaah! So now I know why the Prince of Wales is coming to Fiji. Silly me for slating the government having to spend so much money for his visit. He is coming here for a good cause. According to "The British High Commission ... Prince Charles would spend most of his two-day visit in Nadi. The trip focuses on environmental sustainability, excellence in public service and community integration." What a noble cause indeed.
I mean the Prince is not here on a Honeymoon! No, he is the foremost authority on environment, public service and the community and his trip is going to benefit our society a great deal in terms of his expertise.
For goodness sake! Enough with the nonsense. Mr. Charles should pay his own way, get his own guards, have a romping good time with Camila in some 5 star hotel and go away!
Our Chinese community leader is right. Just walk around the Victoria Parade (Suva) after dark. Chinese businesses are everywhere. Massage parlours, prostitutes, karaoke bars, restuarants which double as gambling dens and I am sure drug selling freelancers. I didn't see these business minded Chinese nationals a few years ago, until the relationship between our government and China recently, started to really warm up.
What are we expecting next, a new wave of indentured labourers?
Come on Mr. Tuwere! Things can be quite simple, if you don't like it, don't watch it. I mean such offensive, adulterous and immoral programs are abound in Fiji. Just pop into an average DVD rental shop and you'll get to chose from a whole range. Heck, they've been available on VCR's for years and a lot of them even been shown in Village 6.
What may be equally offensive though, are the music videos (amongst others) broadcast on Fiji TV on Saturdays, specifically targeted at the younger audience. Have you even seen those skimply clad women, gyrating their hips in the faces of those rap stars? Mind you, I can't even see the artistic value in them to keep my TV tuned on. If I really wanted to see something like a black american rapper flaunting his wealth and fantasies in his music videos, I'd rather get porn. At least it is a little bit more honest (porn I mean).
Mr. Tuwere, be a little bit more balanced in your opinions and actions. Perhaps, that's the reason you are a "former" journalist :-)
10:24 am
Bula vinaka!!
Having read your sentiments towards His Royal Highness - the Prince of Wales, are we obliged to write you in his defence.
The Prince of Wales does not need Fiji's Guards of Honour. He does not need the veiqaravi vakavanua and he really does not need the four hundred thousand Fiji dollars, at our Government's expense, for the two days they wish to have of him.
His Royal Highness is a multi-millionnaire of his own making and is a billionnaire via inheritance.
A generous percentage of Fiji's youth are confidently committing their efforts to acquire placements within the British Forces, allowing the British bodies to personally witness and gauge Fiji.
The Prince of Wales visit as a philanthropist to Fiji is a sure sign of his personal concern over Fiji's welfare, which is a compliment to Fiji's youth and Fiji.
Realistically, the 400 guest list -FJ$400,000.00 budget makes sense. Basically, FJ$1,000.00 per head. The creme de la creme of New York High Society and the like, pay US$10,000.00 - US$1MILLION per head, to merely dine with him at their philanthropic functions. If one takes the menu, the entertainment, the necessary security and the venue into consideration, the FJ$400,000.00 is obvious.
PLEASE UNDERSTAND protocol and etiquette. Fiji's Government wishes to honour his visit, regardless of the fact, that he obviously has his own itinerary, separate to what the Government wishes of him.
Kindly refrain from demonising His Royal Highness. He is not the enemy. You stated Mr Branson. For your information the two gentlemen are respectful of each other and are good friends, who operate within the same circles.
Fiji's hospitality to the Crown Prince, will attract and influence 'the quality' who are within his immediate circle of buddies. His Royal Highness is Britain, which is why every British Prime Minister has his/her weekly meeting to update Her Majesty of the country's developments.
If our island-nation honours other countries dignitaries, the way they do, like we do, the Queen of Tonga (ie paying for her accommodation et al, to attend a religious-based function) whyever should our nation fail to spend pittance for the Prince of Wales??? top
11:01 am
$400,000 to get a philanthropists attention to the welfare of this nation is an absurd amount of spending which this country can ill afford. I as a taxpayer can see no direct benefit of such an expense. After all, not too long ago it was the current government which stated that our country couldn't afford to give to the Tsunami affected countries. Suddenly we can spend my taxes and perhaps yours on someone like Mr. Charles? I can see the money better spent on things and people other then him.
Who cares if the New Yorkers can and will spend upto a million dollars to dine with him. For the 400 guests who will meet Mr. Charles, I am sure they can afford a paltry $1000 to dine with him. Why should the taxpayers money be used to give them such a priviledge.
As for the Queen of Tonga issue. She came here on a religious visit. This country is not a religious state and I certainly wish not see my taxes spent on someone like her, making such personal trips.
When one of our poor citizens need urgent medical trips to Australia or NZ which may cost around a five figure sum, they have to use the media to raise such an amount. And here we are spending such large sums on a philanthropist and the 400 priviledged people so that they can dine with him! Absurd!!
Let's cut the bull and spend money where it is most needed. Not on some high flying dignitary of no benefit to Fiji! top
12:10 pm
The Rotten State,
His Royal Highness should not be crucified for the Fiji Government's choice to honour his philanthropic visit.
Unfortunately, our Fiji Government is not charging the individual 400 guest list FJ$1,000.00 per head, which would please many of us greatly. For certain, even His Royal Highness would greatly appreciate it, if persons who would be in attendance were able to, donating towards a Fiji cause in line with one of the philanthropies he supports, instead of dwindling taxpayers hard-earned money, to suit their social means.
You don't care about New York's High Society ... We understand ... But our point is, that if the 'world's whales' consider His Royal Highness worthy of an exhorbitent amount per head, ... dare we say it, when any member of the Prince of Wales' household highlights an issue, millions are often injected towards the cause or issue or country through the United Nations or any other philanthropic organisation. [The New York High Society which you are blatantly frowning upon, donates monies directly into the United Nations, with stipulations for specific countries and issues they intend their monies to be utilized for]. Who knows??? His philanthropic visit, which is free publicity for our humble island-nation might highly probably warrant attention from the world's benefactors, angel investors and philanthropists, who might pity our island-nation enough to the extent of helping out. God only knows ... FIJI NEEDS THEM!!
Please understand that the Fiji Government is funded by Financial Aid, which limits the Government's individual bodies use of the funding. They simply can not use the monies from the coffer towards areas of dire need for improvement and attention, negating the conditions (small print) of the allocation of relevant fundings. Who knows if this FJ$400,000.00 is coming out of the British Financial Aid, the European Union or the like??? Realistically, our taxpayers monies, are directly injected into paying off our island-nation's debts.
We truly appreciate your blog ... VINAKA VAKALEVU!! top
5:09 pm
Dear kaline,
You probably didn't get it, but my primary target of criticism isn't Mr. Charles, but the government. I have no problems with Mr. Charles visiting Fiji, but for him to accept and expect such an expensive honouring, is simply self centered.
Yesterday, it was the Queen of Tonga, today it is Mr. Charles, tomorrow it is going to be someone no one cares about, but will receive an expensive welcoming from this government.
An amount of money in the form of Financial Aid may be helping the government run this country, but the bulk of the running costs are still funded by the taxpayers. In the end, it is this money which will be shown on the books as having been spent on the royal visit. We've already got debts to pay, this doesn't help.
And as for some high rolling New Yorker feeling sorry for us (as a result of having seen Mr. Charles visit us) and so spend in helping this poor country, fat chance! And if Mr. Charles is such a rich person himself, so concerned about us and our poor state, how come I haven't heard anything about him giving any money to our charities?
Banking on "who knows" isn't my kind of investment. top
5:39 am
Hahaha ... Love your retort ... We did interpret your verbiage as we did, due to your transparent sentiments towards the approaching visit. We also understood that you do find the expense abhorrent, as do we, except we understand 'the bindings' of protocol and etiquette, when someone of the Prince of Wales' calibre visits our island-nation. His Royal Highness is bonded to 'the niceties;' Whereas our Fiji Government chooses and wishes 'to splurge' so as to obligate His Royal Highness in having to attend their soiree - The poor man. It would be rude to not attend.
We do respect your stance, with the duplicity of how Fiji does not have money for one cause significant for the nation, then lo and behold, monies are flying out of a hat, like a magic trick, with incessant unjustifiable expenses and irresponsible overspending, treating Government funds like personal accounts of those who are responsible for its use.
The Rotten State, realistically the taxpayers money does not suffice to run our island-nation. It costs much more, hence our island-nation's need and our island-nation's qualification for foreign aid and expertise.
Unfortunately for all concerned, the Government of the day have prioritised allocating budgets hither tither where they see fit ... Voters placed them there ... The onus lies with voters. We really should be more responsible with who we choose and we have to hold the individuals and their offices accountable to the people of Fiji.
Attracting high rollers to our island-nation through His Royal Highness, whose credibility is respected and honoured enough to the extent of probable neccessary aid to our island-nation is worth it ... Fiji and the people of Fiji can not survive alone ... The standard of living is depreciating.
The world of finance, trade, investment and the like, do operate along the lines of 'Who knows who'; 'Who's Who?' 'Who refers who?' His visit is a form of indirect networking ... The onus is up to our Government to amend their structure of monopolising the industries, which understandably prevents Fiji's economical potential.
VINAKA 'The Rotten State!' top
11:58 pm
I am glad you find such an expense abhorrent.
I hope you will also see that Mr. Charles is an uninvited guest of the state and as such should not expect anything. After all we're a poor country and the high rollers of this world know this already.
If the world's poor governments continue to spend willy nilly on "'the bindings' of protocol and etiquette" we will never be rid of our debts and never be able to improve our living conditions. top
4:14 am
The reality is, regardless of the expenditure and Fiji's financial status, the Government has the executive power to facilitate their personal wishes.
In reference to our national debt, Fiji needs to tighten the belt ... However, in doing so, necessitates downsizing which will be more damaging.
Our island-nation's problem is that our Executive Power offices' are operating as though we are equals to countries like Australia.
Another faux pas is that our Government listens to the Methodist antagonists, as though people and government are accountable to the Methodist Church - We are not the Vatican City. Hence, warranting the select left-wing members of the Methodist Church's confident anti-climax God-complexed dictatorship-like declarations.
Vinaka. top