THURSDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2021 l 16 PAGES l ISSUE 2 VOL 12 l WWW.FIJI.GOV.FJ Fijijj Focus ‘FIJI’S ‘CLIMATE CHANGE STALL FEE WAIVER ZERO BALANCE IMMUNISATION CONTINUES FOR CYCLONE FOR FNPF SYSTEM IS TO IMPACT THE AFFECTED MEMBERS IS STABLE ‘ SUGAR INDUSTRY’ VENDORS NOT NEW: A-G 3 6 10 12 PM pays surprise visit to Northern Division students Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama shares a moment with a student of Dama District School in Bua. Prime Minister Bainimarama paid a surprise visit to various schools in Vanua Levu as students resume classes this week. Full details: Inside. Photo: FELIX LESINAIVALU FELIX LESINAIVALU tions caused by the natural disasters over the past two and half months. S Fijian students in the Prime Minister Bainimarama North headed back into is currently revisiting the North Atheir classrooms this week, together with Cabinet Ministers they had a surprise visit from Prime assessing first-hand the damage Minister Voreqe Bainimarama who caused by Tropical Cyclone Ana encouraged them to stay focused that followed in the wake of TC Classes on their education. Yasa. Quality education is the founda- This is coinciding with the deliv- tion for a better livelihood and the ery of relief supplies and the school Government through the Ministry visits which is a means to boost the of Education has prioritised getting the students in the North back into back on the classroom despite the disrup- CONTINUES ON PAGE 3 email: [email protected]; @FijianGovt; Fijian Government; visit us @ www.fiji.gov.fj NATIONAL MATTERS phone: 3301806 Amendment to criminal procedure bill 2021 enacted in Parliament INSIDE AZARIA FAREEN made with the Office of the Di- Fiji. The list of assessors for Suva itself. rector of Public Prosecutions, Fiji contained over 100 published “The societal views of lay asses- he Parliament of the Re- Independent Commission Against names in the 1950s and in 1988 sors may often be in direct compe- public of Fiji in its last sit- Corruption, Legal Aid, Office of the list of assessors in the West- tition with the progressive views NZ WILL CONTINUE TO ting debated and passed an the Solicitor-General, the Judici- ern district contained almost 600 of modern law which is most of- WORK WITH FIJI - 14 T amendment to the Criminal Pro- ary and the Office of the Prime published names, however, by ten seen in sexual assault or what MINISTRY LOOKS AT cedure Bill 2021, which should Minister.’ the late 1990s, the assessor list is commonly known as “rape cas- PLANS TO REHABILITATE abolish the practice of engaging “You cannot have a criminal jus- was reduced to a handwritten, un- es”,” he added. FARMERS - 12 Lay Assessors in criminal cases tice system, in particular, when published name in the Judiciary “In practise, certain judges are in the judicial system. you try to address issues such as binder. At present, Lautoka only not willing to overturn decisions VENDORS ASSURED In putting the motion forward, gender issues that will have a dual utilises around 50 active asses- of lay assessors even when those OF GOVT SUPPORT - 10 Attorney-General and Minister for system; we need to have consist- sors and the Assessor Systems for decisions are clearly uninformed Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum ency,” he stressed. Suva and Labasa have each been or heavily influenced by patri- STALL FEE WAIVER FOR said “this amendment removes “You either have the decisions of known to utilise approximately 30 archal ideals and we have seen AFFECTED VENDORS - 10 the assessor system and have the all the assessors always adhered to 40 persons in constant rotation. that,” the A-G further added. judges, like in many other juris- to like a jury system or you actual- The A-G said a lot of Lay Asses- “It is also important to note that QUOTE OF THE WEEK dictions in the world, actually ly do not have the assessors where sors are sourced from members of lay assessors are not common in make the decision themselves”. their decisions can sometimes be the public without specific legal the region as Fiji and Vanuatu are “The amendments have been followed and other times cannot training on a lot of sophisticated the only countries in the Pacific made with a lot of thought, pro- be followed,” he added. matters and the potential for un- that utilize mandatory assessors cess and a lot of consultations The A-G highlights it is critically conscious bias in persons who are under the British model, while and if anything, it will enhance important to bring about the level not legally trained to approach some of the other Pacific Island the rights of ordinary Fijians,” the of consistency, not in just the de- matters through the lens of the countries have different ways of Voreqe A-G said. cision making, but in terms of the justice system is a fundamental dealing with it including some Bainimarama. “A number of consultations was development of jurisprudence in flaw within the assessor system who have a full on jury system.” In this day and age, we simply cannot meet the needs of our people and our region—or even our needs as sover- eign nations—alone. Our strength lies in our solidarity as a region. This I firmly believe. Voreqe Bainimarama Prime Minister NUMBERS Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, Speaker of Parliament, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau and Cabinet Ministers with frontline healthcare workers. Photo: SUPPLIED $4.3 million is the total cost of Awareness taken to combat digital radiography machines purchased specifically for sub- outbreak of diseases divisional hospitals SONAM SAMI hard with the NDMO during these times of these climate sensitive diseases obliterated as emergencies that have been declared, to try much as we can.” TWEET OF THE WEEK UBLIC health awareness has been the and obliterate all the possible outbreaks from 300! Today we invited Health Ministry’s main tool in trying happening”. frontline workers to join us in Pto prevent an outbreak of leptospirosis, He also highlighted that in the middle of last Parliament to mark Fiji’s 300th typhoid, dengue and diarrhoea in the wake of year in between the lockdowns there was also day without a local case of Tropical Cyclone Yasa and Tropical Cyclone Tropical Cyclone Harold and the many clean #COVID19. Ana. up campaigns that have happened, since Next up: Securing vaccines. Speaking in Parliament recently Minister Tropical Cyclone Yasa, concentration was on Not only to keep Fijians for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi the North but comprehensive work was done safe, but to prevent the gap Waqainabete said it was common for out- all throughout Fiji. between the developed breaks as these diseases are climate sensitive. “The other thing was actually working with In the flooding of 2012, we and developing worlds from “In the flooding of 2012, we had more than the community leaders in identifying hot- had more than 40 deaths from widening any further. 40 deaths from Leptospirosis alone. We have spots, getting it sprayed so our health inspec- Leptospirosis alone. We have had dengue in some years that were up to tors did spraying. We also talked with them 30,000 of our community in Fiji and about about what we wanted in terms of moving had dengue in some years CONTACT DETAILS 10 to 15 years ago, up to 30,000 had dengue”. forward, in terms of reducing the sources of that were up to 30,000 of our MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS Minister Waqainabete said before Severe leptospirosis, typhoid and dengue”. community in Fiji and about Main office: New Wing, Ground Floor, Government Tropical Cyclone Yasa, there had been strong Minister Waqainabete said as we are still in 10 to 15 years ago, up to Buildings,Suva public health awareness in the media along the cyclone season he has reminded all that North office: Level 3 Macuata House, Labasa 30,000 had dengue. West office: Level 1 Ratu Nauliano House, Koroivalu with Divisional Commissioners, Turaga ni it may seem like a never-ending fight but we Koros, Roko’s, PA’s, DO’s and also the Dis- must not lose hope. Contacts: Suva: 3301806 West: 6700086 trict Advisory Counsellors on a daily basis, “Though we have these climate sensitive Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete North: 8811276 around the awareness campaigns that were diseases, though we are faced with climate Minister for Health and Medical Services Fax: 3305139/3304663 [email protected] being done. change and the disturbances that it brings us, @FijianGovt “What we intended to do was to work very we must work together to ensure that we keep Fijian Government visit us at www.fiji.gov.fj 2 Thursday, February 18, 2021 email: [email protected]; @FijianGovt; Fijian Government; visit us @ www.fiji.gov.fj phone: 3301806 NATIONAL MATTERS Classes back on FROM PAGE 1 ‘Fiji’s immunisation morale of students. During the Prime Minister’s visit to the various schools, students, teachers, parents and guardians from the schools greeted the delegation and took the opportunity to raise issues. system is stable’ Headteacher of Lekutu Primary School, NANISE NEIMILA of primary health care and an indisput- ble to developed countries, recording Maciu Kaulotukiono, has expressed his ap- able human right, critical to the pre- 95 percent coverage from its latest preciation for the relief supplies that was de- IJI has a strong immunisation vention and control of infectious dis- coverage survey. livered during Prime Minister Bainimarama’s system which is comparable to ease outbreaks.” “Fiji was also the only country in the visit to the school. Mr Kaulotukiono said that Fdeveloped countries, recording Minister Waqainabete adds this is by world that introduced three new vac- the assistance provided will help the students 95 per cent coverage from its latest far the best health investment money cines, Rotavirus, Pneumococcal, and focus more on their studies.