MINISTRY OF INFORMATION MEDIA MONITOR JULY 05TH 2014 7:30PM (No: 631) Find Ministry of Information on Facebook and be one of the 29, 741 people who like our page. Updated news, picture and events. Find our National Archives page on Facebook and be part of the growing numbers who are joining us on Facebook. PORTFOLIO 1. PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE PM opens new classroom at Nawaisomo school – Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says there is now no excuse for children not to attend school as the government has provided free schooling. While opening a new classroom building at Nawaisomo Primary School in Naitasiri, Bainimarama said his government has taken the pressure of parents and is providing free education for the first time. He encouraged all parents and elders to encourage children to attend school and study hard. fbc.fj/fiji/21119/pm-opens-new-classroom-at-nawaisomo-school FBC TV News 6PM (ROADS) The Fiji Roads Authority today met with some of its key partners to try and better understand safety laws surrounding its work. This also included issues such as occupational health and safety as well as workers compensation. The meeting was also attended by the Labour Ministry and FNPF officials. One key issue is how some employers do not treat their workers according to relevant legislation. A trend, the Fiji Roads Authority intends to curb. Fiji TV News 6PM (FINANCE) A total of 522 suspicious financial transactions was recorded last year by the Reserve Bank’s Financial Intelligence Unit. That’s the equivalent of $380,430 in cash transaction reports. The Unit also recorded just over 1 point 1 million international remittance transaction reports from various financial institutions. A total of 160 requests for investigations were also recorded with the Unit with an additional 46 requests for due diligence or background checks. The F-I-U also received a total of 459 border currency reports last year. Fiji TV News 6PM (SUGAR) Repairs on cane access roads progresses – Maintenance of the cane access roads for the Labasa Mill is progressing well. Sugar director Viliame Gucake says under the first phase purchase order was given to maintenance 351 cane access roads. fbc.fj/fiji/21115/repairs-on-cane-access-roads-progresses The Sugar industry is working with contractors to fast track the upgrade of an old cane access road in the interior of Ba. This is to ensure farmers can cart their cane to the Rarawai mills on time after the closure of the Koronubu Bridge. Ministry of Sugar Permanent Secretary Manasa Vaniqi says the sugar industry has been in close talks with the Fiji Roads Authority in fast tracking the rehabilitation process of the Koronubu bridge. Fiji TV News 6PM 2. ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE (ELECTORAL REFORMS) FijiFirst Party’s declaration published today – The FijiFirst Party’s declaration has been published today and it shows that the Prime Minister who is the leader of the party, Voreqe Bainimarama receives a total income of $278,750. According to his declaration of assets and liabilities, Bainimarama gets $230,000 in salary, $20,000 entertainment allowance and other allowances total $28,750. The listed assets of Voreqe Bainimarama and his wife, Mary include a Hyundai Tuscon vehicle valued at $30,000 and a property in Nadi valued at $25,000 which was purchased and valued on the 1st of January 2007. Looking at the declaration of assets and liabilities of Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum who is also the General Secretary of FijiFirst. The declaration by Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and his wife, Adi Ela Sayed-Khaiyum shows that the Attorney General’s salary is $185,000. fijivillage/news-feature/FijiFirst-Partys-declaration-published-today-9sk25r/ fijilive./news/2014/07/pm-bainimarama-earns-278k/58169.Fijilive FBC TV News 6PM Fiji TV News 6PM FijiFirst Party has total assets valued at $636,515 – The FijiFirst Party has total assets valued at $636,515 as at 30th June this year. Cash and cash equivalents which include donations and membership fees are stated in four bank accounts. The cash in the bank totals $280,515. Other assets of the FijiFirst include two vehicles - a Kia Sorento valued at $80,000 and a Mahindra vehicle valued at $55,000 fijivillage/news/FijiFirst-Party-has-total-assets-valued-at-636515-2s5rk9/ Proposed One Fiji Party scheduled to apply for registration on Monday – The proposed One Fiji Party is scheduled to apply for registration on Monday. Proposed Party volunteer and spokesperson, Laisa Digitaki said they are grateful that Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem has confirmed his availability to receive the proposed officials with their registration application on Monday afternoon. fijivillage/news/Proposed-One-Fiji-Party-scheduled-to-apply-for-registration-on-Monday-9rk25s/ fbc.fj/fiji/21117/proposed-one-fiji-party-to-register The Fijian Elections Office says it will be targeting mostly people living between Nausori and Lami in their voter education in the central division. One simple reason is that this also represents one of the most densely populated areas in the country. They also plan to maximize awareness around one of the country’s biggest trade shows which started today, the annual Fiji showcase. Fiji TV News 6PM The Citizen Constitutional Forum is waiting of approval from the Fijian Elections Office to allow it to help with voter education. They propose to focus on what they are describing as “Domestic Observers”. The Citizen Constitutional Forum offering an olive branch to the Elections Office, the Electoral Commission and the Supervisor of Elections choosing to help in the empowerment of people in the elections build-up. Fiji TV News 6PM Tui Cakau Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu addressed the people of Cakaudrove in a meeting last night. A candidate for the SODELPA party, Ratu Naiqama asked those present to think wisely before casting their vote in September. Addressing SODELPA supporters from the province of Cakaudrove in the vernacular, Ratu Naiqama called on his people to think wisely about who they will vote for. Fiji TV News 6PM (LOCAL GOVERNMENT) Vendors at the Namaka market are calling on the Nadi Town Council to reduce the high stall fees. The vendors say they are paying much more than the vendors at the Nadi market. Permanent vendors are charged $2.30 a day while casual vendors have to pay $2.55 a day in comparison to Nadi markets $0.95 stall for permanent vendors and $1.05 for casual vendors. Nadi Town Council says the Nadi market is sitting on the council’s property while Namaka market is built on land leased from the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji. The fees was introduced in 2006 to allow the council to pay the lease. FBC TV News 6PM (ENVIRONMENT) The Fiji Backpackers Association says having a poultry farm near the Backpacker Resort is bad for our tourism image. This follows complaints made by Rendezvous Fiji about foul smell coming from Toa Fiji chicken broiler sheds which is affecting their tourism business. Acting Director Environment Eleni Tokaduadua says they are verifying the claims being made against Toa Fiji and will be issuing a statement once they are in a position to comment. FBC TV News 6PM (INDUSTRY AND TRADE) Fiji to secure trade with non-traditional partners – Fiji is looking to secure long-term trade arrangements with countries it has established diplomatic relations with in the past few years. Permanent Secretary for Trade Shaheen Ali says there countries are non-traditional partners of Fiji and trade has been a centre piece of discussions with these countries. fbc.fj/fiji/21118/fiji-to-secure-trade-with-non-traditional-partners 3. MINISTER I. KUBUABOLA (FOREIGN AFFAIRS/INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION) The body of the late Peceli Vocea, Fiji’s Ambassador to the European Union and the Kingdom of Belgium arrived in the country this morning. The Ambassador’s body arrived on board the Air Korea flight from London this morning. Family members and government officials were at the Nadi International Airport this morning to receive the late Ambassador. Fiji TV News 6PM 4. MINISTER J. COKANASIGA (NATIONAL SECURITY) There was no breach of policy and process – Police – Police have stressed that there was no breach of policy and process during the recent police recruitment drive in Labasa however a police officer is under investigation for some alleged unlawful acts. There were allegations of nepotism in the selection process however Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ravi Narayan said the process was done in the manner as prescribed in the advertisement and in accordance to the Police Act and the constitution. fijivillage/news/There-was-no-breach-of-policy-and-process---Police-ksr925/ (IMMIGRATION) Karunaratne is a Fiji citizen: Immigration – The proposed president of the proposed Fiji United Freedom Party Jagath Karunaratne is a Fiji Citizen, the Immigration Department has confirmed. Confirming this to FijiLive, Immigration director Nemani Vuniwaqa said the Sri-Lankan born man had obtained his citizenship as he is married to a Fiji citizen. Karunaratne was one of the five members of the proposed Fiji United Freedom party to apply for party registration yesterday with the registrar and supervisor of Elections Mohammed Saneem. fijilive./news/2014/07/karunaratne-is-a-fiji-citizen-immigration/58167.Fijilive 5. MINISTER F. BOLE (EDUCATION) QVS students reminded of instilling discipline in their life – “Let us stop the culture of blaming someone else for our situation,” These were the words of Commissioner Central, Laisenia Tuitubou to the 560 students of Queen Victoria School during their Cadet Pass out Parade earlier today. Tuitubou reminded students on the importance of instilling discipline in their life and making use of the various education opportunities provided to them. fijivillage/news/QVS-students-reminded-of-instilling-discipline-in-their-life-25sk9r/ 6. MINISTER I. SERUIRATU (FISHERIES) A research is now being undertaken by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the Fisheries Department on giant squids. The discovery of the giant species in our waters also pointing to the possibility of a lucrative market in the future. Now found within our own deep waters, these particular species have been found in waters off Kadavu. William Sokimi the Fisheries development officer at SPC said the research undertaken by SPC is funded by New Zealand AID after a request by the fisheries department. Minister for Fisheries Inia Seruiratu also said this could also become a major commercial commodity in the near future. Fiji TV News 6PM 7. MINISTER N. SHARMA (HEALTH) The Ministry of Health this morning receive a timely donation. This saw the ministry receiving cartons of medical books. This was handed over by officials of Value City this morning. On hand to receive the donation was Health Minister Dr Neil Sharma who says it will be put to good use. Fiji TV News 6PM 8. MINISTER J. LUVENI (SOCIAL WELFARE) From January next year the monthly social pension for senior citizens who are 70 years and over will increase from $30 to $50. The Social Pension Scheme was first introduced this year after feedback from recipients, Government has decided to increase pensions. FBC TV News 6PM 9. MINISTER J. USAMATE (LABOUR) The Minister for Labour Jone Usamate will be traveling to New Zealand on Monday to pave the way for Fijians to be employed as seasonal workers in the land of the long white clouds. Permanent Secretary for Labour Taito Waqa says, New Zealand has expressed willingness to re-offer the initiative after a lapse of twenty seven years. FBC TV News 6PM INTERNATIONAL Tonga proposes land swap with Fiji – Tonga is proposing to trade the disputed Minerva reef with Fiji, in exchange for the Lau island group. The Tongan land minister, Lord Maafu, is preparing the proposal to put to his Fijian counterpart, to settle ownership of the reef. But an Auckland University indigenous studies expert, Dr Steven Ratuva, told says the deal is one-sided and could be seen as a political joke. He says the deal would benefit Tonga, as the Lau island group composes most of Fiji. radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/248955/tonga-proposes-land-swap-with-fiji REGIONAL AFFAIRS New jobs a pressing task for the Pacific, says new Asian Development Bank report – Creating new jobs is one of the most pressing challenges facing the Pacific, according to a new report by the Asian Development Bank. The latest edition of the ADBs Pacific Economic Monitor, released on Thursday, says unemployment is an issue that confronts every country in the region. radioaustralia.net.au/pacific/2014-07-03/new-jobs-a-pressing-task-for-the-pacific-says-new-asian-development-bank-report/1337420 PS TALKBACK SHOW RADIO FIJI TWO Ministry of Labour, Assistant Director, Labour Standards Service, Mr. Atish Kumar appeared for the evening show. He highlighted the achievements of the quarter which includes the national minimum wage level which protects the workers in Fiji with the minimum wage at $2/hr. From the months of March to April, 600 employers were inspected from small businesses to large entities to identify the level of wages in each organisation and all the employers were abiding by the minimum wage level. He said that in the 2nd quarter the ministry received over 1494 complaints and queries from the public about working conditions. Also the amount that was collected from the mediation services from the quarter excluding the month of May was $323,439.83. This is the compensation paid to employees through the mediation services of the labour ministry through the Labour inspectors. He spoke about the importance of good governance in the employment sector. He spoke about the mediation service of the ministry and what the unit had achieved in the year. He also spoke on the National Wages service unit which aims to be certified under ISO standards, a group of experts have already been to the ministry and have recommended that Fiji is ready to be certified. The unit will be certified in a month’s time, ISO9001 Quality Management Certification and will be the first in history for Fiji to be benchmarked in top world standards. This certification is usually recommended for big organisations who export products overseas, and is the first for a government agency to be under world standard certification. Mr Kumar further discussed the achievements including the utilization of funds from the allocated budget for 2014 before the elections and the plans for the next quarter. He also mentioned the successes of the Labour roadshows that have been conducted by the Labour minister and what was accomplished through these roadshows. He also spoke about how the ministry was addressing the issue of child labour in the country. Mr Waqa spoke about the enforcement unit of the ministry and also the achievements the unit had achieved so far, he also briefly spoke about the unemployment rate and the statistics in the country and what government was targeting for employment in the country. He spoke about the services of the ministry and plans for the remainder of the year. For more informati on on Government events and decisions log onto the official Government portal fiji.gov.fj Decrees also available! Read the Fiji Focus Newspaper every fortnight in the Fiji Sun
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 20:02:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015