Letters

Rubbish is rubbish I URGE my unknown friends on Ebeye: please, please, don’t let anyone put household trash from the United States on your island. (P/M, May 1990).

I have never visited your island, though I’d like to. In World War II on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and the Phi lippines, I admired the islanders’ way of life and saw that we have much to learn from all of you. Now PIM helps me to keep informed.

Some of the things our government and a few of our people have done to you on Ebeye and other islands make me, a loyal US citizen, ashamed. Now they want you to take our garbage. Why would anyone load this stuff on ships, haul it thousands of miles, and pay you millions of dollars to take it? If it were good for people, you would have to pay for it.

They tell you it’s harmless. How do they know? Can you assure me that your neighbours’ trash is safe for my children to play in. Maybe your neighbours don’t know that flashlight batteries and paint cans contain poisons.

For $l4O million you could buy some good clean rocks and earth. But if your island will need building up because

global warming will raise the sea level, let’s all work together to stop global warming. Plant trees, for example. In the US, we could begin by trying to grow trees in that “safe” household trash.

John Carley

Massachussetts, USA Moala’s article JALE Moala’s piece on Ratu Mara’s 70th birthday celebrations almost made me throw up. In case some of your readers have selective memories. It pays to recall the following about Ratu Mara. In May 1987 Ratu Mara and those of all races who gathered around him were quite content to allow a surrogate to regain at

gunpoint the power and privileges they

had just lost at the ballot box.

Your article about Ratu Mara’s birth day recalls the type of local journalism that contributed to his shallow-examined reign of power between 1970 and 1987.

Despite the pressures of dealing with the current unelected regime’s Ministry of Information, one still lives in the hope that PIM will find the courage to cover Fiji in accordance with objective stan dards of journalism.

Bill Southworth

Wellington

Vella’s request THE Prime Minister’s Office clarified that the Deputy editor of Fiji Times Mr Mosese Velia had requested an interview with the Prime Minister and that interviewing was granted on the Prime Minister’s birthday “para 4, page 14” More than a birthday.

The birthday function ior the Prime Minister was organised by the Lau Pro vincial Council and invitations were accordingly extended by the Council.

The statement therefore on page 5 that it was the Prime Minister who in vited Diplomats is inaccurate.

Tevita Loga

Press and Media Relations Officer Prime Minister’s Office Suva Oops!

WHILE a Matai can hold many titles in Western Samoa, a Matai only has one vote. Before general elections, chiefs ifAatai) with more than one title must indicate which ones of his titles he will use for the vote. His other titles cannot be used in the elections. The report in July saying “one matai title one vote” under the heading Chance for Democra cy, was inaccurate. It was NOT the au thor’s mistake. □