Information and Communications Tech­nology (ICT) and Business Process Out­sourcing sectors are two growing indus­tries in Fiji that have yet to achieve their full potential.

In an interview with SunBiz, Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism and Local Gov­ernment, Housing and Community Devel­opment, Premila Kumar stated the need to explore and capitalise on this unrealised industries.

Mrs Kumar added that under the Fijian Government, the focus would be on increas­ing exports and investments in value added products rather than just export of raw ma­terials.

Below are excerpts of an interview with Mrs Kumar on Fiji’s international trade in Fiji and the plans for the 2019 tourism sector:

1. What are the primary goals that MITT has in place in terms of trade in Fiji?

• To continue Fiji’s transformation into a vibrant, diversified and internationally competitive, export-led, growth-oriented economy, by enhancing the performance of the manufacturing and services sectors and their contribution to economic growth, as well as, focusing on other growth areas in the priority sectors;
• Facilitate the engagement of Fiji in bilat­eral, regional and multilateral trade frame­works with a view to expand and securing meaningful market access for Fiji’s grow­ing industrial base and integrate the Fijian economy into the global trading environ­ment;
• To use trade policy to contribute to creat­ing the conditions for the sustained increase in the contribution of investment and the in­crease in total factor productivity (i.e. the ef­ficiency with which the economy utilises its available resources), that will be required in order for Fiji to realise its long-term growth aspirations;
• Assist domestic firms increase levels of efficiency and competitiveness, therefore withstanding increasing competition in do­mestic and international markets;
• Support the improvement of trade relat­ed infrastructure aimed at facilitating the smooth flow of trade thereby reducing the cost of doing business, positioning Fiji as a strategic location for global value chains and hub of the Pacific; and
• Support investment promotion and fa­cilitation aspects to attract both domestic and foreign direct investments with a view to stimulate investment flows into export-oriented areas in which Fiji has comparative advantages.

This will also be used as a strat­egy for inducing innovation and technology transfer in the national economy.

2. Which sector does Fiji have com­petitive advantage in and what does the Ministry have in place to help boost that specific area for 2019?

• Fiji has competitive advan­tages in sugar and other non-agri­cultural export, forestry, mineral water, textiles, clothing and foot­wear and mineral resources, ICT and business process outsourcing.

In order to boost these sectors, the Fijian Government will:

1. i) Continue to put in place meas­ures and strategies required for Fiji to become competitive in every aspect of operations, such as inter­nal logistics, world class transport and communications links, low costs of doing business and de­velopment of broad-based export markets in the economies of other trading partners;
2. ii) Creating the right conditions for the sustained increase in the contribution of investment and the increase in total factor pro­ductivity (i.e. the efficiency with which the economy utilises its available resources), that will be required in order for Fiji to realise its long term growth aspirations;

iii)By stimulating and encour­aging value-addition activities through research and development with a view to increasing national export earnings;

1. iv) By assisting domestic firms to increase their levels of efficiency and competitiveness, and there­fore withstand increasing competi­tion in domestic and international markets;
2. v) Facilitate the growth of the mi­cro, small and medium enterprises development as the backbone of the Fijian economy;
3. vi) To facilitate capacity building development in human capital in all the priority sectors to ensure high level productivity.
4. How can Fiji better capitalise on its relationship with its trade partners?

Fiji has entered into Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) with Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) such as, the Melanesian Spearhead Group Trade Agreement, Pacific Islands Countries Trade Agree­ment (PICTA), and with the Euro­pean Union (EU) Interim Econom­ic Partnership Agreement (IEPA).

Fiji, with the Pacific Island Coun­tries, is also engaged with Austral­ia and New Zealand on negotiating a win-win PACER Plus agreement.

To deepen regional integration and broaden guaranteed market access, Fiji will engage with other partners in the Asian Region.

The Fijian Government remains committed to the success of re­gional integration and will seek avenues to broadening its guaran­teed market access base with like-minded countries.

Additionally, China is one of the major global players.

Trade ties between China and Fiji has been steadily growing over time.

China is increasingly becoming an important trading partner not only for Fiji, but the region as a whole.

Fijian products with export po­tential to China include; fisheries and related products, noni and pearl jewelleries among others.

However, Fijian products are disadvantaged due to high tariffs faced by her exports to China.

In this regard, Fiji is currently working on a feasibility study that will determine the way forward in terms of Fiji and China economic relations.

4. How can local businesses be encouraged to participate more in export?

• By creating an enabling busi­ness environment and facilitating the efficient flow of trade through bilateral, regional and multilater­al trade frameworks with a view to expanding and securing meaning­ful market access;
• Promoting and enhancing the competitiveness of Fijian products and services in the international markets through dedicated trade and investment missions and sym­posiums;
• Deployment of Trade Commis­sioners to potential markets to en­sure effective promotion of Fijian exports, whilst assisting and build­ing capacity in Fijian exporters to comply with the requirements of the importing countries;.

5. Fiji’s World Bank ease of doing businesses in Fiji has been low over the years. Do you have any plans to improve this?

The Fijian Government recog­nises the need to improve the business regulatory environment in Fiji and has been engaged in a number of reforms to enhance processes.

The Ministry is currently review­ing and re-designing the Building Permits processes and procedures in partnership with the Singapore Corporation Enterprise (SCE).

By mid this year, we expect to roll out a new harmonised application form with an online information portal that provides developers in­formation at one stop.

The next stage of the reforms is working on the starting a business processes for which we will work on streamlining and re-designing the relevant processes.

In addition to these, the ministry also worked with the World Bank Group’s Regulatory Reform team to undertake an audit of all the do­ing business processes.

The ministry, with the relevant stakeholders will then work on ad­dressing the immediate reforms, and doing a work plan for the me­dium to long term reform plans.

6. In what areas does Fiji have un­realised potential and what the

Ministry’s plans to exploit them?

• Fiji has strong potential in the ICT and Business Process Out­sourcing sectors.

These are growing industries in Fiji that have yet to achieve its full potential.

• To maximise on other advan­tages, such as, having a young educated population, best commu­nication and IT technology in the Pacific, being the hub – in terms of trade, transportation, communica­tion and logistics, the Fijian Gov­ernment is working on a services. Manufacturing Zone in the West­ern Division.

This Zone will provide “plug and play” facilities to investors and will have tailor-made incentives to attract the best investors.

• The Fijian Government is also focused on increasing exports and investments in value added prod­ucts rather than just export of raw materials.

7. What are ways that the Ministry has in place to help address and control the trade deficit that is be­ing faced by the current economy?

It is important to note that a trade in goods deficit is not necessarily a bad thing.

It exists when a country cannot produce everything it needs, there­fore imports of those products from other countries.

Currently, the United States owns the largest trade deficit by far, with a trade imbalance of over $7.3 tril­lion accumulated over the past few decades.

Merchandise trade or trade in goods deficits may simply reflect consumer preferences and can raise a country’s standard of liv­ing as people gain access to a wider variety of goods and services at a more competitive price.

A trade deficit also indicates that the country’s occupants are con­fident and economically sound enough to buy more than the coun­try produces.

Fiji’s imports are largely made up of consumer products and invest­ment inputs.

This is an indication of the fact that the economy is growing and there is increased investment and economic activities in the country, leading to increased demand for goods and services.

We have a growing building and construction industry, which is contributing to the increased de­mand of imports.

It is also worth noting that total trade deficit cannot be measured by merchandise trade alone.

Over 70 per cent of the Fijian economy is services driven.

Therefore, a good measure for trade standing is the current ac­count in the balance of payments figures.

Trade in goods combined with trade in services and remittances provides a more accurate picture of our standing and whether we really have a deficit.

Currently, the overall balance of payments position is stable due to the adequate support from tourism earnings, remittances and foreign financing of public and private sector projects.

The foreign reserves are enough to cover 4.4 months of imports.

Therefore, merchandise trade deficit is not a major concern.

8. Apart from trade, what plans Ministry has in terms of Tourism?

Tourism is increasingly recog­nised as an important future driv­er for economic activity in Fiji.

The sector is increasingly mov­ing into a more complex period of its development and requires ap­propriate measures to ensure the potential of the sector is optimised as it grows sustainably.

As such, the Ministry will con­tinue implementing key strategies as set in five-year and 10 year Na­tional Development Plan and the Fijian Tourism 2021 (FT 2021), a de­velopment plan that will guide the industry to achieving a $2.2 billion industry by 2021.

We have already initiated a num­ber of initiatives in the beginning of the last financial year and will be implementing or continuing them in 2019.

This includes creating closer syn­ergy between tourism and agri­culture following the study “From Farm to Tourists Table” and de­termining the economic value of Fiji’s cruise industry in efforts to grow niche sectors.

Other focus areas include in­creasing community awareness and strengthening MSME partici­pation in the Fijian tourism indus­try.

Therefore, it is important to cre­ate strong linkages between the tourism industry and the agricul­ture sector.

The Ministry is also focusing on strengthening and creating ro­bust data collection mechanisms through the review of the Interna­tional Visitor Survey as well as the finalisation Hotel Data Collection System.

This will allow us to have more ac­curate picture on the performance of the industry and enable stake­holders make more well-informed policy decisions.

Furthermore, the Ministry, through Tourism Fiji, will contin­ue its efforts in promoting Fiji as a premier visitor destination and increase the demand of the Fijian brand in emerging markets such as India, China and Japan.

Finally, we will continue working with the industry and key develop­ment partners in implementing other key initiatives under the FT 2021.

9. Looking at the recent statistics by the Bureau of Statistics, visitor arrival declined for the month of the November by 0.2 pc as compared to 2017, what could be this reason?

• Firstly, the decline is a minor 0.2 per cent and looking at a single months’ data to determine perfor­mance may not be effective.

The January to November period recorded an increase of 3.6 per cent when compared to the same period last year.

• It should be noted that earnings from the tourism industry is grow­ing year-on-year at a faster rate than the growth in visitor num­bers.

The industry has recorded $648.9 million earnings from January to September 2018, which is an 8 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

For this same period, arrivals grew at an estimated four per cent.

These are the measures that show that the industry is perform­ing well and will continue its up­ward trajectory in terms of yield which has been the Government’s objective.

• To bolster the growth of the tourism industry and to focus on the quality of tourism, whereby we are able to increase yield and grow the industry sustainably, the Fijian Tourism 2021 provides key strategies and deliverables for the Fijian Government and the indus­try.

The Fijian Tourism 2021 provides moves the industry from the “busi­ness as usual” through initiatives that will create increased invest­ment in the industry.

10. What are some of the major upcoming projects that the ministry has in place for 2019?

The Ministry will continue to im­plement and improve the current initiatives and programmes and undertake various reforms and new policy initiatives, such as:

(i) Implementation of the Young Entrepreneurship Scheme;

(ii) Competition Policy and Legal Framework Reform;

(iii) Investment Policy and Legal Framework Review;

(iv) Building Permits process re-design and harmonisation of ap­plication forms and online infor­mation portal;

(v) Starting a Business process re­view and re-design;

(vi) Doing Business Reforms;

(vii) National Innovation Frame­work; and

(viii) Wairabetia Economic Zone.

Feedback: karalaini.tavi@fijisun.com.fj

What started out as a hobby became a source of in­come for self taught art­ist Almanda Datt and her family.

Based out of Suva in Pacific Har­bour, Beach Please is a joint ven­ture between Alamanda, although everyone calls her Mandy and her sister Lynette.

“We have two other sisters, Jean­ette and Stephanie, who often col­laborate and lend us their skills and talent when we need a few ex­tra hands.

“They come along with us to practically every market, and we all take turns with face painting and engaging with customers. It is very much a family operation at the moment.

“I’m a self taught artist, although I did learn the basics of calligra­phy and hand lettering via a free webinar hosted by another mum who like me, runs a lettering busi­ness from home.

“What started out as a hobby became a source of income when my friends started placing orders for paintings for their homes, and then in 2010 my youngest son Ri­ley was born, and it was clear from the start that he had special needs and I would not be able to get a full time job for a long time.

“He has since been diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and I count myself extremely for­tunate to have a skill that allows me to earn money from home, as he is partly home schooled and still slowly easing into full time school.

Lynette is a graphic designer, and in her spare time she does a bit of photography, and some special ef­fects makeup.

“Her work, is fantastic, but only ever in demand for Halloween etc.

“We encouraged her to apply to work on the films they were re­cently shooting in Fiji, but she was working with the elections office at the time and didn’t have the time in the lead-up to the last election.

“Two years ago, we felt like there was a gap in the market at the time for personalised, thoughtful gifts, I had separated from my husband, and with Riley needing round the clock care, it was a no brainer to go ahead and launch BeachPlease.

Our work is mostly made to or­der, we paint on paper, canvas, and more recently, masi.

I love the idea of modern artwork on a traditional medium, and I think there’s a real appreciation for it, as we sold out within the hour when we debuted our masi art at the Corona Christmas mar­ket last year.

It takes us about a week to create and deliver an order, although we do encourage customers to give us three weeks so we can fit them in between other orders already on the go.

The other thing we do that’s quite popular is wedding signage, from welcome signs to seating charts and menus.

I think that’s kind of the whole feel of our business, because there are four of us, every now and then one of us will come up with an idea and the rest of us will say, “why not?”.

“Last Valentines day we did just that when my baker sister Steph­anie and I collaborated on hand painted sugar cookies, which proved to be quite popular.

“I’ll have to see if I can convince her to do it again this year, as she’s pregnant with twins at the mo­ment.”

She said long term they were thinking about the possibility of opening a one-stop shop for kids parties.

“Between Steph and I we have six sons, so us four sisters have had lots of practice organising birth­day parties, and we usually do all the baking, decorating, photog­raphy and face painting etc our­selves.

“We’ve had people approach us and ask if we could do the same for their parties, and even got invited to do face and body painting at the uprising music festival, so there’s obviously a market for it, and we enjoy doing it, so once again, why not? “

Juggling business and personal time

Juggling business and personal time is not so much an issue for me as I’m at home most of the time.

“In the early days I used to stay up at night and work but now that Riley is older he understands that I’m working, although every now and then he comes to announce bedtime and order me to “pack up my colours” lol.

“I also have very supportive par­ents who are very hands on with Riley, so that allows me to run around for supplies, deliveries etc.

“Lynette has a much harder time as she travels from Pacific Har­bour to work in Suva, but we make it work with the help of Steph and Jeanette “I think the hardest part about having your own business is that you can’t work “whenever you want”.

“It seems like the dream to escape from the 9-5 until you realise that you can’t punch in and out Mon­day to Friday. Sometimes you’ve got to pull all nighters and work through weekends and holidays to get things done.”

She noted one of the difficulties being in a creative field was hav­ing your work imitated.

“Hours upon hours of work go into creating a design and it’s dis­heartening when it gets stolen or copied,” she said.

“Imitation is the foundation of learning, and we all draw inspi­ration from other artists and de­signers, but I’m a strong believer in giving credit where it’s due and making something your own.

“I like to think that the “heart” of what we do can’t be duplicated though, so I try not to let it get to me.

“As for others thinking about starting up, I’d say go for it, but plan for the long haul. I’ve learned that starting up is unpredictable, and overnight success is not al­ways realistic.

“I’m still learning to manage my time and resources better, learn­ing to swallow my pride and ask for help when I need it. It’s all a learning curve but don’t lose sight of the big picture.”

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj

The Fiji Dollar (FJD) is a man­aged currency and it oper­ates on a fixed (pegged) ex­change rate regime.

It is fixed to a basket of curren­cies which are its major trading partners and they are, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Ja­pan, Euro zone.

The relative weights of the cur­rency basket is reviewed on an an­nual basis by the Reserve Bank of Fiji and is confidential.

Pegged exchange rate regimes are generally thought to be associated with lower transaction costs, great­er certainty, lower real exchange rate volatility, higher trade open­ness, disciplined macroeconomic policies and relatively low growth of monetary aggregates, a better inflation performance and stronger inflation anchors.

These regimes may also benefit from lower inflation and greater policy credibility if the country to which the peg is struck has low in­flation.

Pegged arrangements provide a stable and low exchange rate risk during periods of general econom­ic stability; providing certainty for foreign investors, tourism, con­sumers, businesses and financial transactions.

But like most things it also has a disadvantage which international experience suggests that pegged exchange rate regimes are suscep­tible to currency overvaluation and higher current account deficits.

However, the improvement in Fi­ji’s price competitiveness stands in contrast to the upward trend in real effective exchange rates in some other Pacific island countries.

There is a chatter that the Fed will raise interest rate this month and this expectation have been driving the US dollar.

If this rate hike comes to pass this month then we can expect an even stronger US dollar and the impact of this will be most felt by our importers where they will have to spend more than they normally would.

But vice-versa for exporters where they will earn more in FJD.

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj

When Fijians are fit, they will always play smart rugby, says a former national 7s rep.

Speaking to SUNsports yesterday Penisoni Waki said, the Gareth Baber-coached side should be fit if they are to defend the Hamilton 7s title on January 26-27 at FMG Sta­dium in Waikato, New Zealand.

“I always stress the importance of fitness since it will carry them through,” Waki who played alongside maestro Waisale Serevi at the 1993 Hong Kong 7s said.

“When Fijians are fit they play smart rugby and exactly do the opposite when they are unfit.

“Secondly, they don’t have to pass the ball right away but rather carry it forward as this will pull the defence and cre­ate gaps. But again we’ve to be fit.”

“Nowadays, there are lot of rucks and this delays the flow of the game. As a former player you need to be a step ahead of the opposition at all times.”

The 53-year-old, who is a former Nadi football and rugby player, is impressed with the composition of the current squad.

“The coach needs to select his first seven players well,” he added.

Meanwhile, Baber took the national 7s training squad to the Sigatoka sand dunes yesterday morning.

He’s expected to soon finalise the final squad for the Hamil­ton and Sydney tournaments.

Baber is believed to go for rookie playmakers Teri Tamani and Napolioni Ratu. This was after Amenoni Nasilasila has been ruled out along with forward Paula Dranisinukula while a cloud of uncertainty surrounds Olympian Vatemo Ravouvou, who is yet to join camp.

The Welshman has been working on the team’s defence which is boosted with the return of Josua Vakurinabili who is expected to combine well with Apenisa Cakaubalavu, Kalione Nasoko, Sevuloni Mocenacagi and young Meli Der­enalagi.

The Fijians are third on the 2018/19 World Sevens Series standings with 35 points as they trail New Zealand (37) and USA (38).

For Hamilton, they are in Pool A alongside Australia, Ar­gentina and Wales.

– Edited by Osea Bola

Feedback: waisean@fijisun.com.fj

While most parents around the country are engaged in last minute back to school shopping, the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service is calling on people to ask for proper receipts and invoices for every purchases made.

This week we will look at what tax invoices are and what details it should contain when issued to a customer.

What is a Tax Invoice?

Tax Invoice is a document that VAT registered persons issue to their customers when they make a sale.

For VAT registered recipients of a good or service, it is the main source document or evidence they must have to support a claim for input tax on business expenses.

When is tax invoice issued?

VAT registered persons are re­quired to issue tax invoices when the supply of goods and services takes place or after the delivery of goods or services.

Features of a Tax Invoice

A Tax Invoice shall contain the following particulars:

• the words “Tax Invoice” marked clearly in a prominent or notice­able place;
• the name, address and Tax Identification Number (TIN) of the registered person making the supply;
• the name and address of the re­cipient;
• na serial number;
• date the tax invoice was issued;
• a description of the goods and services supplied;
• the quantity or volume of the goods and services supplied;
• the VAT exclusive price, the amount of VAT added to that price and the VAT inclusive price shown separately.

Information required on all tax invoices

Tax invoices for supplies at the retail level or supplies up to $100 will show less information and the customer’s name is not required.

These types of tax invoices show the following:

• the words “Tax Invoice” marked clearly in a prominent or notice­able place;
• the name, address and Tax Iden­tification Number (TIN) of the supplier;
• date the tax invoice was issued;
• a description of the goods and services supplied;
• The total price and a statement that the price is VIP

What if a registered person issues a receipt without the features of a tax invoice?

The recipient must inform the registered person to furnish him or her with a proper invoice that contains all of the features of a tax invoice as provided in the regula­tion.

If the registered person know­ingly issues such invoice, he or she would have thus committed an offence under the VAT Act and may be liable for a penalty.

What are some examples of docu­ments that are not tax invoices?

The following are not tax invoic­es:

• An Invoice that does not have the word ‘Tax’ in front of the word ‘Invoice’
• pro-forma invoices;
• invoices that state ‘this is not a tax invoice’;
• statements;
• delivery notes;
• orders;
• letters, emails or other corre­spondence;
• quotations;
• sale and purchase agreements;
• documents/receipts that do not have any of the features of a tax invoice

Can a registered VAT trader claim for input tax paid even though the supplier ‘s document does not meet all of the tax invoice requirements?

No.

The VAT registered trader can­not claim for the input tax paid and it is his or her responsibility to inform the Supplier to amend its Tax Invoice accordingly.

Can a registered person request for a copy of tax invoice in cases where they have lost it?

Yes, the registered person can re­quest for a copy.

In this case the supplier provid­ing a copy will have to clearly mark the copy as “copy only”.

How can customers identify whether a person they are dealing with is registered for VAT or not?

Persons that are registered for VAT are issued with a Certificate of Registration that has to be dis­played in the business premises where the customers can see it clearly.

Those that are not registered for VAT will not have this. Persons that are registered will display their prices as inclusive of VAT and persons that are not regis­tered, will not do this.

A registered person will issue a Tax Invoice whereas the non-registered persons will issue an Invoice.

The VAT Act allows FRCS to re­lease information about the VAT registration status of any person.

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj

Litiana Miller needs no introduction.

The former national track queen, now a professional fitness trainer, is truly an inspiration for women athletes.

She continued to pursue her dreams after a successful sporting career.

The Natua, Seaqaqa native is the wife of the former national athletics rep and coach Albert Miller.

The proud mother of three sons, set a new record in the 100 metres (11.92 secs) during the 1999 Pacific Games in Guam which stood for eight years.

Miller shares her work, life experiences, achievements and challenges.

1. Overview of what you do in your work

I’m a fitness instructor and have been since 2000. As a fitness instructor, we help and guide people to exercise.

I set training programmes and sometimes give out sample meal plans to help those that want to keep themselves fit and healthy. I also hold mass fitness classes like zumba and boot camp.

2. What would you say most motivates you to do what you do? What are your most excited or passionate about? What are the goals you most want to accomplish in your work?

3.As a former track athlete since primary school and then representing Fiji in high school right through until after I had my third and last child, my parents have been my source of motivation. W

When I reached high school is when I met my husband who was my coach. He basically continued the trend that my parents started.

So basically as I developed from being a child to becoming an adult, the one and only thing I knew was to play sports and I’ve nev­er regretted it because it made me who I am today. It seemed like my future was already set from birth.

My goal is to continue to influence and mo­tivate people into living a healthy life. To love and be proud of whom they are.

4. What motivated you to become a fitness trainer?

Playing sports and staying in shape espe­cially through having children has moti­vated me to become a fitness instructor and I just can’t see myself sitting behind a desk eight hours a day

5. Where did you grow up, countries visited

I grew up in Bagasau, Toorak. Attend­ed Annesley Infant School, Dudley High School.

I have never been to any country for work other than to compete and I’ve been as far as Spain competing for Fiji in athletics.

6. Key mentors or people who deeply influ­enced who you are, what you believe in and what you’re committed to in your work and life

My parents and my husband are my

mentors and have been very influential in my life.

7. Did you have any life-changing experi­ences and challenges that put you on the path that led you to be doing what you’re do­ing today?

My life experience that led me into becom­ing a fitness instructor is basically through playing sports and finding out that it’s a passion that I could turn into a job.

8. As an active woman involved in sports, how do you see or analyse the role of women in sports in Fiji and how important is it to en­courage more women taking up roles in vari­ous sporting federations?

I hope that women will recognise my work and achievements and become motivated into taking up fitness or roles in sports be­cause I believe that women being in this in­dustry will add more value to the industry and also to the community.

9. When you think of the future of the kind of work you’ve talked about here, what gives you a sense of hope?

I’m hopeful that more women will involve themselves into fitness not only as partici­pants but also as leaders even though it is a male dominant industry.

10. What’s next for you in your work? What are you looking forward to? Advice to the young women out there.

I look forward to continuing and to better the work that I do.

My advice to young women is to be proud of who you are and be influential in what you’re passionate about. Don’t let anyone dictate what you believe in.

Edited by Osea Bola

Feedback: grace.narayan@fijisun.com.fj

As a New Year dawns and we gear up for a (hopefully) happy and productive 2019, what plans have you put in place to get there?

What are you going to do differ­ently at work, to get the most out of your career and professional life and to be the happiest and most effective you that you and can be? What goal-setting have you done?

How was your personal life in 2018?

Was it fulfilled and happy or fraught with difficulties and rela­tionship challenges?

And what are you going to do dif­ferently this year to make sure your home life works in 2019 and is a place of family happiness and health for you?

You may ask why am I talking about your personal life in a busi­ness column?

It’s simple. You can’t separate you, a professional per­son – from you at home and in the village.

We are all one person.

If we are unhappy at home, it af­fects our working career.

If work does not make you happy, it’s impossible for it not to affect you at home.

80 per cent Happiness Across your Whole Life

To really prosper and thrive in all areas of your life, you must be con­tent across all.

If you aren’t happy at work but are at home, then some may argue that you’re only 50 per cent happy.

If you struggle at home but work’s good, then you’re only 50 per cent happy. Obviously, we can’t be hap­py all day every day, because life’s just not like that.

But a goal is to strive for 80 per cent happiness across our life.

Empowerment in the workplace or to reduce workplace stress may be your goals but they need to be specific to achieve them.

Happiness at Work

Satisfaction at work means differ­ent things to different people, but common themes people tell me are:

• They enjoy their work
• They enjoy the people with whom they work
• They enjoy working for their leader
• They find the work stimulating and different
• They like that they don’t do a re petitive job
• They appreciate being told they are doing a good job
• They feel part of something big ger than themselves

People leave their direct manager, not the Organisation

Research tells us repeatedly that people don’t leave a company if they like it.

They walk out the door because of their Manager who does not sup­port them, micro-manages, don’t support or grow them, is rude to them and ‘makes their life hell.’

• Employees:

It’s a New Year and if you’ve been struggling with a less than great boss for a while, either raise your concerns or change jobs.

Get out.

It’s not worth being unhappy and struggling day in and day out with an incompetent boss.

Your health is more important than anything.

Find a new boss who is more de­serving of you.

• Leaders:

If you are the difficult boss, would you know it?

Do you reflect enough to think about how you treat your staff and most importantly, do something about it?

Some may, most don’t.

If your team is not performing well, and did not for most of last year, what goals do you have to change this?

If you don’t have any, let’s create them now

• Organisations:

What new ways of working do you want within your ranks?

How will you improve the culture in your company and what plans and strategies can you implement to change the way things are now?

Why Goals are important in your life

There has been much research about goals, why they are impor­tant and how they impact our lives.

According to the Peak Perfor­mance Centre, goals:

• Provide direction, giving us a way forward and a firm destina tion
• Give us a clear focus on what’s important to us
• Provide us with clarity in the decisions we make
• Give us control over our future
• Provide us with motivation to achieve something important to us
• Give us personal satisfaction when we achieve things we dream of doing
• Provide us with a sense of pur pose in our life

What about you?

What goals do you want to achieve this year?

Personal Life

What is working well?

Where is our greatest difficulty at home or personal life?

How long has it been this way?

What have you tried to change it? What has worked and what has not?

• What goals do you have to im prove the situation?
• When and how will you do that?

Professional Life

What is working well?

What is the one thing you would like to improve at work?

Have you tried to resolve or im­prove it before and if so, how?

• What goals do you have to im prove the situation? Write them down
• When and how will you do that?

Balance – Four parts of our lives where we need balance and happi­ness to live a great life

To live well, we need to look after all aspects of our lives, of which there are four, according to author Steven Covey.

Look at Table 1, above and score yourself out of 10 (highest) for each.

• Once completed, decide which are your two lowest scores?
• What action plans will you put in place to improve them in 2019?

Goals without firm action plans are just Dreams

You can have all the thoughts and dreams you want in your business and in your career.

You can talk about them to others and even describe what you are go­ing to do in detail. The fact is that unless you ACT on the things you want in life, it’s just talk. Ideas. Thoughts. Nothing more.

SMART Goals – The Formula

Note the goals above follow the SMART Formula – smart, measur­able, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Do more research on the internet about them.

Look forward to a prosperous year, wonderful career and great life

Life is what you make of it. When challenges arise, be creating in finding solutions.

If one way doesn’t work, try an­other. There is no point in rolling over. Keep moving forward.

You have much to live for in your career, your business, your life. Make 2019 the best year ever.

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj

A first-place finish for Team Fiji at Ju­ly’s Samoa Pacific Games is unlikely, a top official says, although that will be the goal.

Fiji has recorded a fourth-place finish in the three Pacific Games since 2007, last winning it in 1963. This year’s Games will be held on July 7-20.

Lorraine Mar, Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) secretary general/chief executive officer, be­lieves the nation’s athletes need more support before a serious challenge to dominate region­al sports can be mounted.

While FASANOC is working towards im­proving Fiji’s performance on the regional and global stage, Mar says financial limita­tions and the lack of top competition make it a difficult task.

“We appreciate that we can’t expect over­night results,” Mar said.

“I am quite confident that in 2023 we should be in a good position to be optimistic about an excellent performance at the Pacific Games to be hosted by the Solomon Islands.”

Team Fiji will be led by Patrick Bower, who was also Chef de Mission of the Fijian con­tingent to the Gold Coast, Australia Common­wealth Games last year.

In terms of funding, Mar expressed disap­pointment at some national federations for putting the onus of raising money on their athletes.

“It’s the federation’s responsibility to raise their share of the money and ensure the best athletes go to the Games,” she said

FASANOC’s head talks about Fiji’s chances at the upcoming Pacific Games, the number of athletes going, the venue change and the money involved in preparation and participa­tion:

SUN: What are our goals in Samoa?

Mar: It will be a challenge to achieve the number 1 position in Samoa this year, but op­timistically this is our hope.

Realistically, we would like to finish in the top 3 in medal rankings.

Fiji hasn’t done very well in the past Games. We have been 2nd, 3rd and 4th since topping the medal tally at the inaugural South Pacific Games in 1963.

In 1991, we were actually fifth.

We have also been 4th in the last three out­ings from 2007-2015.

In 2016, while putting our 2017-2021 Strategic Plan together, FASANOC decided that it was time to address this downward trend.

In addition to the Strategic Plan we also es­tablished a “Resurgence Agenda.”

We assessed our National Federations with a programme called the Readiness Assessment Tool (RAT).

The Tool is a series of questions which gaug­es where a National Federation stands at any given point in time in terms of its develop­ment.

The RAT identifies gaps or shortfalls and suggests solutions that will help move the Na­tional Federation forward.

As part of our planning process, all our Na­tional Federations were required to do the RAT.

The results of the RAT gave FASANOC an indication of how it could help the National Federations.

A common thread through them all was the need to build the capacity of those who man­aged and administered the National Federa­tions.

We believed that if FASANOC could bring about consistency in the delivery of sport, across all the National Federations, there would be improvement in the implementation of programmes delivered to athletes, which would ultimately lead to better performances.

This was a challenge with our limited finan­cial resources and lack of appropriate exper­tise.

Fortunately, the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC), the continental arm of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which FASANOC is a member of, had already seen sports education as a real need within our region.

This was after conducting its own assess­ments and research of its 17 member National Olympic Committees.

ONOC subsequently established the Oce­ania Sports Education Programme (OSEP), in which they invested considerable funding and OSEP is now quite well-established within the region.

Fiji, I’m proud to say, is one of the leading NOCs within the region in terms of having fully adopted the programme and have been delivering it to our sports federations since 2016.

There are courses not only for sport execu­tives and administrators, but also for coaches and team officials.

The beauty of OSEP is that it is training developed by sports people specifically for sports people.

We do see a challenge with FASANOC hav­ing its own gap in regards to an effective mon­itoring and evaluation mechanism.

We can run all these courses but how do we monitor and evaluate the impact of these courses?

This is currently being addressed but I guess our performance in 2019 will tell a story!

As long as we have appropriate processes in place, including long term planning, we be­lieve that our investment into training will not go to waste.

SUN: Do you think we have the means to dominate the regional sporting space and what more is required to achieve that?

Mar: We have the means and certainly the sporting talent but we could do with a lot more support.

The top two in the region are generally New Caledonia and Tahiti.

Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Samoa fight for places behind the top two. When PNG hosted the Games in 2015, its Government invested millions, not only on infrastructure but also into preparing its team.

We need the financial support to produce the goods.

A classic example is Team Fiji’s 7s rugby gold medal win in Rio.

That team had what no other team or athlete in Fiji had – the best coach and the most re­sources.

Another reason they were able to maintain such a high competitive level was because they were exposed to regular international competition.

Although it might still have been a struggle for them compared to some of their opposi­tion, they did have the financial support that others did not.

We lack the financial resources, the physical infrastructure and our athletes don’t get regu­lar competition at the highest level.

For our athletes, if they are based in Fiji, it is very difficult for them to improve because they need to be out there getting high level competition and getting used to competing in venues that are international standard.

SUN: How much funding have you allocated for the team and what is the distribution criteria?

Mar: The majority of team preparation money is actually coming from Government, directly to the National Federations.

What used to happen is that FASANOC would put in the budgets to the Fiji National Sports Commission (FNSC) for team prepara­tion and for team participation and the fund­ing would be managed by FASANOC.

For 2019 there has been a change and the FNSC is channelling the team preparation funds directly to the National Federations.

When we submitted our budget to the FNSC, we had provided information on the number of medals at stake and what we thought was the potential of the sport to win medals.

From the FNSC’s point of view, funding is very much based on medal potential because the Government wants that return on invest­ment.

It makes it hard for smaller sports. The big­ger sports that have produced the results get the bigger share of the money.

The smaller sports are stuck in a never-end­ing cycle because how will they get to improve unless they get more funding? When the fund­ing becomes available is also a factor that af­fects performance.

Federations wouldn’t start preparing their teams just now, when the Games are six months out.

They would have – or should have – started their preparations two years or three year be­fore, in fact immediately after the last Games.

Unfortunately the preparation money is not available that far back.

We are not quite sure of the allocations to in­dividual National Federations.

FASANOC itself needs to be strategic about the limited funding it may have that could sup­plement the FNSC grants.

In terms of participation, we understand that $800,000 has been allocated for Team Fiji to Sa­moa.

Our team to Samoa is currently comprised of 512 athletes and officials, mainly because there are so many team sports on the programme.

To get them all to Samoa is going to be a mam­moth task.

We will be using a hotbedding format – so if you are competing in the first week, you go to Samoa in the first week and come back imme­diately after competition.

The next wave then takes the beds of those who have left.

There will be chartered flights that will carry the contingents to and from Samoa in waves, depending on competitions being held in the first or second week of the Games.

As you can imagine, this cost will be pretty substantial.

Traditionally Team Fiji’s participation costs have been funded by a three-way split between Government, National Federations and FASA­NOC.

The National Federations’ share is what is known as the team levy and it’s unfortunate that some of our National Federations put the onus of raising their one third share on the athletes.

For these particular Games, the team levy has been set at $1500 per person and while we accept that a portion of the levy could be passed on to the athlete, it really is the Na­tional Federations’ responsibility to raise that money.

Off the top of my head, it will cost around $2.5 million to send this team to Samoa.

The $800,000 by Government supplements this budget and we are grateful for the support.

Private sector funding is also critical. We have launched a national lottery on behalf of the National Federations to help them raise their share.

In conjunction with that, we are running what is called the Team Fiji Champions Pro­gramme, where the corporate community can pay $3000 and in return they receive 100 lottery books.

This is ideal for smaller businesses in partic­ular who may find it easier to contribute $3,000 than, say, $50,000.

The FASANOC lottery, is a perfect engage­ment for not only corporate citizens but also for the community at large because the ticket is only $2 each for a chance to win a Toyota Hi­lux.

Tickets are available from Fiji Olympic House.

SUN: What are your views on the change of venue for athletes in Samoa?

Mar: The accommodation was originally to be in hotels but this has changed to the Games Village being in a school complex.

Obviously, if the teams had been housed in hotels then they would have been a lot more comfortable.

In the past though, a school complex as the Games Village has been the norm.

Very few of the Pacific Games host countries have been able to house athletes in hotels.

Even in Fiji in 2003, the Games Village was a combination of USP and schools within the vicinity of the main sports venues.

Papua New Guinea built a new games village and athletes were able to stay in apartment-type accommodation but still shared bathing and toilet facilities.

The school venue in Samoa definitely may not be as comfortable but it’s our responsibil­ity, aside from what the organising commit­tee can best provide, to see what we can do to make our athletes more comfortable.

SUN: There is a lot of emphasis being put on Fiji’s team culture. Why do you think this is important?

Mar: Although past Team Fiji have had a team culture, it hasn’t been consistent through the years.

We think it’s important that there’s a culture that everyone in the team can relate to and be guided by and that is consistent for every Team Fiji.

The athletes and officials are not only going to compete.

They are travelling as ambassadors of their families, friends, supporters and their country.

Team culture also unites the team and hope­fully imbeds values that produces sportsman­ship and ultimately better citizens of the coun­try.

SUN: What has been some of FASANOC’s challenges in the lead up to the games?

Mar: The financial limitations are huge. An­other challenge – and partly perhaps FASA­NOC needs to take some responsibility over – is our National Federations need to plan for the longer term.

In many cases they don’t plan well enough in advance.

When we went through the process of seek­ing team official nominations last year, a num­ber of sports were not in a position to nomi­nate team officials within the required time frame.

International Olympic Committee research has shown that to prepare an athlete to com­pete at the Olympic Games, the athlete need to have done at least 10,000 hours of training, which is equivalent to 8 years of high level training.

Some people might say the Pacific Games is not the same level, but that’s not the point. You want to perform as well at the Pacific Games as you would at any other Games.

If Team Fiji is to do well then this is the kind of attitude that needs to be part of the team culture we want to promote and that needs to be consistent throughout an athlete’s pathway.

SUN: What are FASANOC’s expectations for national federations in terms of athlete qualification and following procedure?

Mar: Obviously we go to every Games with high expectations – as are the expectations of us.

We are very mindful that a lot of money is going into the team when they represent Fiji and the people who provide that money, expect a return on investment.

Government’s investment is substantial; in turn though, it is Fiji that we are not only rep­resenting but promoting when we are at the Games.

This is linked to why the team culture is so important.

How you behave as an ambassador of Fiji is reflective of the country as well.

In terms of qualification, FASANOC has a process where National Federations, as the experts on their sport, establish their selec­tion criteria and submit it to FASANOC for approval.

That criteria is vetted by a commission called the Selection Justification Commission.

Once it’s approved, then our expectation is that athletes are selected according to the cri­teria.

In an effort to lift the standard of our perfor­mances, FASANOC has also set minimum ge­neric criteria which we expect to be included.

However, the National Federations as the experts set whatever standards they feel is ap­propriate in relation to their sport.

Once approved, we feel that as long the se­lection criteria is followed, the best athletes should be selected.

Therefore the ability to pay a team levy, for example, is not taken into consideration.

In terms of ensuring the best athletes are se­lected, there is also a process for the Selection Justification Commission to vet the final team lists submitted by National Federations.

The Selection Justification Commission vets the team lists against the selection criteria.

There is also an appeal process.

Athletes who were in the training squad but did not make the final team have 48 hours to appeal their non-selection. Their appeals have to be made in writing and they have to show why they should have been selected over some­one else. We then convene an Appeals Tribu­nal and there’s a hearing before a decision is made.

We think that this is a fair process, which ensures that the best athletes are selected to represent Fiji.

SUN: What is your message to athletes and officials?

Mar: As a former athlete I know what it means to represent the country and the sacrifices that have to be made.

It’s a huge responsibility. I think it is impor­tant that athletes appreciate that they have this responsibility; and that when they put on that Team Fiji uniform, they are committed to doing their best as an athlete and an ambas­sador.

We are now six months out from the Games. We’re past the festive period and it’s time to buckle down to this critical stage of prepara­tion.

For the National Federations, we hope they will fully support not only their athletes but the team officials they nominated as leaders, in the same way that FASANOC will support its Headquarters Team.

On behalf of the Executive Board of FASA­NOC, I wish the Chef de Mission, Patrick Bow­er and his Headquarters Team, the National Federations, athletes and officials all the best.

I look forward to supporting them in Samoa.

At the end of the day it’s about “inspiring the people of Fiji through sports excel.

-Edited by Osea Bola

Feedback: leonec@fijisun.com.fj

The Suva Football Association is in danger of losing several of their top players to other districts this month.

Suva FA this week appointed former de­fender Intiaz Khan as head coach, a move that raised a few eyebrows given his unim­pressive coaching record at the top level.

But the former FUTSAL man could take charge of a depleted side at the end of the Fiji Football Association’s January Transfer Window.

Sources have told SUNsports that Suva FA executives are caught in an off-the-field fight to retain their top players.

Arch rivals Rewa Football is said to be among the top suitors, although Ba and Nas­inu have also shown interest in certain play­ers.

In this column, SUNsports looks at all the latest news and gossip on players’ movement.

SIMIONE TAMANISAU: Suva to Rewa

The veteran goalkeeper continues to be a must-have for districts looking for stability and seniority in defence – even at 36-years of age.

The Delta Tigers are desperately after the services of one of their favourite sons.

Tamanisau has captained Rewa to some of their most memorable victories in the past and is apparently keen on the move.

He sees it as a much better way to end his illustrious football career and perhaps take up coaching after retirement.

However, there could be some complications regarding the transfer, since Tamanaisau is a member of the Fiji Police side that plays in Suva’s Local League competition.

Rewa, who is also in the hunt for a new coach, has big plans for the new season.

The Southerners ended last season’s Voda­fone Premier League competition in 6th place, 18 points behind leaders Lautoka.

Aside from the Fiji FACT win, the team gave their die-hard fans little to celebrate last sea­son.

The Rewa executives are supposedly ready to do whatever it takes to get the team com­peting at the top again, and Tamanisau could prove to be an important signing.

MADHWAN GOUNDER: Suva to Rewa

The midfielder is said to be returning to Rewa after a year with Suva.

Gounder, a Rakiraki native, got his big break with Suva in 2014 after impressive dis­plays with Tailevu/Naitasiri in the Premier Division.

He later joined Rewa and returned to Suva in January, last year.

Rewa are keen on adding the hardworking midfielder- who has a knack for delivering killer passes that have resulted in crucial goals- to their squad.

The problem? Gounder is a special consta­ble and plays for the Police team in Suva’s Local League competition – just like Tamani­sau.

TEVITA WARANIVALU: Suva to Rewa

Southern giants Suva and Rewa have played some fiery matches in the past.

The intense rivalry dates back decades and originates from passionate fans and players who hate losing to each other.

This off-field transfer battle is no different from the on-field encounters of the past and will likely go to the wire.

Rewa officials are also keen on enterprising forward Waranivalu, who Suva signed from them last year to bolster their attack.

But again, Waranivalu is also a member of the Police team, so the transfer is far from being confirmed.

BRUCE HUGHES: Suva to Rewa

Surprise, Surprise! Rewa are said to be keen on yet another Suva player.

Hughes was an important member of the Suva team last season, helping them reach the Inter-district Championship and Battle of the Giants finals.

The speedy striker, who also enjoys physi­cal battles with opposition defenders, is said to be the perfect fit for Rewa’s attacking plans this season.

Keep a close eye on this one.

LAISENIA RAURA: Suva to Ba

The reliable defender is said to be seeking a return to his former district.

He joined Suva in October last year along with fellow Ba man Meli Codro.

Raura was a strong physical presence in Suva’s defence during the IDC but is said to be disillusioned with life in the capital city.

He is also keen on playing for Ba at next month’s OFC Champions League, the re­gion’s top competition.

More transfer news to follow tomorrow.

-Edited by Leone Cabenatuba

Feedback: sheldon.chanel@fijisun.com.fj

As a New Year dawns and we gear up for a (hopefully) happy and productive 2019, what plans have you put in place to get there?

What are you going to do differ­ently at work, to get the most out of your career and professional life and to be the happiest and most effective you that you and can be? What goal-setting have you done?

How was your personal life in 2018?

Was it fulfilled and happy or fraught with difficulties and rela­tionship challenges?

And what are you going to do dif­ferently this year to make sure your home life works in 2019 and is a place of family happiness and health for you?

You may ask why am I talking about your personal life in a busi­ness column?

It’s simple. You can’t

separate you, a professional per­son – from you at home and in the village.

We are all one person.

If we are unhappy at home, it af­fects our working career.

If work does not make you happy, it’s impossible for it not to affect you at home.

80 per cent Happiness Across your Whole Life

To really prosper and thrive in all areas of your life, you must be con­tent across all.

If you aren’t happy at work but are at home, then some may argue that you’re only 50 per cent happy.

If you struggle at home but work’s good, then you’re only 50 per cent happy. Obviously, we can’t be hap­py all day every day, because life’s just not like that.

But a goal is to strive for 80 per cent happiness across our life.

Empowerment in the workplace or to reduce workplace stress may be your goals but they need to be specific to achieve them.

Happiness at Work

Satisfaction at work means differ­ent things to different people, but common themes people tell me are:

• They enjoy their work
• They enjoy the people with whom they work
• They enjoy working for their leader
• They find the work stimulating and different
• They like that they don’t do a re petitive job
• They appreciate being told they are doing a good job
• They feel part of something big ger than themselves

People leave their direct manager, not the Organisation

Research tells us repeatedly that people don’t leave a company if they like it.

They walk out the door because of their Manager who does not sup­port them, micro-manages, don’t support or grow them, is rude to them and ‘makes their life hell.’

• Employees:

It’s a New Year and if you’ve been struggling with a less than great boss for a while, either raise your concerns or change jobs.

Get out.

It’s not worth being unhappy and struggling day in and day out with an incompetent boss.

Your health is more important than anything.

Find a new boss who is more de­serving of you.

• Leaders:

If you are the difficult boss, would you know it?

Do you reflect enough to think about how you treat your staff and most importantly, do something about it?

Some may, most don’t.

If your team is not performing well, and did not for most of last year, what goals do you have to change this?

If you don’t have any, let’s create them now

• Organisations:

What new ways of working do you want within your ranks?

How will you improve the culture in your company and what plans and strategies can you implement to change the way things are now?

Why Goals are important in your life

There has been much research about goals, why they are impor­tant and how they impact our lives.

According to the Peak Perfor­mance Centre, goals:

• Provide direction, giving us a way forward and a firm destina tion
• Give us a clear focus on what’s important to us
• Provide us with clarity in the decisions we make
• Give us control over our future
• Provide us with motivation to achieve something important to us
• Give us personal satisfaction when we achieve things we dream of doing
• Provide us with a sense of pur pose in our life

What about you?

What goals do you want to achieve this year?

Personal Life

What is working well?

Where is our greatest difficulty at home or personal life?

How long has it been this way?

What have you tried to change it? What has worked and what has not?

• What goals do you have to im prove the situation?
• When and how will you do that?

Professional Life

What is working well?

What is the one thing you would like to improve at work?

Have you tried to resolve or im­prove it before and if so, how?

• What goals do you have to im prove the situation? Write them down
• When and how will you do that?

Balance – Four parts of our lives where we need balance and happi­ness to live a great life

To live well, we need to look after all aspects of our lives, of which there are four, according to author Steven Covey.

Look at Table 1, above and score yourself out of 10 (highest) for each.

• Once completed, decide which are your two lowest scores?
• What action plans will you put in place to improve them in 2019?

Goals without firm action plans are just Dreams

You can have all the thoughts and dreams you want in your business and in your career.

You can talk about them to others and even describe what you are go­ing to do in detail. The fact is that unless you ACT on the things you want in life, it’s just talk. Ideas. Thoughts. Nothing more.

SMART Goals – The Formula

Note the goals above follow the SMART Formula – smart, measur­able, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Do more research on the internet about them?

Look forward to a prosperous year, wonderful career and great life

Life is what you make of it. When challenges arise, be creating in finding solutions.

If one way doesn’t work, try an­other. There is no point in rolling over. Keep moving forward.

You have much to live for in your career, your business, your life. Make 2019 the best year ever.

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj

The smooth execution of a tenancy largely depends on the tone and mood prevail­ing amongst the parties, i.e. the landlord and tenant and their ne­gotiations from the start.

It is often noted that both parties fail to take this opportunity seri­ously and at times act in haste out of desperation or apathy to enter into a tenancy on unconfirmed or uncertain terms.

During the negotiation stage, the focus of the landlord and tenant’s discussion should be directed mainly towards the following:

• the rental amount to be paid;
• duration of tenancy;
• due dates and mode of rent payments;
• dos and don’ts in the tenancy;
• termination clause;
• rights and liabilities;
• remedial provisions -etc

Some issues are often overlooked during negotiation stage; a risk that can potentially become the cause of friction or discontent later on.

These may include:

• allowable number of visitors;
• keeping pets in the premises;
• Apportioning bills in a shar­ing arrangement.

Taking such factors into consid­eration, it is important for both parties to treat the initial nego­tiation very seriously and accord sufficient time and attention to the process to avoid any possible causes of regrets later.

To summarise the process of starting a tenancy, it is recom­mended to follow the steps listed in the order as follows-

1. Advertising of the property for rent;
2. Connecting the parties;

III. Inspection of the property and making a condition report;

1. Mutual agreement to engage;
2. Negotiation on the terms and conditions of the tenancy;
3. Documentation and registra­tion of the agreement;

VII. Payment of advance payable fees, bonds, deposits and other charges;

VIII. Handover of key(s) and moving in.

The Fijian Competition and Con­sumer Commission (FCCC), based on its rent control and consumer protection mandate under the Fi­jian Competition and Consumer Commission Act 2010 (FCCC Act 2010), has been inundated with complaints from tenants and landlords which reflect the very facts highlighted above.

For instance, if a tenant en­counters difficulty and is unable to pay rent on the date stated in the agreement, the landlord tends to become frustrated to the point that he starts to create discomfort for the tenant.

The landlord may indulge in ac­tions such as disconnecting utili­ties and exerting pressure on the tenant to enforce vacation of the property.

Such actions are unacceptable especially when both are entitled by law to terminate a tenancy by way of written notice from the terminator to the other party dur­ing instances of breach of agree­ment or the parties not being on good terms with one another. Since such factors are not clearly spelt out in the tenancy agree­ment, remedial actions are often pursued based on erroneous in­terpretations and understanding of the law.

Advice before acceptance

The FCCC wishes to remind land­lords and tenants on the advices already disseminated in the past, to seek expert advice before com­mitting to an agreement or deal, should any uncertainty arise.

Such advice can be technical, le­gal or basic administration in na­ture that a landlord or tenant rely upon to make informed decisions.

The FCCC has come across in­stances where tenants get en­tangled with landlords and their agents due to lack of knowledge on their rights and liabilities in a tenancy.

In such circumstances, tenants suffer financial loss and frustra­tion that often deprives them from their quiet enjoyment of the property according to law.

On the other hand, some land­lords have encountered challeng­ing situation against their ten­ants due to inadequate terms and conditions in the tenancy agree­ments that stipulated remedies of breaches and defaults.

This can only be resolved if the parties had taken the time to seek expert advices before docu­menting and signing the tenancy agreement.

Whilst renting would continue to be an ongoing business in Fiji, it is important for landlords and tenants to get professional advice prior to drafting and finalising a tenancy agreement.

It is equally important for both to have a basic understanding of the property contract including their rights and responsibilities and remedies contained therein.

Negotiate before you Pay

A payment in a tenancy agree­ment should only be done after the signing and sealing process, including registration being com­pleted.

If payments are done prior to the finalisation of the agreement, both parties are exposed to risks that can become a cause of regret later on.

From a tenants’ perspective, pay­ment of bond and advance rent should only be made after the agreement has been signed, the condition of the property meets the expectation and bills are clear.

On the other hand, the landlord should only accept payment from a tenant, after the agreement is finalised, properly sealed and reg­istered.

Furthermore, the landlord must ensure that the tenant under­stands clearly the terms and con­ditions of the agreement.

Any uncertainty or doubt should be cleared before any payment is made or accepted and receipted accordingly thereafter.

Importance of documentation

The parties to a tenancy must always remember that whatever communication transpired dur­ing the negotiation can only be believed or capable to be believed if captured in writing.

All future undertakings agreed to at the start is of no value if not properly documented and signed.

Otherwise, it becomes hearsay information that lacks the stand­ard of evidentiary validity.

Photos and other modes of cap­turing a moment is also very handy as writing may not de­scribe it adequately and to the point.

‘Sticky’ issues such as the state of the property including the bills should be documented to for fu­ture comparison purpose.

To ensure transparency of the documentation process, both par­ties must be provided a copy each to keep, as reference.

Any amendments or deletions to be made thereafter must be re­flected on both copies kept.

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj

A 55-year-old woman passed away yesterday after she was involved in a road accident.

Police confirmed she was travelling in a vehicle on Fletcher Road when the driver allegedly failed to negotiate a bend and as a result the vehicle veered off the road and landed in the drain.

The deceased  is from Namara, Salima, Kadavu.

Fresh complaints involve a group of women in Taveuni promising villagers of jobs overseas, in return for money.

More alleged cases of groups deceiving people for mon­ey and promising secured jobs overseas has put the Fiji Po­lice Force on alert.

Chief Intelligence and Investiga­tion, Acting Commissioner of Po­lice (ACP) Vakacegu Toduadua, has warned that suspects caught in the act would face the law.

His warning is in response to a complaint lodged in Taveuni about the matter concerning a suspected group.

“A number of villages from Tave­uni have lodged their complaints against the group and we will inves­tigate this matter thoroughly,” ACP Toduadua said.

“This is something serious and we will not take this lightly. I advise the people of Fiji not to get influ­enced easily by these people.”

The illegal actions of the group in Taveuni surfaced after Save Gasai­wai, who lives in the United States, had visited his Waitabu Village and attended the meeting between the suspected group of women and the villagers last month.

As the Gasaiwai family continu­ously bombarded the suspects with various questions, the group were speechless and left abruptly. They have not visited the village or called back since then.

“We have received a lot of com­plaints in regards to this group who have been duping people and prom­ising them work visa. The Ministry of Labour has lodged complaints with us. We have interviewed the person alleged in this case and has been released,” ACP Toduadua said.

“We have done our investigation and have forward the files to the Of­fice of the Director of Public Pros­ecutions.

“They knew that their operation was detected in Viti Levu and that is why they have gone to Vanua Levu.”

There was one prosecution made against a woman of Naselai Vil­lage, Nausori, who was found guilty of recruiting workers without any authorisation as per Section 37 (4) and (5) of the Employment Rela­tions Act 2007 in September 2018. She was fined $3000.

However, it is alleged that she con­tinues to deceive people today.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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