Recent comments by the current President of the Fiji Retailers Association - Himmat Lodhia - that the military checkpoints are a good thing and should be returned and retained is the height of selfishness.
Lodhia obviously was not thinking about the many thousands of people inconvenienced by the slow progress of traffic at these checkpoints as they make their way to work every morning.
He obviously was not thinking about the negative publicity we were generating by having armed soldiers on the streets.
He obviously was not thinking about what this negative publicity was having, and is continuing to have, on our tourism industry.
He obviously was not thinking about the scores of women drivers who were victims of verbal harassment and sexual taunting every time they happened to pass through a military checkpoint on their own in the middle of the night. One particular checkpoint near Domain (quite close to Bai house) was one of the worst offenders.
He obviously was not thinking about the hundreds of thousands of Fiji citizens who do not want their children exposed to guns and violence and becoming comfortable with the reality of coups.
He obviously was not thinking about the hundreds of thousands of Fiji citizens who were glad to see the absence of military personnnel at checkpoints and who oppose any suggestion of their return.
Lodhia obviously was not thinking about anyone but himself.
He also reportedly stated the people generally feel safer when the military makes its presence felt.
Do they really?
Then why is it that every time a soldier in uniform enters a crowded room in Fiji, he is met with hostile looks and pin drop silence.
Himmat Lodhia is just like every other self-serving coup-supporter who thinks of his pockets first and the greater needs of his countrymen second.
