Inmates from the Suva Corrections Centre during the civic education workshop.


Inmates attending a workshop in Suva got some hard and straight talking from the Director of Corporate Services, Mr Peniasi Kunatuba.

Mr Kunatuba said despite the Yellow Ribbon Project the perception of the public towards ex-offenders was still largely negative.

He was opening a three-day workshop on Empowerment towards good citizenry by Transparency International.

“Only you and I can shut their mouth by demonstrating that you have changed,” Mr Kunatuba admonished. “Only two years ago I was wearing that uniform.

“Sa kua mada na vakaoti gauna tiko. Sa kua mada na vakateratera tiko.

“Sa kua mada na mai pori tiko mo nanuma ni o sa tagane. Mo tattoo mo sa nanuma ni o sa tagane.

“Oqo na vanua mo vakaraitaka kina ni o tagane – me veisau na bula. Ya na tagane.”

(Let us stop wasting time. Let us not pretend we are tough – shaving your head bald and you think you are a man; having tattoos on your body and you think you are man. This is the place to show that you a man – to change your life. That’s being a man.)

Mr Kunatuba related his story in that he was also a prisoner but is now employed by the Fiji Corrections Service. He also gave the example of another ex-offender Pita Alifereti who has been taken back by his former employer.

He urged the participants to make full use and to learn well from the workshop to empower them towards improving the life and to become productive members of society.

“If it can happen to me; if it can happen to Alifereti, it can happen to you,” Mr Kunatuba said.

“We can bring all the workshops in here for you, we can bring in all the training to improve your skills, the public will still have certain perception. Only in changed lives that the public can have confidence in the work that we are doing to empower you.”

Over twenty inmates and offenders from Suva, Nasinu and Women’s corrections centres are attending the workshop which ends on Friday. 

www.corrections.org.fj