Not all that glitters is gold.
Only fools rush in.
The above two cliches came to mind as the Loyal Fijain read about the "announcement" that gold had been "discovered" in one of the most beautiful places in Fiji, Wainibuka.
And so Loyal Fijian treated the news that the elders of Nailega district in Wainibuka are meeting to oversee exploration work on their land with some apprehension and trepidation.
While on one hand, the people of Wainibuka are entitled to use their resources for the betterment of their people, past experience with mining companies in Fiji shows that there is much to be wary of.
Gold mining is a high risk industry. The impact on the unspoilt Wainibuka environment , will be tremendous.
5000 acres is a lot of land. And its not only the land whether the excavation and drilling tales place that will be affected.
The crystal clear river will run brown and inevitably traces of poisonous chemicals used in the mining process will make its way into the river.
Loyal Fijian supports the people in their desire to use what they have to life their quality of life.Here at Loyal Fijian HQ, we are not tree hugging environmentalists who enjoy all the comfort and luxury of air conditioning, three cars in the garage, overseas travel etc and expect others not to exploit their natural resources to get some of what we take for granted.
But still, Wainibuka will never be the same.
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