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Cabinet gives date change green light
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Posted date:
May 6, 2011 |
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By Tupuola Terry Tavita
Cabinet – during its meeting yesterday – approved the formulating of a bill to be forwarded to Parliament, shifting the international dateline west of Samoa to the east, bringing our clocks closer to Australasia.
The change is expected to take place by the new year.
“Most probably on the 29 December,” said Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, “with a New Year’s date transition.”
Samoa and American Samoa originally lay west of the International Dateline until July 4, 1892.
“A local trader lobbied successfully for the change as it was convenient for trading ships from Europe and the United States that were servicing Samoa at the time,’ said Tuilaepa.
“But our trading partners have dramatically changed since and today we do a lot more business with New Zealand and Australia, China and Pacific Rim countries such as Singapore.”
“In doing business with New Zealand and Australia we’re losing out on two working days a week. While its Friday here, it’s Saturday in New Zealand and when we’re at church Sunday, they’re already conducting business in Sydney and Brisbane.
“On short-notice trips over to New Zealand and Australia, it’s almost impossible to get a visa to New Zealand or Australia after Tuesday.
“We have done a preliminary review of the planned change and there is no feasible reason why we should continue with the current time situation. Things will be much easier, much more convenient if we move back to sharing the same time zone with Australasia.”
The Prime Minister said the change will also be good for tourism.
“If we move the dateline to between here and American Samoa, you can travel between two time zones in less than an hour. So you can have two birthdays, two weddings and two wedding anniversaries on the same date – on separate days – in less than an hour’s flight across – without leaving the Samoan chain.
“We are looking forward to working with American Samoa on capitalizing on the sort of tourism this change could generate.”
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[...] So Samoa plans to reset its clocks and calendars when it shifts the dateline – probably on Thursday 29 December, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi told his cabinet. [...]