By Tupuola Terry Tavita

There are a few things scarier than the thought of the chief editor of the town daily running this country.     

Going by his continued scoffing of government initiatives, there would be absolutely no development in this country.

There would be no Oceania University of Medicine, no National University of Samoa, no Poly Blue, no SamoaTel-BlueSky, no government buildings, no privatization, no road switch, only rich people will still own cars, no daylight savings..the list goes on.

Now we’re not saying government is beyond criticism. But if you are going to refute something, then at least be constructive about it.

His latest tirade leaves much to be desired.

ALEIPATA WHARF

His criticism of the Aleipta wharf project is nothing short of, well, short-sightedness.

He needs to look at the big picture.

Apia is becoming more and more congested with continued urbanisation. With over crowdedness and few job opportunities available come a myriad of social and economic problems – poverty, crime, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, drug abuse and drunkenness and waywardness. There is also the continued strain on limited public services such as policing, health, education, water and food security. There is a critical need to stem the flow of rural people moving to town by providing them the same opportunities in the village as offered in Apia. There is a need to decentralize development and economic opportunity in the country.

The wharf project at Aleipata is not just about a darn wharf, Sano. It’s creating a catalyst for economic development in the greater Aleipata and Lepa and Lotofaga and parts of the Falealili region.

In fact, there are also plans to rebuild the old wharf at Asau to revive the once-bustling economy in that part of the country.

And it’s not just economics. It’s always advisable for the editor to once in a while, have a look at government’s SES plans. It’s a comprehensive vision that incorporates the devolution of the education system, health services and other public institutions/services.

And if we may Sano, can we ask;

If you don’t want a wharf at Satitoa, then what are your big economic plans for Aleipata? For the country?

Criticism can be so cheap.

The Aleipata wharf project is an investment for the future. One, generations to come will benefit greatly from. It is why government bases its plans and decisions on things like censuses and socio-economic reports. Not on the hollow rants of newspaper editors. 

AGRICULTURE AND REMITTANCES

Since when did promoting agriculture and farming equate to discouraging remittances from overseas?

The message from Agriculture minister Le Mamea Ropati this week was very clear and succinct. People should not depend too much on remitted money but go out and develop the land.

It is the same self-help message government has been singing the last thirty years.

The issue of remittances is closely tied to culture. Sano can rest assured there will always be a remittance lode to Samoa in the foreseeable future. Politicians and newspaper editors have been singing a decline in remittances since the 1960s. It continues to increase every year.

The road switch, the editor continues to loathe, has been a beaming success now two years down the road. Families who never owned a car now have one, or two. Taxi and car rental business have cropped up overnight. There are now gas stations and taxi stands in the districts. People no longer have to call a cab from Apia or come to town to fill their tank.

Sano should get out of his Vaitele office and go out to the villages. To Savaii perhaps. Observe how the switch has changed people’s lives for the better.

Perhaps while out there, it would be nice if he asked people if they want to go back to left-hand driving. To a time when only him and his business mates could afford cars. If he does, then it would be advisable that he stands very far.

Nonetheless, the population today has become more mobile than ever before.

It’s this sort of lateral thinking that preoccupies governments. Not Sano’s linear and populist views aimed at garnering public emotion. His outlook begins and finishes under the banana tree.

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