In Parliament also during the week the Vaiaata Prison in Savaii was compared to a school of agriculture.
A Savaii MP boasted of the prisoners growing their own food enough to send some to feed the Tanumalala Prison population.
He said the Vaiaata prisoners are serving time as punishment for their crimes but are going through a proper process of rehabilitation.
What a heartwarming testimony by the Savaii MP! He believes the secret is that the prisoners are well looked after.
As a listener the image that takes shape from the MPs account are of prisoners who wake up in the morning and take off to plant food around the place.
At the end of the day they turn in and are fed well and treated like loved members of the family who have spent all day working hard in the plantation.
Now why isn’t that happening at Tanumalala? If it’s to do with rehabilitation how about sending some of our hardcases over to the big island?
See if the rehabilitative magic of planting taros, yams and taamu all day works to steer them back to the path of law abiding citizens.
C’mon! Give it a try! At least we can say for a change that what is good for Savaii is good for Upolu too!
“….. it’ll only cost a boat ride if it doesn’t work, isn’t that right, dear?