Mataeliga Pio Sioa
When that internet service provider company decided to set up free WIFI connections for schools in Savaii, the gesture was touching and deeply felt.
Education holds the key to a future we all aspire to as people who want to enjoy the best in life.
Good education translates into benefits at so many levels as individuals, families, churches, country and much more.
Any offer of help at the cost of personal expense is much appreciated as very generous.
Selfless gestures like what this service provider company offered deserves loud applause and a deep gratitude especially from those who benefitted the most.
So it should be.
Sadly, this act of goodwill collapsed on its face when politics emerged as a price tag to go with it.
When the new political party FAST was included as an integral part of the packaged deal it opened up a proverbial can of worms.
It is a big can and some very toxic worms are crawling out of it already. More noxious ones are yet to edge their way out.
Free WIFI for the education of Savaii children on a stand-alone carries a lot of integrity as a sincere act of help.
When FAST was brought into the picture the overpowering despair of manipulative politics shattered whatever integrity or sincerity the offer of help promised.
Why tag in a political party? What would this service provider hope to achieve from aligning its goodwill service with a political party?
If the intention is to promote FAST so they will benefit when the party goes on to win power, that invites corruption.
Where is that going to lead the politics in this country?
If FAST can do it and win why not the HRPP or the Tautua Samoa?
What if the HRPP gets Vodafone to offer free WIFI to schools in Savaii and Upolu? What if the Tautua Samoa wins over Digicel to do the same?
Again the question is what will become of this country when that happens?
Is there a law that should prevent against this kind of blatant political lobbying by major businesses?
If this service provider can publicly throw their support behind FAST then obviously there is no law against this kind of politicking.
There should be one.
What we have now is a dangerous political precedent that should be outlawed.
General elections are highly sensitive periods of decision making for the people of Samoa and for any country for that matter.
We have to tread carefully at a time when emotional levels are stretched by political loyalties.
There are serious consequences we have been very fortunate by the strength of our culture and church to avoid so far.
But lets not tempt our rock solid foundation of peace and stability with a blind disregard to win political power at whatever price.
The situation becomes even more rattling when in the House last week the leader of FAST, Laauli Leuatea Polataivao, admonished the Minister of Agriculture, Lopao’o Natanielu, for the lack of any loyalty to the brotherhood of PULE.
The exchange came during the debating of the reason the FAST leader resigned from Parliament and was forced to return in a by-election win.
PULE or PULEONO is the traditional salutations for Savai’i. MP Laauli and the Minister are both elected from Savai’i.
The Minister in the end defended what he believes is right and underlined as well that the brotherhood of PULE does not call for blind loyalty.
What makes this exchange a worry is the playing of this very sensitive card to suggest a move towards creating political division between PULE and TUMUA which is Upolu.
This card should be removed from our general elections deck of cards.
Blind revenge is a big dangerous worm that will come out of the can the Savaii WIFI connection has opened if that is the case.
We have to keep this general elections within safe and secure parameters. Politics are rarely associated with healthy, positive terms like clean or honest.
Most of the time what we always seem to hear is ‘dirty politics.’
Lets not go there folks. Keep it clean and above all safe.
We all want to roll in a clean healthy general elections not wallow in the stink of ‘dirty politics.’
Forgive us Lord for our loud prayers on this Your day of rest. But please steer our general elections away from the path of political hell.