By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
Helplessly crushed up against a locked glass door by a pushing mass of thick bodies is a frightening nightmare for anyone caught up in it.
When those doors cracked and the shards of sharp glasses cut into your body that is life threatening.
The scary part is when the weight of a solid, heaving mass of pushing bodies traps you in a dangerous and easily fatal predicament without any concern or unaware your very life is at risk.
What happened at the EFKS Youth Hall at the start of the working week last Monday was no nightmare it was real.
What we can all be grateful for is no one was killed. People were cut up and injured or fainted but no one died. Amen.
Much has been said already about the ‘whys, whats’ and the ‘ifs’ of what transpired on that Monday morning.
Lets just absorb what we now know from hindsight of the good and the bad and move along.
We have a political standoff that is draining all our reserved patience, hopefully we will still have some left before the year ends.
Joyful hearts are what we should have with us as the year winds down. We do not want to reach that point still consumed by a ‘ready to lash out ‘ rage at the uncertainties of our politics.
Our political instability has farted too much bad air, it is small wonder our untiring Director General of Health and his staff, are not running around pumping fresh air into sick noses, ears and wherever else.
Unfortunately, all this negativity stinking up the place has distracted our attention from appreciating the blessings that have kept us safe so far from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every day now we hear how the pandemic continues to spread in our close island family neighbourhood, especially Fiji.
We feel for them and also for our own people there; moreso our students studying at the University of the South Pacific and other learning institutions.
Our families in New Zealand and Australia are not far from our thoughts also as the pandemic seems to fade in and out.
One day we hear the number of new cases have increased the next it is down. We shudder to hear how the virus is rampant in places like India where it travelled all the way to Fiji.
COVID-19 respects no boundaries even in the most advanced medical systems in the world.
Leading economic powers in America, Europe and Asia with the best health systems in place have not stopped the spread of the pandemic.
Much was said and criticised about our measles epidemic when lives were lost but our dark moment has kept us safe from the pandemic.
When we shut our borders down, it appeared foolhardy and an overreaction at first. But sound health advise, strong Government leadership and the lessons from our measles epidemic made us stood firm and resolute.
This was and remains to be a blessing for us that others soon followed.
Our well off neighbours like New Zealand and Australia whether they would admit to it readily or not agreed with our lead and joined in.
Of course our decision to stay isolated from international travel knocked our economy’s main revenue earner of tourism onto the seat of its pants.
Huge credit to our determination and resilience the industry is not drowning in its tears and wetting its pants at being abandoned.
Young fighting spirits like CEO Suifua Lenata’i and his Samoa Tourism Authority staff are workhorses chomping at the reins everyday to get up and going, under the wise directions of the Tourism Board and Government.
The resilience they have demonstrated is one example of what the pandemic has proven so far about us as a people.
We are not the kind who will roll over and drown in our own misery. No sirrreee! Samoans are tough, resilient buggers.
The Director General of Health Leausa Take Naseri and his stuff showed iron wills when they refused to buckle under the measles tsunami of public condemnation.
With the trusted support of NEOC helping to co-ordinate the border travel lockdown, they have so far kept 200 thousand Samoans in Samoa safe and healthy.
Still they stand unwavering day and night to watch and guard against the deadly virus reaching Samoa with its flaming sword of havoc and destruction to rain heartbreak on us and our loved ones.
Thank you so much.
There is a warm cheer in the guts when talking about people like Leausa Take Naseri, Suifua Lenata’i and all the others like them who are leading us through these hard, anxious times.
You would want to jump up, hug them and follow their lead.
If only the same kick in the guts feeling to stand proud of our leaders is true when names like Tuilaepa, Fiame and La’auli or HRPP and FAST comes up.
Of course Lord it is Sunday but we are only humans you created in your image. Emphasis on IMAGE Heavenly Father.