Mataeliga Pio Sioa
Indeed it is puzzling.
How can one man repeat the same criminal acts he was arrested for earlier while on bail awaiting court hearings?
Why are his criminal activities always to do with illegal guns and drugs? Where does he keep getting them? Why is it always at his home and in the same village that he operates from?
He was arrested twice before and after the police raid last week, it became the third time in a row. Was he not worried that the police may be keeping a secret watch on him or was he beyond caring?
Commissioner Fuavailili is hard pressed for answers because he is stumped. This is an issue outside normal enforcement practice the police are familiar with.
His best response is for new laws to be enacted and a psychiatric evaluation of this particular person.
Is the criminal mind worth a better understanding? The head doctors are better suited to answer that question but our lawmakers and enforcers will welcome the insight.
Heck we would all welcome it. We the innocent public are the targets of these criminal services.
If you want a handgun, rifle or even a machine gun, just ask.
Commissioner Fuiavailili knows from experience that these things go together with illegal drugs.
The Faleula raid last week rounded up smoking pipes, small plastic bags and other items tied to marijuana, meth, cocaine, heroin and other illegal substances.
This association has a fatal twist apparently. People die. From the serious look on Commissioner Fuavailili, it was no idle warning.
Even more frightening is the assertion that the arrested suspect was not operating alone. The signs pointed to an illegal drug ring he was a member of.
Not really a comforting thought. How many other crazies are out there running around with an arsenal of kill power to threaten our peace and safety?
The only reassurance to calm us down is the lack of any reported drugs related killings. Fair enough! But is it always going to stay that way?
The danger of illegal drugs has been with us for about half a century or longer if memory rightly recalls.
The first time we in Samoa became aware was when a yacht sailed into the Apia Harbour and gave a few locals the first taste of a forbidden drug.
It was about the same time a handful of local characters around town were starting to mirror the long hairs and beads of the ‘hippie movement’ sweeping the world from the US.
These are the people held responsible for glamorizing the ‘high’ from taking marijuana to inspire the illegal drug trade into life threatening ‘highs’ of today.
The ominous cloud of illegal drugs has ballooned secretly over the ensuing years. We are in the 20th century and what was a passing ‘hippie’ craze is now illegally managed and organised for huge monetary gains around the globe.
Commissioner Fuiavailili and his men in uniform are doing what every other law enforcement agencies in the world are doing. The innocent, law-abiding citizens must be kept safe and that is their job.
If they believe new or more laws are needed to make the work easier and more effective then our lawmakers should give them that.
But as we the innocent public are the ones most at risk we cannot just sit around. Police officers, lawmakers, doctors and other professionals in the service of the public are there for us.
By the same token we should also be there for them. Whatever you contribute or think it will help the police with their investigations do so by all means.
Yes of course at times we have our reasons from not coming forth. Good or bad as long as your silence or negligence will not come back to haunt you. Guilty conscience can be an infernal devil to live with.
Our lawmakers do need our input as well. If they need reminding lets do that. When they wander off from their jobs it is within our powers to guide them back.
With our general elections in 2021 looming closer, what better time than this election build up period to tell them to jump.
If we do not hear a loud, ‘how high’ then they will certainly find out what we mean by ‘how far’ when they land after polling results are read out.
But that does not necessarily mean they slacked off or cannot bothered. Maybe distracted or misled but our lawmakers are leaders and they are responsible people.
If our top police officer staked years of experience on the claim that illegal guns go hand in hand with illegal drugs and the ultimate outcome is death, the situation is serious.
For our own sake we must also take responsibility for our wellbeing. We cannot sit idle on the excuse that it is ‘their job’ not ours.
We all have to work together as a family, village, church, chiefs and orators and as a Government.
Least we forget, it is ‘Government of the People by the People for the People.’
Thank you Father in Heaven for your blessings on us as we celebrate Father’s Day in Samoa today.
Happy Fathers Day!