By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
What started off as wild campaign promises to win election votes are now being legitimised.
Budget allocations of $200,000 for each of the 51 electoral districts will kick it off once passed in the current session of Parliament – just a formality.
One million tala was offered at the start but it will now roll out in each of the remaining 4 -years left of the FAST political party rule.
The appeal of free money is enticing. Only a silly person will not jump to stand in line with hand extended to collect on the handouts.
From listening to the Parliament budget debate, even the opposition MPs are rushing to line up.
Some have already pocketed their $200k tala cheque for their constituencies.
With everyone happy, case closed?
Go FAST. You beauty! Go! More votes in the 2026 general elections.
Sad! Pathetic! Criminal. These are a few thoughts that jump to mind readily at human weakness that are so easily manipulated and misled.
Nothing is for free. There will always be strings attached and with these handouts they are tangled up everywhere.
These Government signed cheques are our tax money. How can that be free when it came from our hard work and sweat?
This Government of the day is simply recycling the money back supposedly for our benefits – but is that not why we pay taxes in the first place?
The real winners with these handouts are the geniuses behind this cunning manipulation of the masses to win political mileage.
The opposition MPs may disagree all they want but with the constituents watching it is political suicide not to accept.
No other option but play along! Go with the flow. What counts above all else is to be seen to be doing good for the electorate.
When the voting comes around what better way to stand them in good stead?
It is all politics – the art of being seen to compromise without being compromised.
Strange world these politicians love to boast off as divine calling.
We of course the ordinary citizens can only confirm it as truth when we too are given our divine call, which is not to serve but to ascend to join our Lord.
The advantage of looking down from our heavenly vantage point when we get there, is described best in the lyrics of that popular song – ‘I Can See Clearly Now The Rain Is Gone.’
On the ground level where we are, the best that we can see are these handouts done in a headlong rush without proper planning.
The shameful ridicule of ‘where is our million tala’ from the doubting Thomases has to be silenced by the Government.
The disbursement of the funds is only now being organised through the Ministry of Women and Social Development and it is not smooth running.
Things done in a mad rush will always stumble through a lot of unforeseen objects – simple commonsense really.
In this case the complaint is the insertion of political supporters of the ruling party into working committees selected by districts to manage their free money.
Surprisingly, many of the MPs on both sides are also asking for lease of Government land to undertake projects to make use of the handouts.
How come that was not factored in when the campaign drums were being banged on the election trail?
The simple answer is the drumbeaters were only thinking as far ahead as winning votes, which they did.
The million tala feeling is spreading. So inviting.
The punch line is ‘free money’ to do as you please and live happily ever after.
Of course it is fairy tale stuff of the Prince and Princess holding hands while walking into the romantic sunset. Is it?
Not going to happen in our real world people. The villages have already made that sunset walk before and the romance lasted only a few steps.
The sun was nowhere near setting also when the fairy tale ended.
Back in the days of PM Tupuola Efi, a rural development programme was pushed in the villages with similar promises to what we have going now.
Donor funding rather than our taxes were placed with the Samoa Development Bank where it was disbursed according to a 30/70 per cent loan formula.
The village pulenu’u were brought in to manage the projects which were mainly agricultural based – banana plantations, livestock, vegetable gardens, fishing boats…..
The villages were to pay back 30 per cent of the funding and once cleared the 70 per cent balance is written off.
There was a burst of activities at first with the villages excited by the promise and the novelty of the programme.
But the bubble burst after only a short start.
The harsh realities of flooded markets and other conditions both locally and overseas, struck an unrewarding blow against the fruits of hard village labour.
The programme gradually faded never to be heard of again until perhaps now under a new guise.
This time the funding is not coming from any donor partner but from our tax pockets.
Is this going to be second time lucky or are we in for another merry go round that ended when it is not yet sunset?
Will we walk hand in hand with the fruits of our hard labour to live happily ever after?
Fairy tales are feel good stories.
Our free $1m tala handouts have all the makings of another ‘Once Upon A Time’ fairytale.
The only difference this time is we have new storytellers.