Mataeliga Pio Sioa
There is a widely held understanding that the average Samoan vote on personalities rather than issues.
Many of the veteran Parliamentarians hold firmly to that belief too. If that is so then is that good or not for Samoa?
What better time to give the notion a juggle than now as we head into our general elections in a few months time?
We have been steering our own boat close to 60 years and have come through some rough patches but we are still here…alive and kicking.
We carry our scars and bruises to show for our passage of travel but we are all in one piece.
Maybe the issue is not so much the character of our leaders but of who we are as a people and how we influence our leadership.
We admire an orator gifted in oratory. As long as the sound is sweet to the ears Samoa is paradise.
Who cares if the orator cannot lead a bunch of old people across the road safely!
If we enjoy so much the syrupy rhetoric of the orator why not ban the cars.
Our old folks can walk across the road without having to worry about being run over.
There you go – a simple example of character choice over issues.
Granted the example maybe a little oversimplified but should we wait until a tottering old person is run over to decide what is good or bad with our choices?
Issues are about knowing what safety precautions to take for the old people to cross the road safely.
Character is the choice of trusting a sugar-mouthed orator to lead our old folks safely across the road, without any idea of road safety issues.
If we decide to ban all cars on the road so the orator and our old folks can cross safely is that good enough?
What if you want to emergency rush an old person to the hospital and there are no cars around?
Of course there are horses we can saddle up if we are desperate. Why not!
At least we have a choice of option to look at if we want to raise it as an issue.
What if oratory is not the only gift for our beloved orator? How about an understanding of road safety for the orator to win our trust and lead our old folks safely across the road?
Bingo!
Character and understanding of issues all rolled into one. Thank you Lord!
Are there are any of these people around for us to vote in at our upcoming general elections, please Lord?
Please point them out for us. We need them badly.
We have to sort out our controversial Lands and Titles Court constitutional amendments. It has already cost us our Deputy PM who walked off in a huff in protest at the proposed changes.
We shut our borders to hide from the coronavirus pandemic. We are safe but it’s turned into a juggle between saving lives by being virus free and saving our economy from crashing.
This is a major major concern for us in the coming years. We are getting a lot of talk about changing to a new ‘normal’ way of life if this pandemic continues.
But some things are easier said than done.
Government critics have banged on the warning drums whenever they can about a Chinese takeover of our debt-ridden Samoa.
We really have to shut down this incessant badgering by addressing it as a legitimate worry if we want peace of mind for a change.
If we find the critics are simply craving public attention for their own personal agendas, political or otherwise, then we need to know.
Maybe they deserve to be sent to an isolated locality to cool down. An uphill location in the middle of the island would be ideal with cooler temperature readings.
There are a lot of infrastructural developments we also have to look at.
We have been talking about moving our main port to Vaiusu Bay. So far it is still talk.
Our national carrier is having a tough time making people want to fly to Savaii. At the rate they are going they could end up the Polynesian Airlines way.
Our Tiavea Airport is under construction. If that helps then we have at least something for our national carrier to cheer at.
Our priority list of things to do is long and not easy to achieve. At the end of the day it falls on us the people/voters to choose wisely who we should trust to do the work on our behalf.
Should we trust a sweet talking orator to walk us safely across the road?
How about a sweet talking orator who can organise for us to walk safely across on our own accord?
Keep the faith.
The Lord hears our every plea even on His day of rest.
