Mataeliga Pio Sioa
The University of the South Pacific works for our region. The success is seen and felt all around in so many sectors of social and economic progress in our Blue Pacific.
For the last four decades or so the higher learning institution has made our children smarter.
The USP graduates young educated minds every year, capable enough to shoulder the burdens of developments desperately needed in their respective home countries.
Trained input helps to make life a little better and easier to cope with wherever that maybe in our region of islands.
These same graduates are destined to become future political leaders. When that time comes they are better equipped to pick up where their predecessors left off.
Our newly Attorney General Savalenoa, is the most recent example of the leadership product streaming out of the USP doors.
Savalenoa claims the distinction of the first USP law graduate to sit at the top as Attorney General. Her name, however, is just of one many added to the long list of fellow USP graduates entrusted to head other Government Ministries.
The USP is good for the region. There really should be no argument there.
We all know and benefited from its role already. Major donor partners like Australia and New Zealand are fully convinced as well and contribute willingly to a worthy cause.
We can all sing the praises of the university from sunrise to sunset and there are still more left to sing about the next day and the next.
The religious amongst us will rise in praise and a crescendo of alleluias to celebrate the leadership vision that gave birth to the USP.
YET ….despite all that gushing goodness, why are we hearing the talk about closing it down? Actually it is not the first time the talk has reared and smeared the lofty achievements of the USP.
BUT WHY? The short and simple from all the talk coming out is nothing other than regional politics.
Personal, self-centered, politics.
We are hearing talk about closing the USP down because of alleged political interference inside the Council that governs the University.
People have been named and allegations made that are yet to be made public.
True or not the self-interest of a few people should not be allowed to ruin an achievement that is working well for us as a region.
The USP close down outcry is also heard inside Samoa. What that means is we are equally prone to joining the hysteria the future of the university is being dragged into.
The Minister of Education, Loau Keneti Sio has played the row between Council members as a storm that will come to pass.
Lets hope it will. Seriously. The potential damage of such a closure is too far reaching to contemplate seriously.
Our top academic students are schooled at the university every year on scholarship.
All worries of costs have been removed so they can concentrate fully on their studies and be successful.
Our National University of Samoa caters for mostly local students unable to attain scholarship standards.
The challenge for them and their families is to fork out for their own costs of studies at that level. A distraction really.
Our NUS cannot be compared to the USP on many levels and it is no secret.
So we close down the regional university tomorrow and what happens?
Is the political scheming by a few people, possibly with political motivation, going to fix our problems overnight?
What about the other member countries? Guaranteed whatever setbacks we face they too will feel them and probably worse.
With member countries in chaos and everyone pointing a finger of blame at everyone, where is that going to leave our unity as a region?
What manner of mockery and ridicule awaits our Blue Pacific ideals in the eyes of our global community?
Seeing our Deputy Prime Minister Fiame working with the Minister of Education to help douse the flames of dissent within the member countries is a step in the right direction for Samoa.
PM Tuilaepa has earned the respect of the region with his political durability as a leader.
His leadership is looked upon with deference and does carry a lot of influence with other member countries.
Assigning two of his senior Cabinet Ministers to weather out the storm with all involved in the threat to the future of the USP, fits into our seniority role in the region.
Hopefully when the storm blows over, it will have served to refresh and renew a regional appreciation of the blessings we reap from the role of the university.
As long as we are diligent in our endeavours the Lord will always reward. Keep that thought on this Sunday and lets not bother the Lord about it on His day of rest.
