I think your tactics are all wrong. The history of public protests down beach road in the past has never moved government. The biggest one in the nation's history was in 1981 when the public servants went on a national strike against Tupuola Efi's government. They camped out for weeks. Eventually public opinion turned against them after their hard-nosed leaders refused to compromise. The government still won in the end because many of them were made redundant soon afterwards.

How about you try a new thing by lobbying your local HRPP MP directly? What's the matter? Are you all scared of talking to your local MP to get him to vote against the legislation?

Why is it 'emotional' to lobby your local MP? I would've thought that was what MPs are there for. To represent the views of their constituents. If you're too scared to talk to your local MP than I don't know why you're all complaining about the lack of democracy in the country. There is no law barring you from lobbying your local MP directly. No use complaining about the lack of democracy if you're not prepared to do your bit.

Or is the real reason because most of the "public outrage" over this piece of legislation is only confined to Apia and its surrounds?

Surely the most practical way to defeat this bit of legislation is to lobby enough MPs (even if they're part of the HRPP) to oppose the legislation. The SDUP doesn't have the numbers in parliament. The only way is to persuade the HRPP MPs to rebel against the Prime Minister. It is quite simple. Legislation passes if there are enough numbers of MPs to pass it. Simple as that. Even if they are all aligned to the HRPP, a lot of them are also independents who only jumped onto the HRPP bandwagon after the election.

Anyway, it is just a helpful suggestion. Its only fair to help out the likes of my friend GC before the HRPP tanks roll over the top of the LHD people in the new year.

Having observed the Mulinuu political culture in the recent past, MP’s are more loyal to the party than to their constituents. That’s the simple truth! For one thing, the Samoan electorate vote mostly on personality and other traditional and familial factors, rather than on issues. For another, the MP’s have been bribed (for the lack of a better word) by the party (HRPP?..hehe) with creative, convenient and manipulative incentives. In fact the general populace has even been bought into this whole patronage and spoil system perpetrated by HRPP in the past several years. The most recent one is the creation of Associate Minister posts which seems a subtle political ploy to perpetuate party loyalty. To echo a contemporary political cliche: “It’s the PARTEE, stupid!”.....

I still remember the schemes of most MP’s who remain absent from their electoral districts for the duration of their 4-5 year terms (they become Apia dwellers) until a month before the elections.

We need an NGO to educate Samoans on issues and democracy in general. In fact I think Samoa is small enough, hence ideal for direct democracy rather than representative.

You and your debating partner GC have certainly been stimulating in your running discussions of the RHD issue, so I'm not going to try and ride on your thunder. But I'm sure your/our readers will be more than interested to learn of the reaction from the Samoan community in NZ on the issue.
Much of the Government's argument about cheap RHD cars, revolve around families in Australia and New Zealand providing for their rellies in Samoa. So far the NZ/Aust. community views have been conspicuously silent. We in Samoa have heard no collective voice so far from you guys.
You once rejected the opinion poll on Samoalivenews as a legitimate window for NZ/Aust. opinion. To an extent you're right, but there is always a margin of error in any poll or opinion survey. Much the same as the PM claiming that radio talk back shows in NZ shows overwhelming support by families there towards the policy. Is there any way to substantiate the claims...along the same lines as the Samoalivenews poll, or whatever that will reflect on a collective opinion?

I am not sure what the prevailing view in New Zealand Samoan communities is on this subject. My posts on here on only my opinions on the matter. I haven't really listened to the radio talkback lines on 1593AM, 531PI, or NiuFM, as I don't have the time. I might switch onto those talkback lines now to gauge opinion.

I have talked to a rental car company owner from Samoa when he visited here from Samoa. I have also talked to a car dealer based here. The rental car business guy said that the majority of people in Samoa support RHD and it is only the 'noisy minority' who get their cars from the US that are hogging the airwaves and the media spotlight. He was in NZ to get his next stock of (RHD) cars for next year saying they were much cheaper in freight and sale price than the cars he could get from the US. I don't know, that was his opinion on the matter. The car dealer I spoke to rejected the argument that the 2nd hand cars he sells will be 'junk' in Samoa, citing the age of his 2nd hands as less than 10 years old. The average age of a vehicle in New Zealand is 12 years apparently. Given new laws about to be passed in New Zealand, the importation of 2nd hand cars into country will be severely restricted.

Perhaps the best bet is to contact one of the Samoan newspapers here to try and get some kind of poll going.