Laters, Dude!

Written by Seuamuli Des Bentin
Friday, 05 September 2008
I still turn around and look behind me when someone addresses me as “Toea’ina”, expecting to see someone old, or maybe the Reverend Oka Fauolo. Yesterday morning, I was and didn’t. The tomato farmer jumped off the back of the green pick-up truck and came towards me with a couple of bags. “E le maga’omia se kamako, toea’ina?” I took two bags at three tala each even though I already had some in the fridge. I did not look behind me because I knew there was nobody else there. It was well after nine o’clock on Friday night when Melissa asked me if I wasn’t going to Bob Rankin’s book launch at the Manumea Hotel. After proving yet again that I still had a most colorful collection of epithets, aimed at no one in particular for my forgetfulness, I tried to imagine how positive thinkers and the writers of the Samoa Observer Think A Minute column would put a positive spin on this unfortunate lapse in concentration which resulted in my not being present at this prestigious event. After a few Vailima and a game of rugby that restored some sort of respect for the South African Springboks even with only a smidgen of suspicion that the Wallabies were just going through the motions knowing that the Boks were out of contention for the Tri-Nations trophy, I decided that memory loss is the direct result of old age aided by a generous helping of booze and other brain bending chemicals. I congratulate Bob Rankin for getting his book published and will be in touch for an autographed copy. I have put procedures in place to make sure that I do not forget. Amazing what you can do with a sheet of A4 paper and a marker pen! Being positive has been transformed into an art form by some who make a living out of massaging egos and wavering self-esteem. I have simply accepted the fact that my memory is too unreliable for me to write my memoirs. That is positive, yes? Moving forward! But there is nothing questionable about the amounts on the cheques presented by Polynesian Blue to its shareholders from its profits from the last quarter. How exactly did Polynesian Blue, or Virgin Blue really, manage to turn an airline that was losing millions each year into a very profitable one so quickly? Good Management? What does that say about the former managers of Polynesian Airlines? I forget. Being positive, which I am told is really good for you, recommends that you forget about the inefficient past and bask in the glory of the profitable present, regardless of how it was achieved. SamoaTel is not losing millions each year but is being sold by the government. Will it be another partnership deal like the one with Polynesian Blue or will it be sold outright to the highest bidder? Does the government believe that it will earn more from taxes only from the new owners of SamoaTel than it is now from annual dividends from its fully state-owned enterprise? If the Polynesian Blue partnership is doing so well, I would think that it would be a good model for other developments and asset sales. Looking around at the government Corporations and Authorities that could be privatized, one is immediately aware of the large numbers of employees within each of these organizations. One of the first management decisions by private owners would be to right size the operation. Governments are not very good at making such decisions. Electorates could turn nasty at the next elections if large numbers of workers are laid off. In fact I think our Prime Minister, when faced with job losses within Polynesian Airlines as an option to reduce company losses, did ask what all the people who would lose their jobs have to do. As a politician, would you keep everybody employed and keep running the company at a loss or streamline it and make it as profitable as possible even if you have to lay off 50% of the staff to do so? Big businesses in the private sector do not have a problem with such hard nosed business decisions. And talking of tough decisions, I have decided that this will be the last edition of the half-a-page-of-nonsense for an unspecified time. I was going to do a Sonny Bill Williams and hive off without a word but only guys on big contracts can afford to do that. It has been fun with some people being successfully confused while others caught the wink and laughed along for the ride. I shall be back to annoy all and sundry as soon as I have sorted out some personal and business stuff. You know, before I forget. Have a nice one folks! Comments (1) Subscribe to this comment's feed oi sole written by GC, September 12, 2008 des, but why? now i have to put up with the inanity of the samoa observer editorials and reader opinions with nothing to fall back on? if writing half a page of non-sense got too burdensome maybe you could try your hand at cartoons? stick figure men with funny, apt commentary or something... ah well... twas fun. Write comment Name Email Title Comment
Last Updated ( Friday, 05 September 2008 )

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