The Honorable Minister of Revenue, Tuu’u Anasi’I Leota has gone full circle in little over a year. Congratulations, Honorable Minister, for being so flexible.
Earlier this year, the Honorable Minister closed down all the nightclubs and bars in town for two months because of the trouble drunks were causing. We actually had peace and quiet for those two months and town crime fell dramatically. Many people had a great respect for the Honorable Minister at that time and totally agreed with the closure.
Now, in the spirit of Christmas, when Christians worldwide celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Honorable Minister gives us an unexpected Christmas present. He will allow the bars and nightclubs to stay open 24 hours a day. Fa’afetai tele lava, Honorable Minister, for this wonderful Christmas gift. Now Samoans will be able to toast the birth of Christ non-stop 24 hours a day indoors instead of out on the sea wall.
Stay as pissed as a rat during the holidays, everyone, and celebrate Christmas in style.
And don’t forget it was the Honorable Minister of Revenue who gave you this wonderful Christmas gift!
Merry Christmas Everyone
From Rudolph the Red-Nosed Drunken Reindeer
SOFT LOANS
Samoa has already borrowed hundreds of millions of tala in so-called “soft loans” from the People’s Republic of China. The Central Bank Building, the Government Building and now the parliamentarian office block under construction are all financed by China.
Recently our government borrowed another $50,000,000 from China for the South Pacific Games. Now we have inked an agreement to borrow another $250,000,000 from the World Bank, Japan and Australia for the electrification infrastructure. The Honorable Prime Minister is also on record as saying he would buy two airplanes for Polynesian
Airlines from China on soft loans. Beg, beg, beg. Borrow, borrow, borrow. And when we look at the amount of our external debt that was paid off last year, it is miniscule. There’s no way we can pay off our accumulated debt.
I, for one, view our relationship with China suspiciously. We cannot continue to receive aid and soft loans from China indefinitely. Eventually we will have to pay the piper. China has hundreds of millions of people living below the poverty level in its own country. Why does it continue pumping money into our little country? Doesn’t it seem strange to you?
Just like switching from LHD to RHD, the Prime Minister must have ulterior motives in his dealings with the Chinese. I wonder what they are. He should come clean and tell the truth.
CONCERNED AND WORRIED CITIZEN
SOFT LOANS II
I refer to the letter, with the above title, published in the Newsline on Wednesday 12 December 2007.
I wish to inform your readers that the Central Bank of Samoa Building was not built with funds from the Peoples Republic of China, as erroneously stated by ‘concerned and worried citizen’. The CBS Building was funded from the Central Bank’s own financial resources.
Leasi Papali’i T. Scanlan
GOVERNOR
13 December 2007
We all Love Rumor Mongering
We Samoans love to rumor monger. How we love to sit and talk badly about this person and that person, this family and that family, never being kind to anyone or anything. That’s just our human nature.
We are all wondering what the Prime Minister’s reasons are for insisting Samoa switch to RHD. Well, one rumor has surfaced and has set me to thinking badly.
If you look at the trucks and buses owned by the Big Boys, you’ll see most of them are in need of urgent replacing. A lot of money will have to be spent to replace these aging fleets.
Prices of second-hand sedans would not really vary much whether bought in New Zealand or America, but the price of used buses and trucks would definitely be much cheaper in New Zealand. Freight charges to ship them to Samoa would also be much cheaper.
And now that the emission standards have been tightened and many of the buses and trucks on New Zealand roads will lose their road certification next year, there will be bus and truck bargains galore there. The only viable market for these used vehicles would be overseas.
So, as the rumor has it, the switch will allow the Big Boys to replace their aging fleets of buses and trucks economically. If true, it’s kind of selfish of them, wouldn’t you say?
Well, so much for another rumor. I’m not being kind to anyone either, am I? So what? Life must go on for good or bad. As long as I can continue rumor mongering, I’ll be happy.
Chief Rumor Mongerer
Apia
THE ON-GOING WEIGHLIFTING CONTROVERSY
It is now clear what happened in the world of weightlifting. There was a classic “power struggle.”
Paul Coffa spent the past two years working with lifters of all nationalities through his Oceania Institute, some he put on scholarship. Suddenly weightlifting became a high-profile money sport and the sharks smelled blood.
I remember before Paul Coffa came to Samoa, the weightlifters were down at Sogi working out in a tent under Jerry Wallwork. I clearly remember talking to one of them. He complained that, although money was given to the sport, the lifters got nothing.
After morning practice, he had to go home to cook his saka because he had no money to buy food. After taking a rest, he had to go back to Sogi again for afternoon practice. There was no possibility of him getting a job due to the split shift practice sessions. Lifters got no food, not even bus fare. Nothing! He had to keep asking his father for bus fare. And, as he could not work and help support his family, he was often at odds with them.
I’m afraid Samoan weightlifting is headed back to its non-transparent roots where accountability is lifeless. The lifters will have to fetch for themselves and government-allocated funding will just disappear between the cracks in the floor. Isn’t that the root of this whole controversy? Money.
It’s sad to see that corruption has trickled down even into the world of amateur sports. I feel sorry for the poor athletes. They are the ones who suffer. But then, it’s always the poor and vulnerable who get the raw deal in Samoa anyway, isn’t it?
L. V.
Apia
Corruption in Sports
In the Opinions section of your December 12 edition, I read with interest the opinion of L.V. vis-à-vis The On-Going Weightlifting Controversy.
L.V. alleges that corruption has trickled down even into the world of amateur sports. He hit the nail on the head. It is not only so in weightlifting but in most other amateur sports as well. When government money is allocated to sporting organizations to promote various sports, it often goes astray and it is never properly accounted for.
Government should demand more accountability from these sporting organizations and require them to be audited yearly before they are allocated any further funds. Their financial statements should also be made public for all concerned to scrutinize.
Corruption has become commonplace in our society today and a good place to start cleaning it up is in sports. Next, maybe the government accounts could be audited and made public for all to scrutinize or is that asking too much?
Sick of Corruption
Faleula and Lotofaga
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