A lot of things turned a year old or older this month. For some, it could be the anniversary of an event so sad I could not even begin to imagine while others enjoyed a remembrance that brought a smile to the dial. I will leave you to reflect on your particular personal event and reprint this issue of the half-a-page-of-nonsense from the same time last year because this security fence held such symbolic significance and promise for me. I had hoped to have some pictures for you to show how a year of neglect or ineffectual maintenance can ruin not just a huge investment in public funds but also such promise.
The lack of maintenance of public assets will continue to be a problem as each bright new project is used for its political or news worthy value and then discarded for something newer and brighter. I had actually given the Magiagi National Cemetery security fence two years before the grass, weeds and weather had worn it down to a tangled mess on the ground but thought I should write this and hope that someone involved with its maintenance would read it and did some early intervention work. Our politicians read Street Talk for public opinion on national issues after all. The lawn mowing contractors are probably only doing as much as they are paid for and it isn’t enough. Wasn’t there a formula for working out how much you should allow for maintenance depending on the total cost of the asset? It would work out much cheaper in the long run than having to build a new fence every two years.
It might be extremely optimistic to hope that this column would be responsible for some early intervention in the untimely demise of a fence that held so much promise of a nation getting our priorities right and giving our dead the respect they deserved, but hope springs eternal. There was similar concern in a newspaper column from Fiji about the condition of their cemeteries and burial places. It is a pity that we had already started on the beautification of our cemeteries way before our Fijian neighbors only to have the Magiagi cemetery fence fall apart while the Samoa Land Corporation is still calling for tenders to build security fences for Nu’u and other places. Cosmetic touch-ups should last at least five years. Without any effective opposition in parliament, we could be in for some promising long term projects as our HRPP MP’s focus on development and not so much on point scoring for political survival. Or they could just focus on building personal and family fortunes and give us the finger as we splutter and fume, as ineffective as a monthly touch up with lawn mowers of the grass and weeds guaranteed to pull the Magiagi cemetery security fence to the ground. Of course, we will do our best to make sure that that will not happen!
23rd January 2007.
I saw the first sign today that things are coming right. Heck, I would even stick my neck out further than I have ever done before – that cracking noise is just the neck joints reaching full extension! - and say that I have a pretty optimistic and bullish forecast for our national well being for the next few years! And it is not because of the Poly Blue profit announcement ‘though I think the gods of financial and commercial enterprise will smile on those engaged in these and all areas of human endeavor as well.
Today, I saw the first family to take advantage of the new security fence around the Magiagi National Cemetery, weeding around and rebuilding their family graves back to their original and rightful place of respect and recognition. I definitely saw the slippery slope lose a few degrees on the gradient and leap towards the horizontal. When other families who haven’t forgotten that they have relatives and ancestors buried there see that the cemetery is no longer being used by people as an ‘open all hours’ place for drinking and social gatherings, I am sure that they too will be over in a flash to do the same.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment must be congratulated for coming up with this idea in the first place and for paying for the contractor who erected this security fence. The place looks a million times better than it was before. I wonder if I should do a revaluation of my quarter acre?
Unfortunately, it is always in the finishing that our trades people let themselves down. How many times have you been invited by a friend to check out their new home or building only to be disappointed at the quality of the workmanship in the fittings and interior? Granted that it is sometimes not the tradesman’s fault because we don’t always get the premium building materials available locally, but it is always a shame that they had just spent a lot of money on the bulk of the building only to ruin it by not holding out for better quality materials and a better finish for the visible bits.
I don’t know the exact details of the Magiagi Cemetery Security Fence contract specifications and whether the MNRE Contracts Manager was satisfied with the work done so far, but there are some finishing touches that I would have insisted upon. It may seem like a minor detail but painting over the welded joints would keep the elements and rust out making those fence posts last longer. I would have definitely written spoil removal and landscaping into the specifications.
The concrete mowing strip at the bottom of the fence is to make sure that the landscape artists you call Lawn Mowing Contractors can get at all the weeds and do a neat job. For that to happen, the mowing strip should be at or higher than ground level. At the moment, large areas of the mowing strip are below ground level where weeds have grown in abundance because the landscape artist’s nylon mowing thread can’t get at them. It is the small but visible imperfections that ruin a great job!
Otherwise, congratulations and “full credit” to all concerned. It is now up to the living to come back, level out the slippery slope once and for all, and rejoice with those who came before and left us a legacy of everything that is good, and not so good, that we are enjoying now. The challenge of course is to promise your forebears the next time you visit their graves and final resting places that we are going to make everything even better when we leave it for those coming after us!
Whew! It isn’t even that late on a Saturday night and I have tired myself out waxing so lyrical about a security fence. But it isn’t just a security fence. It is the first step towards reinstating respect as the cornerstone of any successful society. Respect your dead and the living will respect you. Respect the environment and Nature will see that you want for nothing from land, sea and everywhere in between. Respect God and the Pastor’s job will be easier! Need I say more? Okay. Love yourself and live to read more of my waffling on about fences or some other symbolic figment of my imagination next week. Have a nice one folks!
Submit News from your Area If you would like to submit News for possible publication in both the online and print version of Newsline please feel free to email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Become a News Blogger Have a passion for writing? Interested in writing articles for Newsline? Email us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
. We are looking for Bloggers from around the world to contribute to our site.
The News 
Subscribe to this comment's feed
