Reprinted from Samoa News
April 25, 2007
American Samoa's inclusion in Federal Minimum Wage legislation -- Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
Thumbs up or Thumbs down---to Cong. Faleomavaega's latest press release on American Samoa's inclusion in federal minimum wage legislation?
By the luck of the draw the minimum wage legislation became a rider on the controversial $124-billion funding bill for Iraq over which the U.S. Congress and the Bush administration have been wrangling for weeks now.
The president has reiterated that he will stand firm on his plans to veto any language on the timing of the war, while Democratic leaders stuck to binding dates for initiating troop pullouts in the conference agreement.
In the minimum wage rider, the House-Senate conference agreement provided for annual increases of 50 cents per hour every year until minimum wages in American Samoa and CNMI reach the U.S. level in approximately 8 years.
This compromise comes after the original bill called for CNMI to meet federal minimum wage standards in four years and did not include American Samoa at all.
It also comes after our congressman, the Togiola administration, the Fono and the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce lobbied for the special industry committee method to "save our fragile economy."
And our congressman back in January suggested that "CNMI should follow suit and support Special Industry Committees which are in place to protect workers from labor rights abuses."
So what happened?
The first inkling came from Faleomavaega's press release on Wednesday.
The congressman said "that for too long, our Special Industry Committees have never really required the tuna industry to be more forthcoming about its profit margins so that we could make an honest determination about whether or not wages could be increased for cannery workers in American Samoa."
He took another dig at Special Industry Committees saying they "have also never really addressed the needs of ASG workers who deserve better pay."
"Given these circumstances, I believe an increase of 50 cents per hour for local government and cannery workers in American Samoa is long over-due," Faleomavaega said. "In fact, I believe 50 cents per hour is a good starting point given that our Special Industry Committees have not supported a fair or reasonable increase for our workers for some years now."
Huh?
We agree that wages for those at the bottom have remained too low for too long while our leaders have knuckled under to departure threats from the canneries. But don't think it was a one way street. Keeping tuna wages "competitive" has allowed government and most of the private sector to keep all wages depressed.
As to whether or not the wage increase will become a reality, one political pundit told us since it is included in the emergency Iraq supplemental bill that President Bush has promised to veto, the game isn't over yet.
However, most people do not believe Congress will revisit the wage rider. "The compromise was laboriously worked out and no one wants to reopen the question."
Does this mean we lost? Simply put, yes we did. Congress did not believe us when we told them about our "fragile economy."
And while our congressman can wax on about a "fair or reasonable increase," we can see which way the political wind is blowing, and he is blowing with it.
(c) Osini Faleatasi Inc. dba Samoa News reserves all rights.
Hard workers deserve the minimum wage increase.
February 16, 2007
Dear Editor,
I hope the people of American Samoa understand what the Governor and the people in government are trying to do with the passed bill to congress to raise the minimum wage to $7.25. I hope the media will voice and explain what governor is trying to do with the minimum wage. The governor stated that the AS government will suffer if the US government don't place any stipulation for AS under the minimum wage bill. I do believe that the hard workers in AS deserve to get the minimum wage increase.
The Fono is now discussing the issue of rasing the governor/LT. Governor pay. Now, if you look at how much they get, they make 100 times more a year then the average house whole makes a year. Here's my take on what the government's trying to do to the people who elected them to office, (1) they are trying to scare you by laying off people, (2) they said that if the $7.25 minimum wage includes ASG, the two canning company will most likely to leave the island, and (3) they tell half of the truth and not all the facts to the island people.
One other issue on the minimum wage is the failure of either house to include American Samoa in the bill. Del. Eli Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa) has fretted that if the federal government compels businesses in American Samoa to pay a higher wage, the tuna canneries there could lay off workers and devastate the local economy.
After Republicans objected to American Samoa's exclusion (considering that businesses elsewhere will also suffer), Speaker Pelosi vowed to have the issue fixed in the Senate, but Senate Democrats will not allow a vote on an American Samoa amendment.
Because Democrats pledged not to insert such measures in conference, it appears unlikely that the final version of the bill will include American Samoa. There are no solid indications that Republicans will block the bill on this basis, but Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) appears willing to try.
Look, the governor and Eni needs to try harder to convince the Del Monte Corp, to work with AS government and decide which direction they want to go. Let's see, if the canning company agree to pay 500 employee's the $7.25 minimum wage, you do the math. The company will pay the 500 employee about $7 million a year, and the Del Monte Company that owns StarKist make that amount in a month.
If the Governor and the high ranking official of the government still plans not to go with the $7.25 minimum wage, lets see if they reduce theirs from $80,000 to maybe $10,000 a year.
Siose Molia - Faleasao, Manua
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December 28, 2006
Dear Editor
What do you think about American Samoa going back to having the Governor elected by the Department of the Interior at Washington DC?
I do believe that ever since the people of AS decided to elect their own governor, the people who live on the island and families have suffered. The people in power have abused every system because of their government positions. Every election year, most candidates that have been in government position for years, didn't even accomplish one task or issue that they said they will do if they were elected to office. The AS government get so much funds from the US government to run different programs, but we all know that the people who handle those funds, including the governor and his staff, are all guilty in some sort of corrupt tactics for their own benefit. There are many different programs established in AS, but the people that manage them end up mismanaging them, and all they get is a slap on the hand.
The last time I visit the island was back in July 1999, and I was not impress at all. How the island looks, how dirty most of the villages were except the villages far away from downtown. The roads for example, has never change when I left in 79', the same pot holes are still there when I came to visit in 1985, and than in 1999. They had some construction company fixing the main roads, as you know - what happen after the funds ran out? I hope the roads now are better than back in 99', but the issue remains - does the government has a program to maintain, and put people to work to improve American Samoa. The big island was better in the early 80's, when I left in 1979 is was clean, people care about their village because the government have program that support village cleanliness and support farming and plantation of taro, banana etc. We the people of AS need to think really hard about issues that are important, instead of catering to what people want you to hear. Don't listen to the lame excuses from the politicans and not consider what they have not accomplish during their term in office.
I read about the DOE corruption issue. How did they not know about some of the issue they are facing now? For crying out loud. The thing we the people need to do now, is to make sure that those people involve never again work in the system anymore. That might be hard to do, but we can at least try, those teachers that are working hard to educate our children aren't getting paid enough for their hard work. That's not just a DOE issue, but I believe it's an issue faced by most departments of the government. I think they haven't surface yet, but are keept from the public. I do understand that there are a lot of good people in government positions who are trying to do their best for the people, but their hands are tie. They can only do so much. I do think that if the Department of the Interior elect a governor for AS, it will become a better place for people to visit, and the government will be less corrupt, because that governor will place the right people in place to help and run the government.
S. Molia
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October 19, 2006
Dear Editor,
I like to comment on the subject that I read on your website about Manu'a as a training site for the Army Reserve station in American Samoa. Tau Manu'a can accommodate any military type training for the Army Reserve station in Am. Samoa. The land in the island of Ta'u is more than enough to build a multi-purpose range that can accommodate all weapon systems the reserve unit carries in their inventory. Maneuver training the reserve unit needs to conduct can also be accommodated on the same island of Tau. They can also set up land navigation course, force on force training, convoy escort training and so much more. How do I know that? I'm from Faleasao Manua; I work for the Army here at Fort. Carson,
Colorado. We are in the final stage of opening up a multi-purpose range for Army Reserve/National Guard units to qualify on their small arms weapons, from M16A2 rifle, M4 rifle, SAW (M249 Assault Weapon), M9 (9MM), and M240B (Crew Automatic Weapon).
We can all comment on this issue, but you all need to remember that the
Army Reserve station in Am. Samoa do not belong to ASG. They belong to the Federal Government of the United States. The Governor can say all he wants about Savaii as a site for such type of military training, but he is wasting his energy if the federal government doesn't agree. I've been training soldiers for the past 23 years, and also retired from the army. I know all types of training for combat arms units and I can really say that Manua (Tau) can accommodate them all.
I also believe that the island people will accept military training being conducted on the island. This will bring jobs for some people on the island. I hope the ASG will treat Manua better than in the past. ASG hardly invest in Manua, but does little to make people think they are doing something and that's it. I do believe the governor of AS and his staff should first do some research to find out if the reserve unit training can be accommodated in the Manua island, before saying Savaii should be a great place for such training. What made him to think that Savaii is better than Manua?
I do believe Manua can afford anything. Someone needs to explain to the people what type of impact this project will bring to the island. Job opportunities for a lot of people of Manua, for example, and ASG does not have to worried about paying the people that maintain the range and all the facilities. I do believe the Federal will pay their salary or they will do a contract company to maintain all training sites, like range control personnel.
Hope the ASG really do some research and talk to the reserve unit personnel to see what they want to do and where they think is a best place for them to go for such training. They could also come to Ft. Carson if they want to train, and see the quality training we do here, and get some idea what type of training the army is doing right now based on the threat level in the world today.
My opinion as Military Solider.
S. Molia, 1SG US. Army Ret.
This is a copy of a LTE I send Samoa News, September 17, 2006, concerning a proposal to build a training site in Savaii. The Samoa News reported that several politicians objected to that idea, and requested that Manu'a to be the location for this site..
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Dear Editor,
I read on your website that some are advocating using Manu'a as a training site for the military. I think that's a bad idea. The better place for a training site for the military would be Savaii as already discussed by ASG and Samoa. As the governor stated in one of your articles, Savaii has more land. A firing range and training field for the soldiers would require a lot more land than Manu'a can afford to commit. If those asking for this site to be in Manu'a have their way, Manu'a could face with several dangers - unexploded and rogue ammunitions, the noise, destructions to the land by roving vehicles and people, and many other social effects that would come with a massive and concentrated injection of people into the Manu'a society.
I understand the desire of some for wanting it for economic reasons. I also believe that they might think that such a setup would bring prestige to the island. As far as prestige - American Samoa, like other communities throughout the United States, already proved its loyalty to the defense of the country with the blood of its citizens. The future of the world is bleak, and chances are good that more of American Samoan youth in future will pay the ultimate sacrifice in defense of this great country - the United States of America. That's a worthy cause indeed.
As far as the economy, well, my humble opinion is that utilizing the environmental and culture aspects of Manu'a is the best way to infuse money into the Manu'a community. Instead of asking for something that would introduce unnecessary stresses to the serene Manu'a ecological and historical settings, ASG and private enterprises should investigate further ways to maximize business in Manu'a. Is the Manu'a transportation need serviced? Do Manu'a residents have a say to the money that's allotted for Manu'a? Is the Manu'a infrastructure to grow tourism there addressed? I've been approached by people, including some Samoans, who wanted to know about tourism in Manu'a, and also about wanting to live there. So, I know there's a lot of interest in this industry that could be taken advantage of.
I stated previously some risks that would come with such a military site. These are the same risks that are experienced by communities with military installations. Each community of course weigh those risks and decide based on their needs and what they can afford to offer. Manu'a, I believe, can't afford the land and the effects to the limited land it has for a military training site. An economic formula involving the risks of a military site, in combination with a national park, hotels, and water sports - not to mention the lives of the Manu'a residents would be a very complicated one. In the end it would bring more problems than the imagined monetary rewards that may come.
That's just my humble opinion.
Pen Fiatoa
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Government Infringement on Samoan Rights
by Talifaitasi Satele
Over the past few weeks, there has been growing controversies raging in the "islands of happiness." There is no doubt that the outcome of these debates will shape the future of our people and our culture. What worries me is some of the reasoning being used to decide the fate of American Samoa; they need some serious reevaluation.
First and foremost is the idea that the prominence of our people would fade into the sunset, like the indigenous peoples of Hawaii, America and Fiji, because of the influx of Asians. This is a disproportionate comparison. Native Americans were forcefully relocated into reservations, and at times, victims of mass murder. Native Hawaiians were tricked out of their lands by deceptive laws and treaties. Native Fijians had to endure an invasion of indentured servants from India who settled on their native lands at the permission of the colonial government not the indigenous people. Thankfully, the foresight of our forefathers and the American, German and New Zealand administrations spared Samoa from similar fates.
The idea of land ownership is fully established in American Samoa. There is not an inch of of our islands that can be taken without the claim being hotly contested. 90 percent of the land in Manu'a and Tutuila is communally owned. Unfortunately, this principle of "property" was either taken away from or not fully realized by the indigenous peoples of America, Hawaii and Fiji.
Samoan families have the right to maximize the use of their lands as they see fit. Whichever way they decide to use their lands to earn happiness is their God given right. Allow us to do this and we'll succeed. Nevertheless, this option was not available to Native Americans, Hawaiians and Fijians. They faded into the shadows because their families never had full possession of their lands as a new economy replaced that of the old.
Sadly, this option I'm describing above, which is actually a right not an option, is before the Fono for regulation, limitation, or even a death sentence. If a family decides to hire an Asian businessperson to clean their plantations and all his/her Asian workers receive the permission and blessings of the family's Sa'o, then what the ASG wants to do is undermine the chief's authority by saying that the transaction is illegal.
This isn't the only way the Fono wants to decide how the families of American Samoa should use their money. Faipules want to limit access to foreign establishments and workers on the basis that they can't speak proper English or Samoan, have a negative influence on our culture, take our jobs away and cause locals to harm the environment and violate laws. I wish these Faipules would put their names next to their statements so that we could compare them to the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.
Obviously they forgot that the Samoan people can decide for themselves who they want to support with their own dollars. Even in the unlikely event that foreigners take over all businesses, an island wide boycott lasting about a month would cause most foreign establishments to shut down. Such a boycott is highly improbable NOT because the Samoan people lack the willpower and resources to do so but because locals enjoy the prices and services foreigners provide.
The nonsense doesn't stop at the House of Representatives. Senators Malepeai, Galea'i, and Fonoti also believe that they should run the lives of American Samoans. They want to further dictate how Samoans should choose to use their money by trying to pass legislation to close down nightclubs and bars at 12 o'clock midnight. Senator Fonoti would choose to close down the establishments at 10 p.m. What are her reasons? She says we have the "duty to close these 'houses of sin' early and discourage them from influencing the young people."
My next question is, what's next? Will the Senate try to determine when villages should have Sa? Will the Senate try to enter my home and tell me which videos I can or can not watch? Will the Senate try to tell me how to wear my clothes, how to comb my hair, what music I can listen to or even, God Forbid, which thoughts I can entertain in my very own head.
What is seemingly lost on lawmakers is that our predicaments revolve around the individual. If foreigners are succeeding and more continue to come, it is because the individual Samoan consumer is voting with his/her own dollars for this to happen. If there is lawlessness in the early hours of the morning, it is because these individuals come from broken homes and have some real issues that need to be addressed.
Rather than ask individual consumers to support local businesses, Faipules want to grab our wallets and make the decision for us. Rather than putting in the extra effort to talk to communities and gather voluntary support to assist families with domestic issues, Senators want to punish businesses for what are obviously bad decisions by a few individual people. Let's stop making island businesses the scapegoat for our own shortcomings and social problems. We need less laws and more leadership.
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Support Foreign Businesses
by Talifaitasi Satele
It's disappointing that the Senate doesn't support Governor's Togiola's legislation to provide foreign businesses easier access to our markets. It's also a shame that many people in our community look upon foreigners as a threat to our jobs, local businesses, tax collection and our future.
But before we go any further into this debate, we need to clarify whom we consider 'foreigner.' Are our Samoan brothers and sisters from Upolu and Savai'i who have taken most of our cannery jobs the foreigners we are worried about? How about the influx of Tongans? Do they pose a threat? Or are we really picking on the Asian immigrants?
A better question yet is whether these immigrants would even be a problem if locals owned all the businesses while the immigrants just worked for us.
At one time, New Zealanders felt threaten by its own 'foreigners.' They blamed them for taking their jobs, ruining their local businesses, not paying taxes; the whole nine yards. They sent dogs into people's homes to sniff out those 'foreigners' who had expired visas, and then they imprisoned them and sent them home. Would you have guessed that those persecuted 'foreigners' were Samoans?
Not only is the purposeful isolation from foreigners morally questionable, it can be economically damaging as well.
To get a little understanding about how these businesses can have a profound effect on our economy, we can make a quick comparison between American Samoa and Hong Kong. Both countries are island nations with limited resources. Hong Kong is described as having rocky and mountainous terrain with only 6% of its land arable for farming. But the comparison stops there. Hong Kong, unlike American Samoa, makes its money on its much unregulated economy. Anyone, including foreigners, can start up a business in Hong Kong by filling out one simple form. The Hong Kong government charges a flat 5% tax rate on all businesses and leaves the rest to faith. They don't enforce a minimum wage, regulate the interest rates on loans, provide welfare or support businesses with tax money. This looks like a recipe for disaster, right? Well, Hong Kong has been one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with a large and expanding middle class of native Chinese, and a per capita income that is soon to pass that of the United States of America.
It must be fear that causes us to turn down an opportunity of a lifetime such as these foreign businesses. Some of us fear that the Fa'aSamoa will be washed away in the wave of immigration. But the Fa'aSamoa has proven to last all sorts of changes, and it is renown for its ability to adapt. In addition, Samoan communities around the world are known to retain our culture and customs. I don't know why we fear that such things would easily fade in our own homeland when that doesn't even happen in Hawai'i, New Zealand, California, Washington State, Colorado, Utah and the many military bases around the world.
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Deregulate Interest Rates
by Talifaitasi Satele
There is no government in the world that is equipped to regulate what interest rates private banks charge on loans. Let's not be confused with the actions the Federal Reserves takes every other quarter. They raise and lower interest rates on the loans it makes out to other banks. Since it's at the top of the lender food chain, its interest rates rolls down hill and affects everyone.
If a private bank was completely independent of the Federal Reserve System, then in theory, the Fed wouldn't have much influence or control over that particular bank. Since this is not usually the case, the Fed controls the nation's monetary policy.
Since our Fono doesn't lend any money in the same fashion, it has chosen to use law to maintain some measure of control over banks in our territory. We must ask ourselves, how effective is (insert name of the law) that puts the ceiling on interest rates at 15%?
A better question is what would happen if the interest rate was 100% on loans under $5000? Well, good borrowers would stop borrowing money obviously. It's too expensive. Bad borrowers, who have no intention of repaying, would borrow anyway. At this point, the bank loses from such a high interest rate and goes out of business.
An even better question is what would happen if the interest rate was 0%? Good borrowers and bad borrowers alike would make loans. Good borrowers repay but the bank doesn't make any money. Bad borrowers don't repay and the bank suffers either partial or the entire amount loaned out. The bank goes bankrupt.
Cheap loans also put a lot of currency in our economy. Perhaps more than is needed. If everyone has the same amount of money (high amounts), prices have to go up lest there would be riots. Imagine three Samoans with 50 cents each; two cokes left in the store and both cost 50 cents; no one wants to share; how do you solve the problem? Answer: Incrementally raise the price until someone drops out of the race.
Getting back to issue of allowing higher interest rates, only the banks and the people can decide what the proper amount will be through constant negotiation. The Government shouldn't be considering what level to raise maximum interest rates allowable; it should consider getting rid of the limit altogether.
Thank you,
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An Economy of Imports
by Talifaitasi Satele
Do we really need to export products to be a successful economy? Let's take a good look at what exporting cans of tuna actually entails. For all the cans of tuna we send to the mainland, we get green pieces of paper. We can not eat that paper, but mainland Americans can eat our tuna. If it wasn't for our ability to trade those green pieces of paper for other products, I'd say we were getting the short end of the stick. Mainland Americans get the immediate satisfaction of tuna while American Samoans get stuck with an IOU.
We love being stuck with those green little pieces of paper called cash. But can cash be too much of a good thing? Let's say the tuna industry suddenly felt generous one day and made us all millionaires. Any person could catch the bus and buy a store or two or three or four along the way. Stores wouldn't go peacefully though. They will quickly figure out that they could protect themselves by raising the prices of their products by two hundred, three hundred or four hundred percent. More cash solves nothing.
If not cash, how about more products? Instead of concentrating on exporting tuna, we could concentrate on more imports of everything. Imagine, for a second, an industry that has nothing to do with producing a single product, item or can of tuna. This industry simply uses imports to make money. Does such an industry exist?
Let's take a good look at the 'sports industry.' A bunch of football, basketball and baseball players get paid millions of dollars to play a game. Their actions create an incentive for people to exchange money, tickets, sports gear, broadcast shows, website viewings, books, magazines, photos, newspapers, shoes and more. Investors jump into this action because they see money changing hands. When people are spending, people are investing. So what does this say about the necessity to export?
1) If we focus our attention on creating industries where money is constantly changing hands, investors will be lured in. So instead of relying on the Federal Government for funds, we can expect private investors to bring currency into our islands. That money will eventually be used by these new industries to buy more imports. In this manner, we give other countries green pieces of paper while we get valuable products to use efficiently.
2) Imports give a virtual raise to everyone. Imports bring prices down. A reduction of prices allows everyone to win at the check-out counter. On the other hand, because cash is so limited, distribution of cash can never be equal among the people. Distribution will depend on whoever is doing the distributing. That leads to power and corruption.
3) Samoa has a wealth of attractions to create industries like the sports industry or restaurant industry. We are comedians, orators, sportsmen, magnificent dancers and beautiful creators. We can be an economy of these things and more.
4) As these industries expand, we can expect them to have the same economic impact as the tuna industry. This will help to effectively replace tuna as the focal point of our economy.
To allow these changes to happen means sacrifice. Even if we come close to losing the Tuna Industry, Faleomavaega could call for federal subsidies to keep tuna in our islands. We, the people, don't want this as mainland Americans are already tired of sending money to our unaccountable practices. Talk to New York Times and they will tell you what I'm talking about.
To rely on exports is an old protectionist argument. We can become a nation of artists, poets, sportsmen, spectators, restaurants and more without exporting a single product. One can say that this is exactly how we did business in our islands a long time ago.
Thank you, Talifaitasi Satele
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Talifaitasi William Satele graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a degree in Business Economics and commissioned as a 2LT in the US Army Reserves. Tali, originally from the village of Vailoa, American Samoa, joined the active army force in 1998, and served for five years. He's the son of William Tupua Satele and Frances Case Satele.
ASG CRITIQUE Blogspot
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Totally agreed - banish persons and not seats
by Foua Ta'aga
Bremerton, Washington
Totally agreed with Teine Segaula. I was there during the Fa'aulufalega of the Ta'u church in 1993 ( took some photos of the falesa, see the imanua webpage). I knew that there were lots of things going on at that time between the Ta'u village, in that some families were not involved with the village faaulufalega. I too, am sadden and concern about the arrogance of some of those people who are in positions to serve the people of Tau and especially the Manu'a Tele. For starters, being humble is a very good thing, plus alofa i tagata o le nu'u ma le itumalo ole Manu'a Tele should be first and foremost. I knew some of those banished matais if not all of them. Some were my classmates in Papatea (the old school near the taufusi). I am related to most of them, but I totally disagreed with them.
I believe that business(es) pertaining to the Faletolu should be handle within the Faletolu. If you decided to make Tutuila as your home, then give back the titles and seats to the people who are living in Ta'u. Those titles and seats belong to the village of Ta'u and Manu'a Tele. Growing up in Fitiuta and Ta'u Manu'a, I never heard of the name Sunia in Ta'u for that matter. I am hoping and praying that this very sensitive issue should be resolve within house instead of the courts. And if going to court is the only way to get back the complete authority and power to the leaders of the Faletolu in Tau, then so be it.
Male Fa'aaloalo Tele
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Hiked Construction Material Costs
by Talifaitasi Satele
Rep. Muavaefa'atasi raised a valid issue about "hiked prices" of construction materials by retailers throughout American Samoa. It should be made clear that any coorinated scheme among hardware companies to raise the prices of much needed goods is an injustice. Any activity of that nature should be dealt with swiftly and severely.
But I doubt that any of these businesses have sat around the same table planning such an illegal and immoral move to boost prices. Instead, they were naturally reacting to the influx of monetary assistance that came from FEMA. When there is an sudden abundance of money chasing the same type and amount of products, prices are going to rise. There are several reasons why we, the people, would want this to happen:
1) It will prevent a first-come-first-serve approach to distributing much needed construction material. An increase in individual income allows a person to buy up more than he/she might actually need. If prices don't rise with the increase in per capita income, then the first few people in line at a store might be able to buy everything up, leaving some people with nothing at all.
2) Since prices of supplies go up, there is more of an incentive for producers to make more construction materials to sell. As production increases, prices begin to come down again because now there are more products than there are money to buy them.
3) Investors will be lured to American Samoa because they see that there is money to be made. This brings more money and more jobs to the islands.
4) Last but not least, we would want this because of freedom. Freedom to allow our individual actions (that of businesses, workers, consumers, hardware outlets, etc.) to determine the direction of the market. We can pat ourselves on the back and say "We did it, not Rep. Muavaefa'atasi."
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Time is up
by Talifaitasi Satele
I am glad to hear more voices of concern over American Samoa's economy. Pen Fiatoa asked whether Samoa was ready for a post tuna industry economy in his letter to the Editor Better Economy-Lesser Dependency. Everyone knows that we are not prepared, including Congressman Faleomavaega. He stated in his press release (dated 8 Apr 2004) that he is 'fighting to protect American Samoa's economy and future by opposing the inclusion of canned tuna in any agreement that may be negotiated' between the U.S. and Thailand. Our Representative will have his work cut out for him when he goes to the World Tuna Trade Conference from June 3rd to the 5th.
What if Eni fails? According to him, 'our economy is more than 80% dependent either directly or indirectly on the U.S. tuna fishing and processing industries.' That means 80% of our local businesses face bankruptcy. Most of our local businesses are either sole proprietorships or partnerships, and that means if they can't pay back their debts their personal wealth is up for grabs. The bank will say, "Can't pay me back? Give me your car. Don't have a car? Got any privately-owned land?" Anything put up for collateral, well, is collateral.
Communal land is pretty much untouchable right? It's guaranteed by our local constitution that it is. However, the U.S. reserves the right to break up our constitution whenever they desire. If American Banks don't get their money back (note: Bank of American Samoa also loans money from other American Banks and the Federal Reserve) we can expect to see a great lobbying effort by American Banks to open our communal lands up. They want their money; why wouldn't they run to Washington?
It seems to me that the best approach out of the hole is to pay off our debts and to change our economic focus. Well, what is our economic focus now? All it takes is a good look around us to find out what it really is. Christopher Hawkins asked in his letter to the Editor It is Our Island "why, in an age of budget surplus, our few public parks are dirty, unkempt, and sometimes dangerous places?" If we really needed revenue from the tourism industry, Christopher wouldn't be asking that question today. The sad truth is that we don't even try to develop our tourism industry because tuna, not tourism or anything else, is the focal point of our economy.
Should the tuna industry leave is there a brighter future for Manu'a and Tutuila? The answer is a resounding "YES!!!"
1) No matter how hard it is to admit it, economic incentives, and not moral motives gets the job done. Schools, parks and roads are all in disrepair because there is no money to make out of them. It's not that our officials are not urgent to do something about it nor are they evil and corrupt. It's just that the motivation is not there because our friend Tuna is here to take care of us. If Tuna took a hike, expect a rush to fix our schools, our parks and our roads to lure in the tourists.
2) American Samoa is no where near overpopulation. New York City has more people per square foot than most countries in world simply because they build up and stack everybody on top of each other. If we don't want to open our lands to economic development than out migration is going to have to be greater than in migration. If our friend tuna were to go, expect to see a lot of people to go with him. People migrate to American Samoa because there is business with Tuna. If our friend Tuna were to go, only those who truly embrace the Fa'aSamoa will stay to fight the fight.
3) Take a good look at every other country around us. Tonga, Independent Samoa, Niue, Tokelau, etc. that have just as small lands as we do. While Tonga is trying to launch satellites, we're still ordering more satellite dishes. While Samoa has stop lights, we're looking for more stop signs. These countries have made it without Tuna, so can we.
In the end, sacrifice and sharing will get us through. Most people say the rich are greedy but statistics show that the rich give the most to charity. We have a lot to fear from gradual change that is most likely to leave the poor more poor. But we have more to fear from sudden change that will leave everyone poor.
Thank you.
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I agree with the banishment of the persons, but not the seats
by Teine Segaula
I was surfing the web and happened to run into this site. I'm very impressed with the opinions and comments people have had to offer, and I too would like to express my views on the "hot topic" about the "banished matais".
I live in Ta'u and I have witnessed the struggles of my people with this complex issue. I am for the banishment of Fa'amausili, Aitiulagi, Fofo, Sotoa, and Alalamua. When I speak of banishment, it is not the expulsion of the matai title completely from the Faletolu, but the holders of these titles at the present time.
Since the dedication of the church in Ta'u, Malamalama Ole Lalolagi, there has always been this silent riff and greed for power/authority. The church was dedicated in 1993 and Fa'amausili or Aitiulagi weren't even part of the Ta'u Council. They weren't even part of Silia ma le Atuali'i. Alalamua is the only banished matai that served in the aumaaga and he went by his taule'ale'a name La'auli. The other matais shouldn't even brag about their status because it was bestowed to them the cheap way. They never had to tautua the nu'u and listen to the elders speak during meetings. They have missed out on a crucial part of the Fa'a-Samoa, the part in a Samoan life where you learn to be humble.
Fofo was part of the Council, but his participation in village affairs let alone church matters was little. He never had any great concern for Manu'a affairs until now. In fact, he never really cared or showed interest until Tauese became govenor. In my opinion, that's how all the drama started. Its only obvious that this is the only reason why Sotoa became Secretary of Samoan Affairs, he is married to Fofo and Tauese's sister. It's also the same way Aitiulagi (Pese) became a judge- luga lava o le masani. Fa'amausili was only able to become a senator because of Tauese's influence in their mysterious and private circle. Alalamua is a very intelligent man and out of all the banished matais he is the only one I still have respect for. He has earned his role as Director, but I believe that pressure from family and political members have caused him to jump on the bandwagon.
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Let who doesn't sin cast the first stone
by Mel Sikeli
The matter regarding the Ta'u village council's decisions are somewhat vague and irrelevant. Obviously, my view about the banishment of ceratin leaders by the Tau Council is that it was not unanimous and in a way suppressive.
The selecting of Fa'amausili as Senator is highly relevant due to several instances and circumstances. The details of those what really happened cannot be shared until the time comes. Few members of the village council who are perpetuating this situation, not all, knows how badly they wanted to rise to authority.
Beware, almost every villager KNOWS WHO YOU ARE.
It is very clear that their eyes are fixated towards distroying anyone interfering with their personal vendetta by banishing members without considering their own PAST actions to the same selection issue. As I recall, these few who wanted to banished high leaders of the council have also engaged in illegal political and customary process in order to gain what they want. These few matais of the council should know by now that people are not blind and fools. Thus, their every agenda and flaw of actions from the past and future are gradually surfacing.
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Why is Tau protesting and not participating in the celebration of the Manu'a flagday?
by Foua Ta'aga Tuala
Why all of a sudden, the celebration of the flag raising in Manu'a becomes a big issue right now? After all these years this government (ASG) did not even bother to mark it as a monumental date in the history of Manu'a Tele?
The people of Manua should appoint people to represent them in the Fono based on these criteria such as: (1) he/she actually lives in Manu'a, (2) his/her children attend Manu'a High School, (3) members of a church there, (4) does not own a home in Tutuila [nor active in Tutuila village politics], and (5) born in Manu'a and must have a lineage from a family in Manu'a.
So, what is Tau going to do about those with high titled people who are banished from their village now? Most of them (if not all of them) are living in Tutuila and maybe haven't been to Tau for a long time. That is a shame, how can they represent their constituents if they are not living among them and maybe only come during the campaign season?
It is an issue that Tau needs to address for the betterment of their own village, and indeed the Manua community as a whole. This will affect the other villages. It is not fair for Faleasao, Ofu, Olosega, Sili and Fitiuta to be put it that kind of precarious position because of some in-house disagreement. My grandfather who was one of the To'oto'o from Fitiuta has a favorite saying it goes something like this: "Tafa muamua le ata i totonu o lou aiga ona tafa ai laea o le ata i fafo." Tau needs to take a good look within its village and solve its problem accordingly. Manua needs to move forward and not hold back because a village cannot get their stuffs together. Ma le fa'aaloalo lava.
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Doing it on the Malaetele is better than in the Court!
by Pen Fiatoa
The issue between the Tau Village Council and Faamausili has surfaced again in the news. According to a Samoa News report, the Tau Village Council is deciding about taking the matter to the court. They want to challenge the recent court decision that permitted Faamausili to remain a senator representing the Manu'a district that included the Tau village.
Without knowing the details, I must submit to you that in my humble opinion, the only solution to this is a revamping of the American Samoa constitution in respect to how senators are selected or elected if the traditional leaders can't resolve this issue outside of the Court. I agree that we should keep the present system of selecting senators, however, the Faamausili situation has revealed a possible flaw that needs to be address seriously and fix.
How was Faamausili selected? According to reports, a meeting that was held in the office of Samoan affairs on Tutuila that was attended by some very high titled people connected to Manu'a. They decided for Faamausili to represent Manu'a when the senate position became vacant. This was done, according to reports, without the full vote of the Tau Village Council that included a lot of other highly prominent members of the traditional polity. According to the same reports, matters of cultural significant are done on the Malaetele, a ceremonial place in the village of Tau in Manu'a.
What went wrong? According to news reports, when Faamausili took his senate position, which he was selected at a meeting held in the office of Samoa Affairs, a challenge was made by the Tau Village Council to the selection. At the request of the Tau Village Council, the Senate leadership removed Faamausili from the senate seat, and pass the matter to Manu'a to resolve. Faamausili successfully challenged that decision in court and was reinstated as a senator.
Who is right? The most damning thing about all this is that both Faamausili and the Tau Village Council have legitimate gripes. Faamausili was selected by legitimate leaders of Manu'a. The constitution of American Samoa can't prevent his selection, and therefore the Senate leadership was wrong to unseat Faamausili without a decision from the Court. And it was right for Faamausili to challenge that decision in Court. The Tau Village Council, by tradition, is the rightful venue for things which are significant to Manu'a's sacred traditions. The constitution of American Samoa does place the weight of senatorial selection on traditional polity. It all fairness, the Court should have considered the wishes of the Tau Village Council in their decision. A monetary award to Faamausili was probably the best thing that they could have done, and let the wishes of the Council stand.
So where do we go from here? The most recent news about this as reported by Aeo'ainuu Aleki of Samoa News shows that the Tau Village Council is now taking their case to the Court. Is pride preventing people sitting down and discussing these matters without involving the Court? Is the Court the sole arbitrator of these sacred values or is this something more hallow that will require people to be on band knee and swallow bruised ego. What's the sense of keeping these values if we don't believe they are of any worth? If they aren't important than it's necessary to revamp the constitution to select senators by popular vote. That's the best thing to do in that case. However, I'm a traditionalist and I want to retain the current system, therefore I would prefer to see the leaders of Manu'a resolve their current dilemma on the Malaetele.
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Are Samoan women ready to lead?
by Pen Fiatoa
As more and more Samoan women move into high position in government and businesses, they are proving that they are just as capable to manage things as men. Is American Samoa ready for a woman governor? During the Naval and the Interior administration of American Samoa, there was never a woman assigned from Washington to be governor of the territory. That was much a reflection of those times when, even in the mainland, women were still climbing the corporate and political ladder in America. But time has changed.
According to recent studies, more females than males are entering American colleges today, compare to twenty years ago. Also, they're going into areas that were traditionally dominated by males. At some colleges, the situation has prompted efforts to target male recruitment - something that was done previously to bring women and minorities into higher institutions. I'm sure that this trend is also felt in American Samoa.
In the Samoan community, there are increasing reports of Samoan women attaining high positions in the military and corporate world - banking, insurance, human resource, airline, government, military, politics, education, and law. Some of those positions are credited as historical for any Samoan - man or woman.
I think that a woman can run, as governor, the government of American Samoa. Her chances of success in the office would be no different than that of a man. Samoan women have proven that they are just as capable of running things in large organizations, and doing so successfully.
Maybe, anciently, with all the physical fights, it was necessary to have a strong person who can chop some heads to save the society. Today, we would all agree that it's better to have a smart-head than a hardhead in the governor's office.
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Residence eligibility must be required of Manu'a politicians
An opinion by Foua Ta'aga Tuala
I agreed with you in what is happening right now with the ASG government. Seems to me Manu'a doesn't play a major role in that government. You might ask why that is, when a lot of ASG leaders are Manu'ans? Well, the answer is simple, it's because those from Manua who are in higher position within the government, are there for their own personal gains, just like everybody else in the ASG government. Not only that, granted that they might keep a fale in Manu'a, they maintain residence in Manu'a just to show that he is from Manu'a, however he moved all his family including the family dog to Tutuila, live like a Tutuilan, and only physically paid a visit to Manu'a during an election year. Promises were made, and when elected, none of those promises ever materialized. How about that for a start? Same cycle every election year. If you read the latest from the Samoa News, specifically on the 16th of Sept 2003. In the article "who really has authority in Manu'a", it stated that some of the high chiefs from Ta'u have been officially banished from participating in events and functions within the "Faletolu."
And as you can see, all of those names are "supposed" to be leaders of the "Manu'a Tele." Some of them are senators and heads of some of the ASG government departments. And if I am not mistaken all of them live in Tutuila, not Manu'a. And, to me that is one of the reason why those Manuans who are in higher position of the ASG government do not lift a finger to help out their home island and the people who put them in office. How can they see what is going on if they live in Atuu or any other village in Tutuila and only go to Manua in their own convenience.
There should be a requirement for senators and house representatives from Manu'a to be actually live in Manu'a, not including having a dual residence. I am pretty sure if that happens, they will see to it that Manua will have a decent airline. And not only that, but every other issues that are priorities for the Manua Tele. I was born and raised in Fitiuta, and maybe someday when my service to the Office of the Civilian Human Resources, Department of Defense is over, I will go back home and live among my own people and help them in any way I can. Thanks for the opportunity to voice my opinion. Ia faamanuia le Atua i fanau a le Manu'a Tele o loo salalau solo I itu e fa o le lalolagi. Soifua, Foua Ta'aga Tuala.
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Reflections on Samoa Air From A Tourist's Perspective
Terry Skaggs
This past spring I took my eighth trip as a tourist to Pago Pago. As is usual my journeys found me traveling out to Ofu for several days, and this of course meant I was one of the poor souls who had had to deal with Samoa Air. I'm saddened to hear that the families, businesses, and tourists in Manu`a are having to deal with the uncertainty of not having a definitive resolution to the problem of reliable air service, but I can't help but be elated to see Samoa Air perhaps finally whithering away. My pessimism is justified when you understand that I've yet to have a single dealing with Samoa Air that went smoothly. I'm sure this has been the case with many, if not most, fellow Samoa Air passengers. Preemptive though it may be, I present a sort of eulogy to one of the most miserable excuses for an airline which ever spread its benighted wings. Here are some Samoa Air memories with which we can all wax nostalgic:
Ever had a flight cancelled and been promised a seat on the "next flight" only to go to the Samoa Air office and discover that the next flight has been overbooked for days? Ever been told that a flight is overbooked by a ticket counter woman, been persistent and had someone else get the passenger log book out for that flight and discovered that the flight wasn't overbooked? Ever been asked for a phone number by Samoa Air so they can contact you when your delayed flight is rescheduled and wait for a call that never comes? Ever seen a man in Manu`a denied boarding by the check in people literally beg a flight crew to let he and his sick child aboard a very full flight so he can get the child to a doctor?
Ever paid "excess baggage" fees on a return trip when you clearly have less baggage than you had on the outbound trip and didn't pay the fee? Ever wondered about the veracity of that rusty old balance scale in Ofu? Ever paid an "excess baggage" fee only to have your bags bumped from your flight? Ever waited days for your bags to arrive? Ever had bags marked "PRIORITY" not arrive when promised? Ever called Samoa Air's phone number during regular business hours and either gotten no answer or the answering machine telling you what the office hours are? Ever been in a crowd of displaced passengers in Samoa Air's ticket office and listened to the phone ringing continually and when you finally get a chance to explain your situation to the woman behind the counter have her suddenly ignore you, answer the phone, hang up minutes later, look you square in the eye and ask you what you need as if she's never seen you before? Ever been a palagi and, after getting no help at the ticket office, had a Samoan friend go in and yell at the counter girl in Samoan and quickly get what you need?
Ever tried to book a flight on Samoa Air when you're on the mainland and been told "we don't take credit cards"? Ever been to Samoa Air's website in hopes of booking a flight and see the message "Site under construction. In the near future this site will permit you to book on-line. You will be able to view our full schedule. You will be able to contact our sales and reservations departments directly. In the meantime we would like to thank you for your patience." ? Ever wonder why that message has been there for years? Ever phoned in a reservation and arrived at the airport the morning of your flight, gone to the office to pay for your ticket and have them tell you they have no reservation for you?
Ever wondered why an airline with one plane needed sixty employees? Ever wondered how those sixty employees still couldn't manage to make it a smooth running operation? Ever wonder how many Samoa Air employees it took to properly change a lightbulb? There must be a great punchline to that question, but to be honest it's too depressing to speculate.
It's not all bad. I've found a few of Samoa Air's employees as largely responsible, responsive and helpful people. It's too bad they work for a company which is (or rather was?) grossly over-staffed, mismanaged, and has a left terrible public perception which was fostered by years of poor performance and an unwillingness/inability to better serve its customers. This is also a company that may be about to reap the reward for its actions (or lack thereof), and I can readily say it couldn't happen to a more deserving (dis)organization. I'm hopeful that if Samoa Air does vanish into a flurry of bankruptcy and finger pointing it will ultimately be replaced by a more reliable and responsible alternative . . . after all, how could it be any worse and still be called an airline?
--Just A Tourist
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What it takes to improve businesses in Manu'a
Pen Fiatoa
First faith, then change. Or is it the other way around? Real hope is achievable only in an environment where what is hope for can be attained. We all have hopes for better lives. However, we must take the necessary actions to place ourselves in those situations - better jobs, better pay, better living conditions. In the face of challenges and difficulties - nothing is guaranteed. Our efforts may go un-rewarded and un-recognized by others. We may fail. But, should that deter us from trying hard? No! On the contrary, we should study harder, work harder, and intently self-improve. When a person is well prepared, he or she is less discourage when missing out on a few opportunities. When a person is well prepared, he or she sees life's challenges as opportunities to achieve the ultimate goal of a happy life.
There's too much pessimism in Manu'a observed a friend when he last visited there. People are discouraged and moving off to Tutuila, and even to the mainland USA. They leave behind empty houses. He said that his brother considered starting a business there but backed out because there seemed to be no one there who think it would fly. With that attitude, no amount of federal money, to help improve the economy in Manu'a, can do much good, but creating more dependency and complacency. It's not just empty houses they leave behind - so are lost opportunities. I granted that people move away for many other reasons, but for someone to move away just because of hopelessness is very unfortunate.
To me, the economic solution to Manu'as economy should start with an introspection of local attitudes. And with the right attitude, even without federal money, a person can still make a living using locally available natural and human resources.
The next thing to address is the government participation. The government should create the infrastructure that would allow commercial enterprises to florish. The American Samoa Government should make solving the Manu'a transportation problem a highest priority. The Tutuila government should deal seriously with Manu'as transportation as it did with the Tafuna Airport tarmac cleanup. Transportation is not just for individuals to visit families and have fun. It's a pivotal element in the economic health of American Samoa. I've read articles saying that Manu'a teachers are learning lesson using video-conferencing with the community college on Tutuila Island. I think that is great. But more should be done in communication to link Manu'a businesses to potential customers around the world.
Another thing that should be addressed is decentralization of authority. The government should also think about focusing it's attention to potential benefits of allowing Manu'a (district government) to be more autonomous. Collect local fees? Maybe. Or allowing direct connection between Manu'a and other places like Western Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, etc. I say this because I feel that there's no reason why trade has to necessarily funnel through Tutuila primarily. Imagine if the INS and Customs insist that products destined for American Samoa have to funnel through places (i.e. Hawaii or California) where they have control, with the right Customs people to inspect imports. Imagine what that would do to American Samoa. Decentralizing authority and allowing the Manu'a district government to run certain things should provide a myriad of activities locally that will boast Manu'ans confidence and be less dependent on the Tutuila government. The Manu'a district government should have a more active role in the education of the Manu'a children. The management of the Manu'a schools should be done at the district level. Of the money that American Samoa Government receive from the Federal government for schools, Manu'as portion should be handed over to the District government for them to educate their children. ASG should continue to oversee to make sure that the funds are used properly - something they already do - somewhat.
American Samoa should next consider reinstating the two Manu'a Senate seats. Those seats should have never taken away in the first place. Despite what anyone says, Samoa is a place of strong traditions and politics. To divest Manu'a of two Senate seats was taking away influential power that should have remained in the political affairs of American Samoa. The House can be gauged to the population growth, and that's fine. Manu'a will never have the numbers to make any serious challenge in the house anyway. That's why the two Senate seats are so important to Manu'a and something that Manu'ans must insist from their government and politicians.
Manu'a businesses should concentrate on their warm market. Tonga and Western Samoa understand this very well. They market extensively to American Samoa. Why? It's because money is there. Tutuila has a concentration of money that is earned from both the tuna cannery and the government. Millions of dollars flows through Tutuila from Washington going somewhere. If one diagrams the flow of money in American Samoa, one will find that besides the money that goes to New Zealand and Australian interests (finance, construction, and retail businesses), I believe that a good size of it goes to Western Samoa and Tonga. I'm also inclined to say that the hotels, restaurants, and shop in those countries earn a lot from visitors and buyers from Tutuila. Tutuila is a great warm market that Manu'a businesses should try hard to lure. To do that effectively involves planning, commitment, and optimism.
Lastly, we must deal with the indignant pessimism amongst the youth on the lack of progress in Manu'a. A point of action on any politicians agenda is making sure that avenues are available for anyone who wants to remain in Manu'a to afford a reasonable good living comparable to what's available in other parts of the territory. It doesn't have to be handouts.
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