Quantcast
Channel: Samoa Observer - local news, reviews & opinion on Samoa, business, sports, movies, travel, books, jobs, education, real estate, cars & more at ...
Viewing all 2664 articles
Browse latest View live

Health on the agenda for youths

0
0

The future leaders of the world were yesterday reminded about the reality of health and non-communicable diseases which continue to impact negatively on their countries.

The reminder came from Dr. Colin Tukuitonga, Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (S.P.C), who is in Samoa for S.I.D.S.

Dr. Tukuitonga met with S.I.D.S Youth Forum delegates to discuss the issues of health and non-communicable diseases (N.C.Ds), social development, youth and disability.

Speaking about the Pacific, Dr. Tukuitonga emphasised the challenge of N.C.Ds. “We have more obese children than ever before,” he said.



{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

“Overweight and obese children are likely to stay obese into adulthood and are more likely to develop NCDs like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age.”

The Pacific has outpaced the world in mortality from N.C.Ds.

In the Pacific, 75per cent of all deaths annually are due to N.C.Ds and as much as 60per cent of the health care budgets in some Pacific Island countries and territories are going towards expensive, overseas care.

And because N.C.Ds often result in premature death (before age 60), they contribute to poverty and lower workforce productivity, which in turn affects national development.

To address N.C.Ds, Dr. Tukuitonga said the focus must be on prevention, particularly in supporting healthy lifestyles for children and youth.

He highlighted the regional coordinated effort – the Pacific Partnership for a Multisector Approach to Prevent and Control NCDs – to strengthen the capacity and expertise to support response efforts in Pacific countries.

He said expanding the response to increase the focus on prevention means addressing the risk factors that are often present in childhood, adolescence and youth and he urged the young audience to avoid sugary carbonated drinks and to work together to address smoking among their peers.

“Addressing N.C.Ds and focusing on the youth population will result in a healthier, more productive society, which will in turn contribute opportunities for economic growth. With half the region’s population being under 25 years, this is imperative.”

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 


Pacific Jewel gets the boom

0
0

A three-day specialised training programme in the management of oil spills has culminated in the spectacular deployment of a containment boom around the Pacific Jewel cruise ship.“This exercise has been planned for some time to enhance and refresh the skills of relevant staff. It goes without saying that we hope to not have to use these skills in an emergency situation. Members of the public should be comforted by the knowledge that we have locally-based, expertly trained staff to deal with potential oil spills if the situation arises”

A three-day specialised training programme in the management of oil spills has culminated in the spectacular deployment of a containment boom around the Pacific Jewel cruise ship.

The ship is docked in Apia Harbour for the United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S).

The oil spill response training has been undertaken through a partnership between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (S.P.R.E.P), Maritime New Zealand and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (A.M.S.A).



{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

The training programme, facilitated by experts from all three organisations, has covered a variety of different topics including the causes of oil spills and their impact on environmental and human health.

A particular emphasis has been on the management of the specialty equipment used in oil spill response and containment - such as the boom that was deployed yesterday.

One of the training instructors, Scott Reed from Maritime New Zealand, has praised the enthusiasm of the 23 participants who represent a variety of different local agencies including the Samoa Ports Authority; Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure;

Petroleum Product Supplies; Samoa Shipping Corporation; Maritime Police; and the Fire Emergency Service Authority.

“You can tell from the questions and the feedback that there’s a high level of enthusiasm and investment from this group of participants,” he said.

“They’re always looking for ways to improve on their current practices and have been very proactive in coming up with ideas of how they could use local solutions for oil spill response - for example by stringing together drums to act as a containment boom or to use coconut husks as an absorbent to help mop up spills.”

S.P.R.E.P’s Marine Pollution Officer, Scott Willson, currently on secondment from AMSA, explains that the practical experience of deploying such a large containment boom around the Pacific Jewel has been invaluable for the participants:

“This was a fantastic opportunity for our team to get first-hand experience of deploying a 500 metre boom around a vessel.

And considering it was the first attempt for a lot of them they’ve done a terrific job! We want to thank all the agencies involved in allowing us to deploy the boom - particularly the Samoan Ports Authority and the Pacific Jewel.”

Tufuga Fagaloa Tufuga, C.E.O of the Samoa Ports Authority, has emphasised that there is no actual oil spill from the Pacific Jewel, and that the exercise is purely for training purposes:

“This exercise has been planned for some time to enhance and refresh the skills of relevant staff. It goes without saying that we hope to not have to use these skills in an emergency situation.”

“Members of the public should be comforted by the knowledge that we have locally-based, expertly trained staff to deal with potential oil spills if the situation arises.

We are grateful that S.P.R.E.P, A.M.S.A and Maritime New Zealand have been able to assist us with this valuable training.”

The specially designed boom placed around the Pacific Jewel is one of several that have been loaned to Samoa by the Australian Government as the result of the ongoing partnership between S.P.R.E.P and A.M.S.A and at the request of Samoa’s Ministry of Water, Transport and Infrastructure.

The deployment of the boom around the Pacific Jewel is just one component of a wider body of waste management activities being undertaken by S.P.R.E.P in support of the Samoan Government and the UN Conference on S.I.D.S.

Two other rubbish containment booms have been set up on the Vaisigano and Mulivai rivers over the past week. Other activities have included an extensive waste audit, river clean-up and the provision of bins and collection services to the S.I.D.S conference venue.

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

Bluesky powers Miss Samoa award

0
0

ALL SMILES NOW: Tole’afoa Douglad Creevey, Lei’ataualesa Jerry Brunt, Miss Samoa Susana Fanueli and the contestants of the Miss Samoa Pageant.BlueSky Samoa and Manaia Events have renewed their partnership for this year’s Miss Samoa pageant.

BlueSky was one of the major sponsors of last year’s pageant, and has again come on board to make this year’s event an even bigger success than the previous year. Country Manager, Tole’afoa Douglas Creevey, officially presented the company’s sponsorship to Leai’ataualesa Jerry Brunt of Manaia Events at their Maluafou headquarters. This year sees BlueSky giving a total value of $50,000 in sponsorship of this year’s quest to finding our next Miss Samoa. “On behalf of BlueSky, it is my pleasure to present our sponsorship to the organizing committee off this year’s pageant,” Tole’afoa said.



{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

“We wish you all the best as you work towards making it as big a success as last year and also would like to wish the ten contestants who will be vying for the crown nothing but the best of luck.”

“One of the highlights of our sponsorship is kick starting the People’s Choice Award, a text voting campaign that will involve the community to place their votes for their favorite Miss Samoa 2014/2015.”

“All they have to do is text the number of their favorite contestant to 307. Their vote will count towards the overall results to find the contestant with the most votes to win the Bluesky People’s Choice Award 2014-2015.

Each vote costs 50 sene.”

The result of this Text Voting Campaign is an independent Award initiated by Bluesky and will not affect the overall results of the Miss Samoa Pageant.

Lei’ataualesa spoke on behalf of Manaia Events as he received the sponsorship cheque.

“We are very fortunate to have BlueSky Samoa come on board again this year as the exclusive Telecommunications Sponsor.

Last year’s pageant was viewed by people all around the world thanks to BlueSky, who provided a livestream of the pageant activities on their social media sites. This year’s pageant will now also be livestreamed for Miss Samoa fans the world over. We would like to thank Toleafoa and his management and staff and we hope that we will continue this partnership in the years to come.”

Ten beautiful contestants have been confirmed for this year’s pageant, which will be held in front of the Government Building on September 6th.

To vote for the Bluesky People’s Choice Award:

Text ‘1’ to 307 Miss Thomsen’s Bridal Couture, Lagi Farani
Text ‘2’ to 307 Miss Veronica’s, Tili Lafaele
Text ‘3’ to 307 Miss Samoa Australia, Tusipepa Sandra Lilomaiava
Text ‘4’ to 307 Miss My Tiara’s Boutique, Cheyenne Maiava
Text ‘5’ to 307 Miss Samoa New Zealand, Latafale Auva’a
Text ‘6’ to 307 Miss Superkids Samoa Foundation, Faailoga Leota
Text ‘7’ to 307 Miss CultureX Samoa Dance Aerobics, Monica Schwenke
Text ‘8’ to 307 Miss Moatoga Enterprises,Afiogatuutasioaiga Jessica Taulaga
Text ‘9’ to 307 Miss Polynesian Shipping Line, Josephine Mafoa
Text ‘10’ to 307 Miss Lavashe Couture, Monica Evans

 

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

P.M. Tuilaepa issues plea to world leaders

0
0

KEY MOMENT: Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi (right) with the Secretary General of Emirates Competitiveness Council, Abulla Lootah, at Aleipata yesterday during the launch of the $3.6million wind farm project.

Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, has issued an impassioned plea on behalf all Pacific nations to the world for more help to cope with climate change.

The plea comes on the eve of the United Nations Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) Conference - a once-in-a-decade event designed to ensure the world takes account of the special needs of small island states.

The United Nation's Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, is scheduled to arrive in Samoa today. He is among a host of top world leaders arriving in Samoa for the conference, which begins proper on Monday. While in Samoa, the Secretary General will be hoping that as leaders rub shoulders in Apia, a new momentum will be created for strong action at his climate change summit to be held in New York in September.

The S.I.D.S Conference, attracting some 3,000 delegates to Samoa, will tackle a host of problems faced by small vulnerable nations.

For Prime Minister Tuilaepa, climate change is a top priority.

“The world cannot understand the anxiety of our people in the Pacific which if the sea level rise takes effect, many, many nations will sink under the rising sea. And it is a question of survival that we are talking about,” Tuilaepa tells Jemima Garret of Radio Australia.


{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

For more than two decades, the low-lying island nations have been demanding action to curb greenhouse gas emissions and help with dealing with the impact of climate change.

The draft statement for the conference makes it clear the time for action is now.

Tuilaepa says Samoa, like other Pacific nations, is already bearing the brunt of killer cyclones and unusually disastrous flooding.

“The threats have already occurred of climate change and are increasing in severity.

What if future cyclones would be similar to that mother of typhoons in the recent past? It would be total catastrophe for many of our Pacific island nations.”

As well as making statements, the conference aims to show the world why cuts are needed in greenhouse gas emissions and build practical partnerships to address climate change impacts.

Tuilaepa says he is grateful for the assistance already provided by Australia and New Zealand but it is not enough.

As a result, he is calling on the Abbott government to shift its focus from the budget to its friends in need in the Pacific.

“We do hope Australia's current leadership could look at the Pacific Islands as a special case in terms of climate change. In saying that I am aware of the extreme pre-occupation of the present leadership with budget savings.”

Tuilaepa says it is also wrong of Australia to cut its aid to the Pacific. An early move for the Conference statement to suggest amendments to the United Nations Refugee Convention to bring climate change refugees under its protection failed but Samoa's Prime Minister wants more access for Pacific Islanders to Australia under the existing seasonal labour scheme.

“We will have a very small contingent for Australia and what I am saying is I would like to see that extended."

“What I am saying is I would like to draw the attention to the small populations of the Pacific Islands. This is a special issue that should be taken note of because those people who deal with policies in your country tend to lump us together with the general employment policy which includes huge, populated countries like Indonesia and other countries with potential emigration into Australia."

Why is special action needed for the small island states?

“I can give you a brief answer and that is Australia and New Zealand are members of the Pacific Islands Forum, and the membership there was especially important because being the biggest member countries in the only consolidated grouping of islands in the Pacific they should do more.”

      

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

Oloamanu Centre mourns Director

0
0

Director of Oloamanu Centre for Professional Development, Lafotanoa Telesia Lafotanoa.Relatives, friends, students and staff members at the National University of Samoa are mourning the sudden passing away of the Director of Oloamanu Centre for Professional Development, Lafotanoa Telesia Lafotanoa.

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

She passed away at the beginning of the week as a result of an accident at Tuana’imato.

Contacted for a comment, her family politely declined.

It was also not possible to get a comment from Assistant Police Commissioner, Fauono Talalelei Tapu, as he was busy with the Small Island Developing States conference.

According to close sources, however, Lafotanoa was on her way to her Si’usega home when the incident occurred. She reportedly had a heart attack.

Lafotanoa was employed by the University for thirteen years first as an English lecturer with the Faculty of Arts and then as a Publications Manager at the Centre of Samoan Studies.

She held a Master of Arts Degree with Honors in English from Auckland University and a Secondary Teaching Diploma from the Auckland College of Education.

She was educated at St Joan of Arc Primary School at Leulumoega, Paul VI College and then St. Mary’s College.

Lafotanoa hails from Vailu’utai.

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- samoaobs-article(336x280)-created 040314 -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="6399418022"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

Man accused of indecent assault changes plea

0
0

A 54-year-old man has pleaded guilty to the two counts of indecent assault in relation to an incident involving a 12-year-old girl.

His name and that of the victim have been supressed to protect the identity of the young girl.

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

The matter was heard before Supreme Court Justice, his Honour Vui Clarence Nelson.

The accused man was represented by lawyer, Fa’aolesa Katopau Ainu’u.

Prior to Tuesday’s proceedings, the accused had entered a not guilty plea in relation to the charges against him.

But Fa’aolesa informed the Court about his client’s change in plea after prosecution withdrew other charges against the accused leaving two counts of indecent assault.

The number of charges withdrawn was not specified before the Court.

But the incidents to which he has pleaded guilty to occurred between 31 March and 1 June, 2014.

The matter has been adjourned to 22 September for the Probation office to provide a probation report in relation to the matter and for sentencing.

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

Our country stops to remember

0
0

WE REMEMBER: The Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi and the Speaker of Parliament, La'auli Leuatea Polata'ivao were among many high profi le offi cials at the gathering last evening. A dinner followed the gathering at Magiagi.As the sun set above the Magiagi Cemetery yesterday, close to 50 people gathered there to mark a very special event in the histories of Samoa and New Zealand.

The occasion was the centenary of the landing of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Samoa.

The event was marked with a wreath laying ceremony attended by Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, the Masiofo, Her Highness Filifilia Tamasese, the Speaker of the House, La’auli Leuatea Polotaivao Fosi, international dignitaries serving in Samoa from New Zealand, Australia, and other diplomatic officials including veterans.



{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

Wreaths were placed at the Cross of Sacrifice located in the middle of the graveyard, especially for the fallen soldiers.

Father Peniamina Tapelu, a returned service man, conducted the service.

“As we gather in this scared place, it is a call to remember the sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives for their countries and people,” he said.

Reflecting on the sacredness of the area where the graves of the former soldiers lay in a secured fenced off plot, he spoke about the faith that gave these soldiers the “courage and strength” to serve.

Such faith is “what keeps us going forward, renews our lives and gives us new beginnings,” he said.

Father Tapelu said the commemoration was an opportunity to remember “the lost lives and lost love ones who went far away to serve their countries.”

Wreaths were laid at the grave site by different officials representing; Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, England and the United States of America.

The New Zealand Expeditionary Force Samoan Advance Party - approximately 1,400 people including nurses, chaplains, mechanics, Post and Telegraph Corps and engineers – landed at Apia on 29 August 1914.

The landing of New Zealand in Samoa at the time sparked the relationship between the two countries.

Around 120 Samoan born soldiers and sailors are thought to have fought in the First World War, for both the allies, including the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and for Germany.

A commemoration also took place in New Zealand at the Auckland Cenotaph at the same time as the ceremony in Apia.

 

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

 

Delegates get down to business, Maldives in Samoa on mission

0
0

WELCOME: Representing Tanzania, Suleiman Ali and Ali Khamis. Photos / Lanuola Tupufia.The countdown started with years, months, weeks and now there are only hours left before the beginning of the Third United Nations Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) Conference.

As of yesterday, delegates and meeting participants were busy running last minute errands, to ensure everything is in place before the show starts.

Delegates from the Republic of Maldives Shaheeda Adam Ibrahim and Mariyam Midhfa Naeem.Among them were officials from the Republic of Maldives, whom the Weekend Observer caught up with while they were setting up a stall inside the S.I.D.S village.

A country with 1,100 islands floating in the Indian Ocean, the delegates are keen to promote their country through handicrafts while they are in Apia.

Speaking to the Weekend Observer, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mariyam Midhfa Naeem, said 200 of the islands in the Maldives are inhabited.

Ms Naeem explained that the people of the Maldives use a dhoni, an indigenously designed sailboat to get from island to island.

She said some islands are used for agriculture purposes and others are specifically for tourist attractions.

“The islands are so much smaller but we have a population of 350,000 people,” she said.

So what are some of the issues that the Maldives would want to address during the S.I.D.S Conference?

According to the Director General of the Ministry of Environment and Energy in Maldives, Shaheeda Adam Ibrahim, the most important issue for them is fresh water.

Other issues are climate change and sustainable development.



{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

Ms Ibrahim said fresh water is a priority for their country because of the limited ground water they have access to.

“The majority of the islands drink from desalination water, salt water being treated,” said the Director General.

“While there isn't enough land water, another problem we face is the ground water we have is contaminated. Desalination water is expensive, the same as the process of transporting them from island to island.”

Delegates from Maldives hope that those issues specifically fresh water can be addressed and get ways to overcome their problem.

A member of the International Trade Centre in Geneva, Jarle Hetland is excited about a project the organisation will launch next week Tuesday.

A media officer for I.T.C, Mr Hetland said the project that focuses on women in the Pacific will be launched on Tuesday called Economic Empowerment of Women in the Pacific project.

The organisation sees women as playing a key role in the Pacific economies.

The partnership is to provide businesswomen with the capacity to capitalize on potential opportunities to participate in Samoa’s government procurement.

Other delegates from Tanzania were also making last preparations before the big conference on Monday.

Although the officials from East Africa weren’t authorised to speak to the media, they were happy to say they are ready to voice their concerns and issues in S.I.D.S.

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 


Technology intrinsic to Samoa’s development

0
0

Information and Communication Technologies played a big role in Samoa’s graduation from Least Developed Country status. So says the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Tuisugaletaua Sofara Aveau.

Tuisugaletaua, Samoa’s I.C.T. Minister, spoke to the Samoa Observer at a multistakeholder ICT Forum titled Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaption, which was held yesterday.

Asked if he believed I.C.T’s contributed to Samoa’s graduation, he said yes.

“I am sure there is a lot of contribution in there to develop the country and move to the next level,” he said.

“Yes I.C.T.’s really helped that way.”

Tuisugaletaua said I.C.Ts were “absolutely essential” to Samoa’s development.

“Every facet of our development is dependent on I.C.T. now, transport, education health agriculture all of those are dependent on IT,” he said.

{googleAds}<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2469982834957525";
/* Left 300X250 */
google_ad_slot = "8433753430";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script> {/googleAds}

He said Samoa was building on the level of access people have to I.C.T.s, using the example of the SchoolNet system that is in place through the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture.

“We are starting with education,” he said.

“For example, we have the facilities available for students to use that on internet and be available to it and access.”

He said another issue was that of internet affordability.

“We can do the access now we are working on our (second) submarine cable as you probably know,” said Tuisugaletaua.

“(So while) the access is there but it doesn't mean that it will be cheaper.

“So what we need to do is to make sure that that access is cheap and affordable to people to be able to use it properly.

“It is very important for Samoa.”

He said to achieve this, the Government would like to see more competition in the market.

“First competition we would like to offer the capacity to as many providers as possible and that way they can compete,” he said.

“Secondly if we can regulate the use it will be much more efficient to dispatch the system.”

Speaking about I.C.T.s contributin to Samoa’s sustainable development, he said the technology opens up the door to information and knowledge from around the world.

“The connection to that (information) makes it much more easier and of course it will be available as a good resource for us,” he said.

“We are a small country and we don't have many resources but we can depend on those resources."

“By using IT and we can get to those resources very, very quickly and use it in the best way for us.”

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
     style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
     data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
     data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script> {/googleAds}

 

 

 

Stellar line up for 24th Teuila Festival 2014 in the heart of Apia

0
0

The Manager of Don Bosco College’s fautasi team, Vaimasenu’u Zita Martel and Skipper, Isitolo Stanley.Apia is in a festive mood and crowds have been growing all week at the Government Plaza enjoying the entertainment during the preliminary week of the Teuila Festival, buying food from the many stalls selling local and international dishes and wandering around the arts and crafts stalls.

The Teuila Festival has earned its niche on the Pacific cultural map and, the 24th annual festival starts in earnest on Monday.

Highlights will include the SIFA Fautasi Challenge, the Chief’s Fiafia Show and the Best of Samoa Entertainment Show.

Fautasi contest is eagerly awaited.

Lole Usoalii- Hickey and Michael Hickey whose company, MH Events, is helping to organize the Best of Samoa Entertainment Show. (3.) Chief Sielu and his group will perform two shows at the 2014 Teuila Festival. Photos / supplied.When Don Bosco School’s fautasi, Segavao, takes to the water on Apia Harbour next Wednesday in the keenly anticipated SIFA Fautasi Challenge, Vaimasenu’u Zita Martel will be close-by on a motor boat shouting encouragement, and a few impassioned instructions.

Vaimasenu’u is the Manager of the Don Bosco College’s fautasi team, the first and only female manager or skipper in the history of the sport.

This year she is too busy hosting the French S.I.D.S delegation to take up her usual skipper’s position on Segavao. So, Don Bosco’s automotive teacher and skilled longboat drummer, Isitolo Stanley, will take that role next week instead, but it’s one that Zita clearly enjoys.

“The skipper drives the boat and controls the team’s strategy during the race. They know when to take the team from first to fourth gear. They call the shots,” she says.

Vaimasenu’u grew up on the water, in canoes and outriggers, and even took part in a New Zealand rowing regatta on Christchurch’s Avon River.

The marketing manager and digital entrepreneur has a background in teaching and broadcasting. She was taken by surprise, however, when, in 2005, she was asked by her church, the “Our Lady of the Rosary” congregation at Siusega, to work with Don Bosco staff and students who had become the first school in Samoa to field their own longboat team.

“Our motto is ‘One Beat’. That’s what we aim for. It sums up the Segavao spirit. It’s all about team work and showing the boys they can do better collectively than they ever dreamed they could do individually.”

Most of the 16 to 19 year-old students who make up the 33-strong paddling team are from different villages throughout Samoa. Vaimasenu’u says the hardest job she and Isitolo have is choosing who, amongst the 130 students competing for a place on the coveted team, will make the final cut. This year they whittled it down to 60 boys. That group spent the last month in ‘Fautasi Camp’, living at school, and having their school schedule rearranged to fit around training.

Segavao is the only fautasi team with new members each year as boys leave to start their careers or for higher education. It’s a challenge but, Vaimasenu’u says, it hasn’t stopped her team winning their share of races over the years and she’s hoping that next week’s challenge is going to be ‘one of those years’.

{googleAds}<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2469982834957525";
/* Left 300X250 */
google_ad_slot = "8433753430";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script> {/googleAds}

Hawaiian Chief’s Fiafia returns Back at the Teuila Festival for a second year is Chief Sielu Avea, whose humorous Fiafia show is a real crowd-pleaser. Chief Sielu and his 20-strong troupe will be singing and dancing their way through two colourful performances.

Samoan born Chief Sielu is a cultural ambassador who shares his Polynesian heritage with the world through music and dance. He is a star of stage and screen, having appeared on Oprah, the Tonight Show, Discovery Channel, BBC and the Miss Universe Pageant.

Local music legends perform Chart-topping singer-songwriter Lole Usoali’i-Hickey is performing on stage as well as working behind the scenes helping with stage management for the Best of Samoa Entertainment Show on Wednesday.

Usoali’i-Hickey and her husband Michael are assembling a fabulous line-up for the evening which will be attended by Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi and visiting UN S.I.D.S dignitaries.

The variety show, with MCs Chief Sielu and last year’s Miss Samoa, has something for everyone. Acts from home and overseas include the Laughing Samoans, Pani & Pani, TJ Taotua, Marina Davis, Ben Vai, Cindy of Samoa and the winners of the Teuila siva competitions.

Award-winning Lole Usoalii-Hickey was born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand.

She was one of the first Pacific artists to find success in the New Zealand music industry in 1996 when she was signed by record label Papa Pacific/Warner Music. A year later, she won a New Zealand Tui award for the most promising female artist. Her most recent award for best Polynesian female artist worldwide, was presented in 2012 at the first Polynesian Music Awards in Los Angeles.

Now living back home in Samoa, Lole is keen to support up and coming Samoan artists.

“We love music, the arts and being creative.

Michael and I have worked with lots of artists who have gone on to do great things and we would love to develop a Samoan artist.”

Teuila Festival 1 – 6 September 2014 Where and when:

Chief’s Fiafia, Monday 1 September at 8:00p.m. and Wednesday 3 September at 8:30p.m. Government Plaza.

SIFA Fautasi Challenge, Wednesday 3 September, 1:00p.m. Apia Harbour.

The Best of Samoa Entertainment Show, Wednesday 3 September, 7.30 pm, Government Plaza.

LAINA

 

 FAUTASI

 

 KAPETENI

 

1

 Telefoni o le Vainuu -­ Faleu Manono Letoa Keil
2 Little Rina Vaitele Fou Puipaa

Lealali Seu

3 Digicel Segavao -­ Don Bosco Isitolo Stanley
4

Tavaesina ‐ Salua Manono

Auapaau Posolo

5

Aviivii ‐ Toamua

Faagalu Fonoti

6

Lulu le Aoa ­‐ Sinamoga

Pipi Malo

7

Tolotolo Tama Uli -­ Salelologa

Pauli IvannWilliams

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
     style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
     data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
     data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script> {/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Samoa S.I.D.S

0
0

Muliaga Jean Malifa, Publisher.Your Excellency, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon; Honourable Presidents, Heads of States, Leaders of International Organizations, Elected Representatives, all the 3,000 Guests and Friends gathered here today.

Talofa and greetings to you all.

Before I continue I have a special duty to perform. As the Publisher of the Samoa Observer Newspaper Group, it is my duty to acknowledge the unwavering effort put in by our Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese, Honourable Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi and his government, and all the way down to the people in the villages who did all that they could willingly, so that the S.I.D.S. Conference we are about to officially open this morning, is possible.

And having said that, it is my pleasure and privilege to say we join our government and the people of this country, in welcoming all our guests and visitors to our humble nation, Samoa.

Today is a special day for all of us. Because today, we are hosting this August conference of the 52 nations declared by the United Nations Organization (U.N.O.) as Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), right here in Apia.

I say today is special to us, since when we accepted the invitation to be the host, we also declared our support for the work the U.N. has been doing – and it is still doing today - to help the needy and the poor around the world.

Samoa is one of the 52 nations declared S.I.D.S. by the U.N.O.

The others are in the Caribbean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, the South China Sea and elsewhere in the Pacific; they account for five per cent of the world’s population.

For S.I.D.S.’ two previous events similar to the one starting in Apia tomorrow, the hosts were Barbados and Mauritius; this one then is the first to be held in this part of the world, the Pacific Ocean.

Which is why this week’s conference is even more special to all of us who call this country home.



{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

And why is that so? Because 52 years ago when we became the first nation in the Pacific to say goodbye to colonialism, the United Nations gave its approval and blessing and they then helped Samoa in ushering home political independence as well.

And this time, with the U.N. naming 2014 the Year of S.I.D.S., we were invited to host this week’s event in which some 3,000 delegates from 200 nations are attending, and we accepted.

In other words, we were being given the chance to say how we felt about the U.N.’s work in helping the less fortunate around the world, and by accepting we said: Yes, we do care, and we thank you the U.N.O. for helping to make life better for the less fortunate around the world.

And today, we welcome the opportunity to show that we are, indeed, grateful to be a part of the United Nations Organization, whose mandate would surely remain founded on the principles of equality, freedom and justice.

Which is why we are saying today to Your Excellency Ban Ki Moon: Thank you. Thank you for inviting our country to play a part in the work of W.H.O., for the wellbeing of all.

For over a year our government and the whole country have been working hard in preparation for the rare opportunity of hosting this once-in-a-lifetime event.

By now, you’ll have already seen what we’re talking about as you’ve ridden along the twenty-five mile road trip from Faleolo International Airport, towards the capital of Apia.

Every family has been chipping in to make those villages along the way look welcoming to you, our guests while you’re in our country

There’s been gardening, landscaping, fence painting, beautification, and so forth. Even schools are on holiday so that roads are freed up during the conference.

And there is also the annual “Teuila Festival” taking place in Apia right now.

It’s in the middle of town, so go on down town and be entertained the Samoan way.

There should be enough fun there to keep you well occupied.

To our guests and visitors, we assure you that our government is doing all it can to ensure your stay in Samoa is both happy and memorable.

As you can well see there is freedom everywhere; there are happy smiles and laughter too.

You may go anywhere and feel free to ask; we can assure you that everyone is eager to help where one can.

And if you have the time to spare, rent a car and drive around the country, or island if you will.

You can start going west from Apia and return from the east or vice versa; you choose. Either way, you are most likely to find the trip hugely satisfying.

But whatever you do please be careful. Please don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked by unspoiled, mesmerizing Paradise.

Have a wonderful and memorable holiday in Samoa and please feel free to return any time.

Soifua, Muliaga Jean Malifa, Publisher. End Here

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

U.N., Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon is in Apia

0
0

IN SAMOA: Deputy Prime Minister, Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo and U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.

Deputy Prime Minister, Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo, welcomed the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to Samoa yesterday.

Fonotoe greeted Mr. Ban at Faleolo International Airport when he arrived on a private jet for the third Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) conference.

Ahead of the conference tomorrow, Mr. Ban is scheduled to visit Aleipata today where he is reportedly scheduled to be bestowed a matai title.

Mr. Ban will then spend tomorrow at the meeting before he departs on Monday night. Prior to his arrival last night, Mr. Ban said the meeting in Samoa is vital.

TALOFA: Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Apia last night.

“We need to bring more attention to the problems that Small Island Developing States face,” he said during a recent S.I.D.S leaders event.

“Many of your countries are isolated. Your markets are too small to realize economies of scale. All small island developing states are exposed to high risks from environmental threats, especially climate change.”


{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

Mr. Ban said that the world had not paid enough attention to the issues that the people of small island States, often on the frontlines, have had to face alone.

The S.I.D.S conference is bringing to Samoa more than 3,000 delegates from all over the world.

A cultural performance at 6pm this evening will officially open the event.

The meeting is seeking a renewed political commitment to address the special needs and vulnerabilities of S.I.D.S by focusing on practical actions.

Building on assessments of previous commitments (such as the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation), the Conference will aim to identify and address new and emerging challenges and opportunities for sustainable development of S.I.D.S, particularly through the strengthening of partnerships between these islands and the international community.

Many issues that will be addressed at the Conference are also central to the post-2015 development agenda.

      

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

The day N.Z. took Samoa from Germany

0
0

MANGERE MATRIARCH: 103 year old Mele Ioelu was born and raised in Samoa recalls 1914 when war came to Samoa.A century ago yesterday, Kiwi soldiers arrived in German Samoa, ready for battle. War had been declared three weeks earlier and the British had asked New Zealand to seize the Pacifi c nation.

The oftenoverlooked event has proven to be pivotal to the history of both countries. Timu Vaimoana Tapaleao, of the NZ Herald, visited Apia to find out why.

Mele Ioelu still remembers running towards the village church when the sirens went off - signalling that the soldiers were coming.

“When they came, we all ran to the church to hide. Other families had built underground shelters and so they went down there to stay until the soldiers left.”

“They were big men who wore their uniforms proudly. But they had big guns strapped across their backs - and I was always afraid I’d get shot one day.”

The 103-year-old Mangere resident was born and raised during some of Samoa’s most trying times. War had been declared in 1914 and the country, then under German control, was set for some hard times within the next few years.

She was just a couple of months shy of her 4th birthday when troops from New Zealand arrived on August 29, 1914, to take over what was then German Samoa.

Britain had called on its friends in the South Pacific to seize the German colony.

More than 1,400 officers, mechanics, medical staff and technicians made up the New Zealand Expeditionary Force that set sail from Wellington Harbour on August 15.

The history books say it was an exciting time, with many young Kiwis eager to take part in what would be the first world war.

As the troops neared the island nation, they would have been going through a whole set of emotions and a new and probably overlooked challenge - the heat.

Samoan historian Dr Leasiolagi Malama Meleisea, a lecturer at the National University of Samoa, said even though August was a relatively cooler time in the islands, the New Zealanders would have found the weather challenging.

“Yes, the conditions would have been less than ideal, but the sense of duty must have been sufficient motivation. It seems to me that the context of build-up to World War I, the feelings of nationalism, patriotism, honour - and hate - were successfully used to motivate the armed forces.

“They were determined not only to terminate German rule to Samoa, but to root out any pro-German sympathies among the population.”

As it turned out, the New Zealanders’ arrival was something of a non-event, with the Germans offering no resistance and effectively giving up without a fight.

“It could have been much worse,” Dr Meleisea said.

Foreign rule

The Germans had been in Samoa since 1900 and although there were people who did not like that foreign rule, there were also Samoans who supported them.

The story goes that when news of the Kiwi troops’ arrival reached the German Governor, Erich Schultz-Ewerth, he did not offer resistance because they were simply unprepared for battle.

They had a shortage of German forces and the Governor did not want Samoan blood spilt. He was known for his love for the country and its people; becoming fluent in the language and even getting the traditional men’s tattoo - the pe’a.

For an outsider to undergo such a ritual is considered rare even today; so for that to happen more than 100 years ago would have been extraordinary, if not scandalous.

The Kiwis quickly took over a local radio tower, built by the Germans, which was considered hugely powerful at the time.



{googleAds}

<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- Large SkyAd -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:300px;height:600px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="5623196827"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>

{/googleAds}

The New Zealanders also removed several German flags on that day and a coat of arms from the local post office that would later find a new home at the clubrooms of the College Rifles rugby club, in Auckland’s Remuera.

New Zealand’s Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Logan was later photographed outside the courthouse, in Apia, where he read out a proclamation that was soon posted on buildings throughout the island in English, German and Samoan.

Part of that document reads: “The New Zealand Government of His Britannic Majesty King George Fifth now occupy for His Majesty all the German Territories situated in the islands of the Samoan Group.

“All inhabitants of the occupied territories are commanded to submit to all such directions as may be given by any Officer of the Occupying Force.”

The proclamation forbade anyone from helping or even talking to anyone associated with German authorities.

Public meetings were disallowed, all firearms were to be handed in and a curfew was introduced. No one was allowed outside between 10p.m. and 6a.m. and even using a canoe was forbidden.

The Old Courthouse The next day, a ceremony was held outside the courthouse. The German flag was taken down and the British flag raised.

That building, now referred to as The Old Courthouse, remains standing today and is one of the Pacific’s oldest buildings.

It is an interesting site in that it has been used by all three of Samoa’s leaders - the Germans in the early 1900s, the New Zealanders from 1914 and the Samoan Government from 1962, when the country became an independent state.

It is also the place where the life of one of the island’s most prominent high chiefs of the time, Tupua Tamasese Lealofi II, ended when he was shot by New Zealand police officers in 1929.

He was one of eleven Samoans killed and dozens more wounded in what would later be dubbed Black Saturday.

As Tamasese lay dying, he told followers: “Samoa, filemu pea ma si ou toto nei ta’uvalea, a ia aoga lo’u ola mo lenei mea.” These words, inscribed in a plaque honouring the fallen leader, asked all Samoans for peace and not vengeance so that his life was not lost in vain.

For years the courthouse was used as the nation’s Supreme Court and is today occupied and used as a base for the National Police Band.

In recent years there have been calls to save the building because of its historical significance. Even Unitec, in Auckland, has been involved.

A police band leader, Superintendent Nafo’itoa Alesana Laki, said everyone knew about the origins of the building, but acknowledged that its historical significance was sometimes forgotten, given the building’s almost derelict state.

“The flagpoles outside are the same ones from 100 years ago.

The bigger flagpole was the one that the British flag was raised [up in 1914]. For a long time, our daily police march would end here and the Samoan flag would go up and we’d sing the national anthem. “We haven’t done that in a long time now because the top of the flagpole is broken.”

We remember

Locals in Samoa are somewhat uninformed about this part of history and many can only point out the more tragic parts of the country’s relationship with New Zealand.

Black Saturday is general knowledge in the islands, as well as the influenza epidemic of 1918, when one-fifth of the population (about 8,500 people) died.

That happened after a passenger steamship from New Zealand, carrying many people with the deadly disease, arrived and was not quarantined.

Even Mrs Ioelu, who would have been 8, remembers that terrible time.

“People were walking on the road looking drunk. They would be swaying from side to side and suddenly drop to the ground - dead. So many people were dying ... it got to the point they had to gather the dead and bury them in one grave, immediately. There was no time to carry out our proper rituals.”

The Museum of Samoa’s principal officer, Lumepa Apelu, said an exhibition this month paid tribute to a part of history that is nearly always forgotten.

“I’m hoping this exhibition will entice interest in the community - to want to learn more about this history and about how the New Zealanders came here.”

How New Zealand’s influence would change two nations forever New Zealand’s takeover of German Samoa may not have been the bloodiest of its campaigns during the war, but it was arguably the most significant.

Dr Toeolesulusulu Damon Salesa, Associate Professor of Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland, said New Zealand political leaders had longed to occupy Samoa since the 19th century.

“If you’re thinking about New Zealand, probably the most important legacy of the first world war - not the most costly, not the most bloody - but the most enduring and the one that transforms New Zealand the most, is the takeover of Samoa.”

The Kiwis would go on to rule Samoa for almost fifty years before the nation became independent.

The two countries have had their fair share of ups and downs, but without doubt have a strong relationship.

“If you try to imagine that New Zealand did not have Samoa for 50 years and did not have 200,000 Samoans [living here] right now, we’re looking at a materially different New Zealand. And that happened because of the first world war.

“On that one day, when New Zealand arrived in Samoa ... it was a truly significant day and that’s something we should appreciate.”

Timeline August 4, 1914: World War I declared.

August 7: Britain asks NZ to perform a “great and urgent imperial service” and seize German Samoa.

August 15: NZ Expeditionary Force sails from Wellington.

August 29: New Zealanders arrive in German Samoa.

The Germans do not officially surrender, but there is no battle and the Kiwis seize control.

August 30, 1914: The German flag is taken down at the courthouse, in Apia, and the British flag raised.

 

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

Turning waste to power S.I.D.S.

0
0

BIOGAS-POWERED: Mina Weydahl tops up one of the 15 golf carts that will be transporting delegates around the S.I.D.S venue.The thousands of delegates in Samoa for the S.I.D.S Conference will be transported around Tuana’imato over the next few days using very unique golf carts.

{googleAds}<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2469982834957525";
/* Left 300X250 */
google_ad_slot = "8433753430";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script> {/googleAds}

The 10-seater carts will be powered by energy generated from turning kitchen scraps into electricity.

Yesterday, the media and S.I.D.S delegates were invited to find out more about the biogas project at the S.I.D.S Village.

Energy Analyst, Mina Weydahl, said the project is exciting.

“ This partners hip will demonstrate at S.I.D.S how everyday organic waste, kitchen scraps can be used to produce biogas for cooking and lighting,” she said.

“Many Pacific island countries like Palau, Kiribati including Samoa are looking at ways of moving away from its heavy reliance on expensive petroleum products.”

She assured that producing energy using organic waste would help communities to access affordable electricity.

Biogas is mostly methane and it’s formed when bacteria break down organic waste underwater.

A.C.E.O of M.N.R.E, Sala Sagato, said Samoa is delighted to be able to turn such waste into electricity.

“There are other developments within Samoa itself that sees the using of biogas like the pilot sanitation projects at Vaitele- Fou,” he said.

 

 

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- samoa_observer.ws -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
     style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
     data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
     data-ad-slot="5306335075"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

Future leaders hear from Head of State

0
0

FUTURE PACIFIC LEADERS: Group photo of the participants in the second Future Leaders of the Pacifi c conference with His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi (middle).The Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, yesterday encouraged young leaders from 18 Pacific countries gathering in Apia for the “Future Leaders of the Pacific” conference.

Held on the Pacific Jewel cruise ship, the conference is looking at issues critical to the Pacific, ahead of the third Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) Conference.

“Last year I came to this challenge of Pacific leadership through the metaphor of the so’ofau,” His Highness Tui Atua told the meeting.

“There I suggested that in today’s world there is a need to learn how to seamlessly join together old and new knowledges, like the joining together of fau timber, literally captured in the word so’ofau. This word is located in the vocabulary and art of Samoa’s traditional house-building guild and the wisdom of their spiritual culture.

“This year I wish to share with you some of my reflections on the Samoan concept “lagimalie” and how its orientation and philosophy might help towards building the new vocabulary and grammar that some of the world’s greatest minds suggest are necessary in order for us to address our biggest crisis to date – the problem of climate change.”

According to the Head of State, the Pacific region holds a large number of the world’s low-lying coral island countries, considered the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

{googleAds}<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2469982834957525";
/* Left 300X250 */
google_ad_slot = "8433753430";
google_ad_width = 300;
google_ad_height = 250;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script> {/googleAds}

“As the recently passed Palau Declaration on ‘The Ocean’ states the Ocean is both “the lifeblood of our economies and societies” and “crucial to global climatic and environmental stability”.

“Dealing effectively with this reality means that we as Pacific leaders, young and old, need to be actively engaged in the conversation that is driving the search for solutions.

“This means that we need to be informed, that we need to be prepared to do the homework necessary, and that we need to come to the discussion table willing to share and to listen to different points of view without prejudice. It is here at this table that I contend the importance of the principle of lagimalie becomes most pronounced.”

Elaborating on “lagimalie,” His Highness Tui Atua said it is a word not often used in Samoa today.

“It is, I am told, more commonly used in Tongan. In Samoan the word generally means to be in harmony. In the Tagaloa tradition it is a word that originates from the context of its funeral chant.

“That is, after reciting the salutation for each of the nine heavens, if the tulafale or orator of the party making an official ritual presentation gets each salutation right then the official mourners in the fale osilagi (i.e. the house where the corpse and official mourners reside) will respond by saying after each salutation, “lagimalie” or “malie”.

“This indicates that the listeners are pleased by what they have heard; that they are pleased because the recitation is right; and that they are pleased because his version is in line or in harmony with theirs.

“If the orator gets a salutation wrong, however, he then has to run for his life because according to ancient beliefs he imperils by his mistake the journeying of the deceased’s soul through the heavens.

H.O.S.: His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi with Samoa representative Felton Pavitt who is a Policy Offi cer for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.“Therefore, before he even starts the orator must for his own safety identify the fale tapu, i.e. the village’s designated sacred house, because it is only in the fale tapu that he will find sanctuary. Lagimalie can thus be understood for our purposes as relating to the fact of having harmony or a sacred balance between two or more references.

“Implicit in lagimalie are ancient Samoan beliefs in the four harmonies, also described as tapu or sa. That is, the harmony, tapu or sa between man and God, between man and fellow men, between man and cosmos, and man and the environment.

“These harmonies or tapu are central to Samoan indigenous ideas of tua’oi (or sacred boundaries), va tapuia (or sacred space), and even ideas about the ocean itself, for traditionally the Samoan word for ocean was vasa, literally meaning the space (or va) that is sacred (or sa).”

Representing Samoa in the meeting is Felton Pavitt, a Policy Officer for Planning and Urban Management Division. Mr Pavitt hopes to address issues on cultural conservation and preservation.

He said that while there are plans for urban area of Apia to be developed, the city should still have some reflection of Samoan culture and identity.

Participants will spend three days discussing regional issues such as non-communicable diseases, gender equality, climate change and sustainable development.

The conference is being co-organised by the United States Embassies in New Zealand and Samoa in partnership with the East-West Centre in Hawaii. Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Samoa, Peter Ganser also addressed the young people. “If you want to go quickly, go alone,” he reminded. “If you want to go far, go together.”

Mr Ganser said there is a lot of truth in the proverb and at the heart of why such conferences are held.

“As Pacific Island nations we share the same challenges and opportunities,” said Mr Ganser.

“When we face those together, we will all go further.”

Mr Ganser said Pacific island countries and the United States share many common values.

“We treasure family, faith and democracy,” he said. “We all seek a more secure, prosperous and rule based global community.”

“But before we get there we must face some complex challenges…fostering sustainable economic growth, transforming the climate change crisis into a clean energy revolution turning territorial conflicts into regional cooperation and empowering individuals through gains in human rights and political freedom.”

His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese’s paper will be published in full in the Sunday Samoan tomorrow.

 

 

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- samoa_observer.ws -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
     style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
     data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
     data-ad-slot="5306335075"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

 


Eliota: A rebel with a cause

0
0

OUT OF THE TENT: Campbell describes Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, as the guy who is not interested in being ‘in the tent’. Effective, controversial, he has established an image of a fearless speaker and put his career on the line. Picture: AP

A poster of the 2005 Blues rugby development team adorns one wall of Sapolu Law's reception area.

In the front row stands Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu. It's the only photo you'll find of the Aucklandborn- and-raised Samoan international in an Auckland rugby squad. Despite being acknowledged as one of the finest young talents around, Fuimaono- Sapolu didn't last long in the union's system.

"You should just f***ing shut up," a coach told him during one of the team's first training sessions.

"You do what I say on the field and f***ing shut up."

Fuimaono-Sapolu responded with an outburst of his own, followed by a letter to the Pacific Island players in the squad - written in Samoan and English and hand-delivered - suggesting they shouldn't accept such treatment.

He never played for an Auckland team again.

Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, 33, has always been a protester.

These days, the former Samoan international, now a professional player with Coca-Cola West Red Sparks in Japan, expresses his rage mainly via Twitter.

Few have used the medium more effectively, or controversially.

Fuimaono-Sapolu's contribution to a campaign fronted by TV3's John Campbell to cajole the All Blacks into playing a test match in Samoa was to publish a video alleging New Zealand Rugby (formerly the NZRU) would have happily pencilled Nazi Germany into the schedule if the money was right.

Campbell's softly, softly approach elicited plenty of platitudes within New Zealand, but it was Fuimaono-Sapolu's rant that was widely reported across the globe.

Such hyperbolic outbursts may be effective in drawing attention to his causes, but they aren't part of any cunning media strategy.

"It is never planned," Fuimaono- Sapolu says. "I don't plan when a thought comes into my head."

The Nazi-themed video message was filmed for Campbell Live but, unsurprisingly, never screened.

The intention was to compile a montage of about 30 Samoan players calling on the All Blacks to play in Samoa.

Campbell dropped the idea when only a handful of players contributed videos.

Fuimaono-Sapolu clearly wasn't so keen to spike the project, issuing his video himself.

"It's absolutely preposterous," says Campbell of the Nazi analogy.

"I wouldn't do it and I don't agree with it. And I don't think in a million years the All Blacks would have played in Hitler's Germany.

But that's me and you talking. We work inside the tent. Eliota is not interested in being in the tent."

'He's a deep guy’

Fuimaono-Sapolu is just around the corner when the Herald knocks on the door of Sapolu Law. He's on his way back to the converted colonial-style house in Papatoetoe that would hands down win the award for the country's least pretentious legal office. He is on crutches, so getting here might take a while, his nephew Michael says.

Michael is the latest member of the family to earn his legal stripes. When he arrived in Auckland from the United States as a 7-yearold he didn't know the alphabet. He recently graduated university with a double-degree in arts and law. It was a teenaged Eli who taught Michael and his younger sister Zahra to read.

Eli's mother, Iuni, is Sapolu Law's principal.

The matriarch of a family of lawyers, Iuni is in practice with daughter Josie. Eli, as anyone familiar with his narrative knows, is also a lawyer. It has been handy. When he likened his team's 2011 World Cup schedule to the murder of six million Jews, nobody could claim he was just a moron sounding off - he's a qualified lawyer after all.

"He's a deep guy," says Iuni. "He is my eldest son but I find him... different."

She means that in a nice way. Eli doesn't see things the way many of us do, and certainly not the way many professional rugby players do. Time spent in England playing for Bath and Gloucester nurtured his thinking, says Iuni. He emerged more self-confident, more certain of his view of the world.

Eli hops in on crutches, sizes me up, and agrees to talk.

His most revealing anecdote comes from his time as a schoolboy at Auckland Grammar.

Fellow Polynesian students, he says, would come to him if they felt they were being treated unfairly. Eli would act as a mediator or, by his own admission, an agitator.

"I'd say [to the teacher], 'You're not being racist are you?' "

A clever student, star player in the 1st XV and captain of the basketball team, Eli seemed perfect prefect material. But prospective candidates had to win a student and staff vote. Eli didn't win his teachers' approval. His reaction to the snub was to refuse to shake principal John Morris' hand at an all-school assembly held to honour the school's sports captains.


{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

Morris remembers the incident slightly differently.

"I went to shake his hand and he ignored me. I said, 'Excuse me' and in the end he did turn around and shake my hand. That [detail] wouldn't suit his story at all. As far as acting as a go-between for the Polynesian kids, I have no recollection of that whatsoever. There were no issues there at all.

"Look, it's an image he's building and he's been building it since school. That's Eli."

The suggestion Fuimaono-Sapolu is more Andre Agassi in his Nike years than Che Guevara (a handy centre for Argentine club San Isidro) isn't exactly fair. If he has established an image as a fearless speaker of uncomfortable truths, he's also nailed himself to the cross while doing so.

'A bit of a chip on his shoulder' The price for speaking out against mismanagement inside the Samoan Rugby Union was the end of his international career. When he lambasted the blatantly unfair scheduling of matches for the minnows at the 2011 World Cup, the IRB tried him like a petty criminal.

Ostracised by rugby powers in the nations in which he was born and grew up, his reaction has been to insist they play each other in Apia.

There wouldn't appear to be a lot in it for him.

"He is one of the least selfinterested people I've ever dealt with," says Campbell. "He has cost himself a position in the Samoan team, he has cost himself any chance of another contract with the NZRU, and he doesn't care because he is doing what is right.

"Most people bite the hand that feeds. Eliota took to it with a chainsaw."

His former teachers at Grammar appear to be among those with missing limbs.

"He wasn't a prefect and with all his talents and abilities he should have been," admits Morris. "But he didn't exactly win the hearts and minds of the staff, or all the students ... He was a supremely talented young man, brilliant rugby player, brilliant basketballer, a very, very good student. With all those things going for him you think this guy could really make a difference.

But I think Eli has always had a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

"I've got a lot of time for him because he is a talented guy but he is one of those young men who flies by his own rules. He has his own moral compass."

If he does, it doesn't appear that awry. When he's not playing rugby or tweeting, Fuimaono-Sapolu holds rugby clinics for kids in Samoa. His business interests include creating the first Samoan-language cartoons and DVDs teaching history from a Pacific Island perspective.

Not that he's a saint. His Twitter attack on England international Owen Farrell after a contentious match was pretty much a threat to sort things out in the car park.

"What goes on the pitch stays on the pitch? Don't use the pitch to showcase your FAKE toughness you pussy sh**," he tweeted.

Followed by: "Good luck bro when you tour round my parts."

The English press was appalled.

Despite being on a suspended six-month ban over his World Cup outbursts, Fuimaono-Sapolu escaped sanction over the tweets.

He did, however, cop a three-week ban for mocking the RFU's judicial process.

"It's ridiculous," he says of rugby officials' fondness for restricting free speech. "It's just control, the colonial mentality coming out. You are supposed to be an island savage. You are savages and we have the power."

Being forced to front the IRB and "apologise" during the World Cup had opened his eyes.

"The whole thing was an absolute joke. But it was good because it showed me what rugby is."

As for the apology: "I didn't actually apologise."

An IRB official produced "a letter with lots of big words that sounded insincere and I just signed it to get out of there. I didn't mean any of it.

The person who received the apology said it didn't sound sincere. Well, it wasn't. It was rubbish. It was all a facade.

"The IRB was one of the only sporting associations to maintain ties with apartheid South Africa."

'YOU CANNOT BE SILENT' AH, YES, THE BIGGER PICTURE.

Fuimaono-Sapolu's already acute sense of injustice sharpens even further when the moral position of the institution dispensing the rules is questionable. It bugs him that others in his position either don't feel the same way, or don't care to express it if they do.

"It would be nice if a lot more athletes become aware that there is a lot going on, a lot of powers at play. If Richie McCaw said anything about the GCSB, the whole of New Zealand would be up in arms against it. They don't realise they have a lot of power, a lot of currency."

Perhaps some players are simply more mindful of the commercial and contractual imperative of their positions? Slagging off adidas, for instance, is high on the list of things incumbent All Blacks must not do.

"So what we have is a bunch of dumbarses who aren't allowed to say anything about anything. That is a problem. It is not biting the hand that feeds you, it is trying to elevate the game.

"A lot of rugby players have lost sight of the fact it is just a sport. At the end of the day we are just kicking around a ball. There are single parents who are struggling, 10-yearold Asian kids who are making our boots. And we get lost in our egos."

This propensity for speaking his mind comes from Iuni, the mother who bore him out of wedlock, putting her at odds with the conservative Christian values of many Samoans. "For her you have got to be strong and you cannot be silent. But I am not perfect. I catch myself out a lot."

When Usain Bolt was subjected to questions about Palestine at a press conference promoting the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, outraged media critics said it wasn't right to subject a mere athlete to such questions. Fuimaono-Sapolu's Twitter feed is full of pictures and reports from Gaza highlighting the deaths of children.

"I just feel like it could be us," he says when asked why he is so sensitive to injustice. "If anything bad happens to someone, well, what if it was me?"

Fuimaono-Sapolu is no Dan Carter.

He's not someone people will listen to just because of who he is. But they do listen. Tweets to his 20,000 followers are regurgitated by mainstream media. He achieves cut-through.

"Eliota finds his constituency brilliantly," says Campbell. "He inspires outrage and shock from people who were probably never going to support him anyway.

But he grabs a whole lot of other people. He is speaking on behalf of a dispossessed, marginalised, alienated political class who don't have much clout and don't get their views in the media very often.

He has worked out that the way to do that is just scream and sometimes say stuff that is just preposterous.

He is an articulate, intelligent, passionate, informed, political man.

He is great company, but sometimes you just want to grab him and say 'Eliota shut up'. But he is not interested in what a palagi member of the establishment thinks."

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds} 

 

 

 

 

 

Bank’s report points to S.O.E.s

0
0

MONEY TALK: Maeva Betham-Vaai, Alataua Tuliaupupu, Andrea Iffland; Stephen Groff; Auelua Samuelu Enari, Rosemary Mackay, Margaret Fruean and Faiiletasi Seuao.

Samoa’s State Owned Enterprises (S.O.E.s) continue to hamper Samoa’s economic growth, according to the Asian Development Bank (A.D.B.).

In its report, Finding Balance 2014: Benchmarking the Performance of State-Owned Enterprises in Island Countries, launched yesterday, the Bank found that while there had been some gains in regards to Samoa’s S.O.E, most continue to be a drag.

The report was launched at the Samoa Country Registry in Apia by A.D.B. Vice President Stephen P. Groff, ahead of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S.).

According to the A.D.B., engaging the private sector through public-private partnerships and privatisation is crucial to improving the performance and service delivery of S.O.E.s.

"The study reflects A.D.B.’s ongoing commitment to economic development in our member countries, an important element of which is continued thought leadership on S.O.E. reforms," said Vice-President Groff.

“Reforming the S.O.E. sector is vital as it improves basic service delivery, reduces the costs of doing business, and creates opportunities for private investment."

The Bank reports the study says S.O.E. reforms can bring immediate benefits, as in the Solomon Islands where S.O.Es showed an average 10 per cent return on equity in 2010-2012, compared to a return of -11 per cent from 2002-2009.

“The remarkable turnaround is attributed to increased privatization, public-private partnerships, financial restructuring and efforts to place SOEs on a sound commercial footing,” it reports.

“In Samoa, S.O.E. privatization has delivered much needed investment and competition, with improvements to service delivery-particularly in the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors."

“Despite these gains, most S.O.E.s continue to be a drag on growth in island economies."

“Finding Balance 2014 identifies key strategies to guide future policy on S.O.E.s, highlighting the importance of finding the right balance between public and private sector roles.”

Looking specifically at Samoa the A.D.B. reports that Samoa was once regarded as an aggressive S.O.E. reformer in the Pacific, but the pace of reform has slowed.

“Since the mid-1980s, half of its S.O.E.s have been restructured,” the report reads. “During 2001–2004, the government adopted international accounting standards, enacted a new S.O.E. law, and approved the S.O.E. Ownership, Performance, and Divestment Policy advocating the divestment of all nonstrategic S.O.E.s."

“The government has reconfirmed this policy in successive publications of its key planning document, the Strategy for the Development of Samoa (S.D.S.)."

“However, there have only been two privatizations since 2007—SamoaTel and Samoa Broadcasting Corporation."

“The 2012–2016 update of the SDS lacks any substantive S.O.E. reform targets.”


{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

The report hones in on ministerial interference in S.O.Es saying while important steps have been taken to strengthen S.O.E governance, but ministers continue to exercise undue influence over board decisions.

“The 2010 establishment of an independent director selection panel and passage of the Composition Act in 2012 resulted in all ministers resigning from S.O.E. boards, and 180 new director appointments."

“While the S.O.E. Act prohibits non-directors from influencing board decisions, ministers and Cabinet have historically had significant operational control over the SOEs."

“The recent reforms should lessen direct ministerial control over SOE board deliberations and make Cabinet directions more transparent, yet early indications are that ministers— individually and collectively through Cabinet—continue to intervene in SOE matters. “This is contrary to the SOE law.”

In its report the A.D.B. cites examples of what it terms “inappropriate ministerial interference”.

“There are numerous examples of inappropriate ministerial influence, both pre- and post-passage of the Composition Bill,” the Report reads.

“Cabinet was active in supporting—if not driving—a series of noncommercial investments by the Samoa Ports Authority. The resulting ST$24 million debt burden, combined with the poor profitability of the investments, drove the company toward insolvency. It was rescued with a ST63 million government transfer in 2012."

“In March 2010, Cabinet directed the Agricultural Stores Corporation to transfer land valued at ST$2.7 million to another S.O.E., for a consideration of ST$0.80."

“In 2012, the Samoa Airport Authority was directed by the responsible minister to discount the rent charged to a private sector tenant for a large section of airport land.”

Moreover, the Bank reports that there have been no significant variations in individual S.O.E. performance over recent years.

“There have been no significant variations in individual SOE performance over recent years,” the report reads.

“Two historically profitable SOEs, Samoa Shipping Corporation and Polynesian Airlines, have seen a sharp decrease in profitability since 2010, but the balance of the portfolio has generally been stable."

“The five largest SOEs represent 71 per cent of the total assets, but only six of the 15 S.O.E.s generated a profit in 2012.”

In addition to this the A.D.B. found Samoa’s S.O.E. portfolio continues to perform well below the government’s target of seven per cent Return on Equity (R.O.E.), that the rate of return on the ownership interest of the common stock owners.

“Average R.O.E. and R.O.A. (Return of Assets, that is how profitable a company's assets are in generating revenue) for Financial Year (F.Y.) 2002–F.Y.2012 was 0.1 percent,” the report reads.

“Samoa is one of only three countries in the benchmarking sample to show no material improvement in portfolio R.O.E. for F.Y.2002–F.Y.2012, despite access to subsidised credit — 7 percent below the commercial rate on average — and an estimated $134 million in government transfers.”

The Bank says government transfers to S.O.E.s during 2002–2012 were equivalent to 2.6 per cent of Samoa’s Gross Domestic Product averaged over the period.

“This contrasts sharply with Tonga, where the SOEs made a $14 million net contribution to government,” it says.

“The social and economic cost of subsidising underperforming State Owned Enterprises (S.O.E.s) is significant—government transfers equate to 53 per cent of the total spending on health.”

“The government continues to support loss-making (and insolvent) S.O.E.s through soft loans, or investments directed through Samoa National Provident Fund, Development Bank of Samoa, or the Accident Compensation Corporation.”

The Asian Development Bank (A.D.B) reports that while Samoa has a robust legal, governance, and monitoring framework for S.O.E.s, it has never been fully implemented.”

“As has been demonstrated in Solomon Islands, S.O.E. performance would improve if the government fully implemented its S.O.E. Act,” the A.D.B. reports.

“This should be supported by publishing S.O.E. accounts and achievements against key performance targets. Increased disclosure would allow increased stakeholder engagement and scrutiny of S.O.E. performance and commercial returns.”

The Bank also noted the issues the Unit Trust of Samoa (U.T.O.S.) has faced in an effort to meet its overhead costs.

“Since 2011, the U.T.O.S. has become a major source of subsidized S.O.E. loans,” the report reads.

“To generate revenues to meet its overhead costs, U.T.O.S. has embarked on an aggressive financial disintermediation program, raising funds from the public and local institutions and lending the money to S.O.E.s at below commercial rates.

“The government guarantees the loans to the S.O.E.s. U.T.O.S. is not only crowding out lending to the S.O.E.s by commercial banks but, by providing subsidized loans to S.O.E.s, it also gives the S.O.E.s a competitive advantage.”

“Provision of subsidised loans may encourage S.O.E.s to undertake or continue noncommercial investments.”

“By June 2013, the U.T.O.S had ST52 million in outstanding loans to S.O.E.s and government-owned commercial businesses.”

In its report the A.D.B. further highlighted the problems U.T.O.S. bought to the table saying it distorts the market and S.O.E. behaviour.

“U.T.O.S., established in 2010 under the Prime Minister’s sponsorship, was intended as a vehicle for ordinary Samoans to participate in S.O.E. privatisations,” according to the report.

“The Trust’s first investment was 25 per cent of the privatized SamoaTel, funded by a ST7.9 million government loan.”

“While its prospectus identifies other S.O.E.s as potential investments, no further privatisations have been completed.”

“To meet its ST500,000 annual operating costs, U.T.O.S. has been forced to seek alternative investments.”

“By the end of F.Y.2013, U.T.O.S. issued ST11.2 million of units to investors and borrowed ST41.0 million from Accident Compensation Corporation, Samoa National Provident Fund, Samoa International Finance Authority, Parliamentary pension scheme, and other S.O.E.s all controlled by the government and lent ST52.4 million to various S.O.E.s and government owned commercial businesses.”

The A.D.B. says U.T.O.S.’ liabilities are generally long term, while its loans are short term, resulting in a significant maturity and interest rate mismatch.

“UTOS distorts the market and SOE behavior as follows,” the Bank reports.

“It unfairly competes against the commercial banks, it influences interest rates and commercial banking sector liquidity and loans to S.O.E.s are covered by a free government guarantee - normally the government charges S.O.E.s for guarantees.”

“(Furthermore) S.O.E.s do not need to meet commercial credit criteria, U.T.O.S. profits are tax free, the government guarantees for the S.O.E. loans and returns from the SamoaTel investment represent a fiscal risk for the government, taxpayers are effectively funding distributions to unit holders and S.O.E.s receive “cheap” money, and may be tempted to invest poorly.”

On a more positive note, the A.D.B. did note the recent appointment of a minister to oversee the S.O.E. portfolio

“The Minister of Finance will focus on the fiscal oversight of SOEs, including their impact on the government’s financial position,” the report reads.

“The SOE Minister will focus on the ownership interest: governance, the return on investment, long-term organisational health, and effective financial and operational monitoring.”

“This very positive development should improve monitoring effectiveness.”

It also noted the encouraging step the Government took in privatising the Samoa Broadcasting Corporation.

“A little over 1 year after the sale, the new owners reported improvements in almost all aspects.”

“In the first year after acquisition, the company profited sufficiently to pay the new owners a dividend. “

“In the second year, the directors elected to retain the profits in the business for reinvestment.”

“This sale demonstrates that privatization can bring immediate operating benefits and improved profitability, and also that state-owned enterprises can be sold for fair value even when making losses.”

“Purchasers will value a business based on how they will manage it and the business opportunities they can identify, not on the success or failure of the previous owners’ business strategies.”

      

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

Samoan chiefs file official complaint

0
0

A group of village chiefs filed an official complaint to the Asian Development Bank (A.D.B) yesterday. And they are adamant that if their grievances are not adequately addressed by the Bank, they are prepared to take the matter all the way to the International Human Rights Court.

Fiu Mata’ese Elisara, of Sili, Leuluaiali’i Tasi Malifa, of Afega, Telei’ai Dr. Sapa Saifaleupolu, of Samatau and Lilomaiava Ken Lameta, of Vaimoso and Safotu, are objecting to a series of A.D.B-backed reforms that could lead to the alienation of customary land.

According to a press statement issued by the group yesterday, they are gravely concerned that the reforms, which have been carried out “without meaningful consultation of Samoan people,” could have the effect of individualising control over land throughout the country, and ultimately placing large tracts of land in the hands of banks.

Lawyer, Leuluaiali’i Tasi reminded that the Constitution prohibits the alienation of customary land.

“While the Constitution allows customary land to be leased, it prohibits the alienation of customary land from its rightful owners – the entire aiga, including through a mortgage,” he said. “The A.D.B-backed reforms violate the spirit and the letter of this fundamental Constitutional protection.”

The A.D.B was contacted for a comment yesterday evening but an official response was not received at press time last night.

According to a statement issued by the group, however, under the A.D.B-driven reforms, “Samoan law has already been changed to allow mortgages over leases of customary land that have been granted by the Minister of Lands, Surveys and Environment, without any consultation whatsoever with the aiga.”

The group warns that as a result, Samoans are in danger of experiencing the same type of “corrupt land deals” as those recently exposed in Papua New Guinea, where local communities have been duped out of large swaths of their customary land.


{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

“Our customary systems of consensus building may be slow and frustrating in the eyes of the financial market, but they safeguard our rights and help ensure the equitable distribution of land and its benefits,” said Telei’ai.

“It is these systems that have ensured our survival as a people into the 21st century.”

Fiu, who is also the Executive Director of Ole Siosiomaga Society Incorporated, agrees.

“These reforms are incompatible with the indigenous culture and political institutions of Samoa, and they are inconsistent with the needs and aspirations of the Samoan people,” he said.

“The failure of the A.D.B to comprehend this has sadly meant a missed opportunity to achieve the laudable goal of promoting economic use of customary land in a culturally, socially and politically appropriate manner, and without meddling with our tenure system.”

For Lilomaiava, he says the consultation process is so important.

“Consultations should ensure people across the country are aware of the reforms and actions and how they may be affected,” he said.

“People should have an opportunity to provide their opinions, which should be taken into account in decision-making.”

“If the A.D.B and Samoan government listened carefully, they will hear plenty of good ideas to enhance customary land productivity in a way that truly benefits local communities.”

According to the group, approximately 80 per cent of land in Samoa is governed under customary systems, which entail collective ownership by entire kinship groups, known as aiga. In their official complaint, the matai state: “We object to the A.D.B’s determination to dispense with our customary laws and systems, which have successfully safeguarded the interests of the aiga for millennia…”

“The risk runs high that benefits will flow not to local communities, but to foreign investors and national elites… Meanwhile, members of our aiga will face dispossession from potentially large-tracts of land, foreseeably resulting in loss of income, threats to food security and impoverishment.”

The group claims that under a series of projects called Promoting Economic Use of Customary Land, the A.D.B has driven land and financial sector reforms in Samoa to make it easier to lease customary land and to use those leases as collateral for loans.

“The A.D.B wants to create a system through which a single authority figure can unilaterally lease out customary land, without consulting other members of the aiga. Under the reforms, the lease agreement could then be used by the leaseholder to access credit from a bank. But if the leaseholder is unable to repay the loan, the bank can take control of the lease, which could cover large tracts of customary land for decades,” the statement continues.

“Loan default rates are very high in Samoa. Another A.D.B-backed scheme that provided loans to small businesses resulted in more than half of the businesses falling behind on their repayments.”

The complaint points out that “leasing of land to outsiders for long durations, and then mortgaging those leases, comes perilously close to land alienation, forbidden by customary laws as well as the Constitution of Samoa.”

Dr. Natalie Bugalski, Legal Director at Inclusive Development International, which helped the matai to prepare the complaint, said: “The reforms in Samoa are typical of the A.D.B’s approach. The development bank has a habit of viewing land solely as a commodity to be integrated into financial markets.”

“The A.D.B needs to respect the fact that some societies have a different relationship with their land and value its enduring social function above its financial value.”

“By failing to hold meaningful consultations and properly assess the social implications of the reforms, the A.D.B has violated its own safeguard policies,” Dr. Bugalski added.

The complaint letter states that given the fundamental and adverse changes being imposed on fa’a Samoa, all further reforms should be halted and a full and meaningful country-wide consultation should be carried out.

      

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

Samoan smiles as S.I.D.S. is finally here

0
0

SAMOAN SMILES: Miss Samoa, Susana Fanueli and a former Miss Samoa, Poinsettia Taefu at the National University of Samoa last night where a gala dinner was held for the Private sector Forum as part of S.I.D.S.

UN News Centre - It’s here. The third Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) conference is only hours away now and after all the preparations, the time has come.

“It’s critically important for us to put our best foot forward and we have done just that,” chief executive of the conference, Fa’alavaau Perina Sila, told UN Radio yesterday after the S.I.D.S facilities were officially handed over to the U.N.

The site’s aquatic centre is used for accreditation, with photos for identification cards being taken next to diving boards and a lap pool.

The hockey stadium has been temporarily converted into office space. Hanging bananas decorate walkways where joggers once stepped, and electric carts ride up and down the complex routes.

On Friday afternoon, the site had more visiting families than delegates.

The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States is set to begin tomorrow, with a series of pre-conference forums on youth, private sector and civil society, organized mostly off-site.

Former Cabinet Minister, Safuneituuga Paaga Neri, surrounded by her grandchildren, was among those visiting the complex earlier in the week.


{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

“I wanted them to see this. It is historic,” she said. As part of the preparations for the conference, the school year was adjusted to give students a break, and free up more volunteers for the conference.

The scenes from the Faleolo International Airport into Apia are filled with decorations welcoming visitors, painted coconuts and flowers.

Asked what she hoped the conference would bring, Safuneituuga’s answer turned to climate change. She stressed that partnerships must be created that will allow people living near the shores to withstand extreme weather and rising sea levels.

Samoan journalist, Andrew Fa’asau, told UN Radio that the people he has interviewed in the run up to the event are particularly concerned about the impact of climate change.

“They hope that something good will come out of this conference with regard to the small island nations like us,” he said, adding that islanders are pointing to industrialized nations for causing the climate woes.

The expectations held for this conference are seen outside of the sports complex gates, where Samoan police direct traffic on streets named “SIDS”, “welcome” and “hope.”

In a Guardian opinion piece this week, Prime Minister Tuilaepa urged world leaders’ help warning that the Pacific islands are sinking.

“I want world leaders to see for themselves what our islands are doing to deal with climate change, natural disasters and the tough economic challenges thrust upon us,”

      

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

S.I.D.S. opens

0
0

WELCOME TO SAMOA: Former Miss South Pacific and Miss Samoa, Verona Parker, welcomes the world to Samoa with a siva Samoa during the official opening of the S.I.D.S. conference at Tuana’imato last night. The spectacular show of culture involving hundreds of proud Samoans set the tone for five days of meetings up ahead.

The world leaders who are in Samoa for the United Nations third Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S) conference were given a taste of Samoan culture last night.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Tupua Ban Ki-moon, officials and delegates marveled as students from Don Bosco, St. Mary's Savalalo and Marist Brothers Mulivai welcomed them with singing and energetic Samoan dances during the opening ceremony.

A fire knife exhibition followed which brought out many cameras from visitors and locals alike. And to round it all up, three former Miss Samoa winners joined the current Miss Samoa, Susana Fanueli to perform the taualuga.

Thousands of delegates packed the Tuanaimato venue for the opening.

Archbishop Alapati Mataeliga conducted a prayer ceremony followed by a welcoming address from Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi.

“As we speak, the world in many parts is in turmoil and by the grip of violence, deadly deceases or social unrest,” said Tuilaepa.

“The threats that these represent to the peace and stability of our world and community cannot be underestimated and international focus has understandably and correctly turned to these consequential imperative demand for action that has resolved it.”

Tuilaepa said that despite this, the United Nations and its membership have not ignored the challenges faced by S.I.D.S.


{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- ads-articles(24.03.14) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-9419815128221199"
data-ad-slot="2395638412"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

He reiterated that Samoa is honoured to host the international conference, which it could not have done alone without the support of her international partners.

Tupua Ban Ki-moon said he was overwhelmed by the “beautiful cultural ceremony”.

“Tonight we celebrate in coming together of the international community,” he said.

“The world is here to say that together we can pursue a sustainable future.”

Secretary General of the S.I.D.S conference, Wu Hongbo also addressed the guests.

He again applauded the efforts by the local community and spelt out how he remembers Samoa.

“I share with you my new understanding of Samoa,” he said.

“(Letter) S stands for steady performance. We, the United Nations, and those involved in the conference are grateful for Samoa’s steady performance over the past months in tackling every task.

“A stands for amazed, amazed by the pure and unique Pacific Island culture.

“M, (we are) moved by the commitment of each Samoan, every community even every village.

“O, overwhelmed by your legendary history and warmth hospitality.

“A, (it is) assured that we are going to have excellent start of this conference and its future implementation.”

Lastly, Mr. Wu said the people of Samoa have welcomed the world with opened arms and “it will remember you and each one of you in this evening. From the bottom of my heart thank you very much people of Samoa.”

The conference begins today.     

  

{googleAds}<script async src="http://www.samoaobserver.ws///pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>
<!-- 336x280 (bottom-article) -->
<ins class="adsbygoogle"
style="display:inline-block;width:336px;height:280px"
data-ad-client="ca-pub-2469982834957525"
data-ad-slot="1033882026"></ins>
<script>
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
</script>{/googleAds}

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viewing all 2664 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images