Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, has had a change of heart.
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In doing so, the Prime Minister has admitted that he had made a mistake when he allowed vendors to use the side of the road to sell their goods.
This time, he has instructed the Police to get serious about removing them.
“Giving them a chance was a mistake,” Tuilaepa said.
“The funny thing is that every time the Police catch someone, they always blame me. They said Tuilaepa said ‘this is okay.’
“But I’ve never said for them to do that.”
The Prime Minister made the comments in response to questions about the growing number of vendors using the footpaths and street corners to sell their wares.
“(They were allowed to sell their goods on the footpaths) when the (Fugalei) market was being constructed,” Tuilaepa explained.
“It was out of love but you know this thing called love is sometimes foolish."
"It’s love that causes other people to continue to do stupid things. So this thing called love is sometimes not good.”
According to the Prime Minister, the idea was that once the market is completed, all vendors should return there, instead of occupying the footpaths and sides of the road.
“There are three things,” Tuilaepa reminded.
“First, there is the road for vehicles, second is the footpath for members of the public to walk on and third is the market for goods to be sold at.”
The Prime Minister said far too many people are selling stuff on the footpaths, much to the annoyance of pedestrians, whose lives are placed at risk."
“The problem now is these people are selling their stuff on the footpath.”
He cautioned that “a man with big legs could trip on a basket of talo, fall and die.”
“So let me remind (vendors) that the footpath was created for walking.”
He added: “What’s happening now is every time people are caught doing something stupid they say that Tuilaepa said it’s allowed."
“So I’ve told the Police that anytime anybody says that, no way.
They should just put them in the car and take them to Tafaifagata (Prison) to teach them a lesson.”
Tuilaepa said the Fugalei Market is now completed and all vendors should use it for business.
Prior to Samoa’s preparations to host the Small Island Developing State conference in September last year, Police enforced the law to stop people selling on the footpaths.
Vendors were only allowed to sell if they had the required permits and business licenses.
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