Faleata West Member of Parliament, Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, did not mince words yesterday.
Speaking in Parliament about the state of the Apia Township, he said a lot of work needs to be done if Samoa is to attract more visitors.
“There are dogs everywhere in town,” he said. “The problem with stray dogs is not new and yet its getting worse.” And that’s not all. “If you look at the lights lining the seawall, none of them are working.
The grass around town is overgrown, some parts are mowed, others are not.” For example, Lealailepule said that at Mulivai, “the grass has nearly reached the main road. These are everyday things.”
Associate Minister of the Ministry of the Prime Minister's Office, Peseta Vaifou Tevaga, intervened to say that he is part of a Committee that is looking at tackling the stray dog problem.
“The Prime Minister is not here but our committee met about this,” he said. “I want to explain that the reason why these dogs haven’t been put down yet is because we have ordered special rifles for dogs.”
Peseta said the government “used different types before.” “The problem (with those rifles) is that the animal was shot but not killed. So when (staff) collect them for burial, they come back to life.
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}
“That’s why our committee has ordered these special rifles that not only shoot to kill but they can only come back to life once they’re buried in the hole.”
Back on the floor, Lealailepule thanked the “Associate Prime Minister” for his contribution. “I’m glad that it’s being looked into,” he said.
“As with these new special rifles, the Associate Minister should be given them first for a practise round.” On a more serious note, Leala said there is so much rubbish in Apia.
He pointed to a new-found beach at Vaisigano as an example. He said this could be a great recreational area for relaxing walks and the like. But such prospects are ruined by littering.
“My belief is that the number of public servants has increased,” he said.
“As such, resources in terms of vehicles have also increased.
“There is also an increasing number of contractors carrying out this work but we seem to be going backwards.”
Lealailepule said these problems all contribute to the demise of the tourism industry, as it has been recently highlighted by the media.
Leala urged the government to “work together with the private sector” to improve our tourism prospects.
“The government departments exist to offer support and put the private sector first. We shouldn't put ourselves first,” he said.
Speaking about public servants, he said: “The government employed and paid you money to offer help to these people (private sector). They are the ones suffering since they’re taking out loans to make things happen.”
Lastly, Lealailepule reminded that “the government cannot do everything.”
<!-- 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}