There may have been many “empty promises” made by foreign investors to develop the island of Taumeasina in the past but the most recent one has proven to have broken that cycle.
From Papua New Guinea, the Lamana Group is making progress at the Taumeasina Island Resort.
The foundation has already been laid out and walls erected.
High Chief of Moata’a, Asi Tuiataga Blakelock told the Sunday Samoan that works are going “smoothly” at the site.
Asi was also happy to say that construction works for the resort have helped the villagers in terms of employment.
“Many people from our village are benefiting from work at the resort,” he said. “We have an estimate of about 150 locals being employed there for the start up work.
“But the company is hoping to employ more people soon as works continue for the next months.”
About 30 percent of the 150 locals employed by the company are from the village of Moata’a.
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Asked if the village is getting compensation from Lamana for the land, Asi said no.
“There is nothing like that to pay the village for their work,” he said. “That is the between the Papua company and the government. They (Lamana) are our family…they also want to be Samoans.”
Asi stress that the company is generating employment for the village and they are in full support for their work.
He said the project is expected to go on for another two and a half year.
Another high Chief, Asi Tunupopo Sagagauatasi Keve was also in support.
He said the project is working out really well for them.
“(The project) it’s ahead of schedule,” he said.
“The Prime Minister said he hopes the company will be different and now we see that there work is showing and we are glad.”
Lamana is the third company to have proposed to develop the island.
During the ground breaking in June last year, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said he has lost count of the number “crooked palagis” promising to invest in the country.
On that day Tuilaepa recalled the long history of broken promises made.
“You are probably aware that we have attended many occasions such as this on this very island over the past 40 years and have for those years waited with much anticipation of seeing a hotel or resort being built on Taumeasina,” he said.
“One man came and dug up Taumeasina, he was with one of our local lawyers, and I said to this man, ‘you know, there have been many crooked palagis that have come here to Samoa, do you have money?
“And he said ‘Tuilaepa I have millions’, and then what? He dug sand and sold it and then slowly faded away.”
The total project includes 18 rooms and 25 villas and is estimated to cost $140 million.
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