The roots lead to village life

Dear Editor,

Re: Progress means better C.E.O’s

I couldn’t agree more with Mr Huaman. Although problems with underperforming C.E.O’s and A.C.E.O’s could be put down to the blind leading the blind, I would expand on Mr. Huaman’s hypothesis that Samoa is facing a crisis of the dumb making the not so dumb ‘’dumber.’’ Education is where it starts and education is where it ends or should I say continue?

Samoans in the villages are perhaps at their lowest ebb this century where sheer grit , determination and creativity should evolve. You need not look at Government Departments for inspiration or for the next line of entrepreneurs.

The Public Service is in name only an institution which is a grave yard for the uninspired. I’m being very careful here but the real light on Mr. Huaman’s fantastic opinion on Samoa’s C.E.O’s should be shone on the pitiful political state of village leadership.

Where I disagree with Mr. Huaman is that selecting the ‘ideal’ candidate by his professional standards will only be a temporary solution to a problem which is as complex as the Pyramids of Giza. 

Over the last twenty to thirty years Samoa has lost countless qualified personnel due to the hostile work environment and whatever positive changes introduced have also been washed away as a consequence of limited vision and more importantly a toxic relations between people. 

Why is this so? Consider this point for a moment. Put simply people are not prepared to sacrifice or go the extra mile on the basis of being ‘smart’, innovative, or creative.” 

Hold what you have in your hand and hope for the best. 

From the C.E.O. to the A.C.E.O. this trend is popular. Money and more money, structural changes, conferences, workshops are vital stimulants to a prosperous society but given the woeful state of village leadership and how Matai are instructing the next generation we have a problem that should be addressed first at the village level, district then nationally.

Why the village level? 

It is where real political power rests in Samoa. It is where we originate from and where our moral and spiritual compass lies. Yes in the humble village and that includes Apia and the so called ‘town areas.’

I’m not calling for a revolution in the villages, I’m calling for a re-alignment a complete reflection on where Samoa is heading. 

If the state of village life is mired in ignorance and desperation then we should work together to change this situation and quickly. It is no secret we as a nation lag way behind in terms of innovation, self dependency and management of our natural resources . 

Yet even though the picture I paint is bleak, Samoa is light years ahead of nations of similar development and populations ie Nicaragua, Tonga, Solomon Islands and so on.

Credit should be given where credit is due and I applaud the current leadership in Government yet not even the Government alone can resolve some of the issues Mr. Huaman so neatly raises. I say that we need to look at the roots and they lead to our village life.

 

Karl Marx 

Samoa Observer

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