Re: Hypocrisy at its best

I’ll weigh in on this one. I think the comparison is like comparing apples to oranges. If you look at how the global economy is structured the advantage leans in favor of the wealthy countries.

Usually the wealthy nations extract more wealth from poor nations than they return in aid and remittances. This has been going on since Europeans set sail looking for resources to make the colonizing nations rich. 

In Samoa’s case, because they have had little to exploit by wealthy nations in the past, it has mostly been money from the poor, to churches whose head offices are in these wealthy nations that is the biggest drain on Samoa.

This may change in the future with climate change though. Wealthy nations will be needing land and solar energy and perhaps water and then Samoa will become more interesting to these colonizer. 

It is in Samoa’s best interest to protect what little resources and land they have from the vultures who like to take everything and give nothing in return.

I like to think what these chiefs have done is not hypocrisy but rather self survival against the dominating odds that work against all indigenous people from poorer nations by the global economic forces and institutions that are structured by the wealthy nations to favor the wealthy nations.

For all the benefits the wealthy nations have received at the expense of indigenous people and their lands the wealthy nations owe them jobs and opportunities to make money to send home. The poorest nations do not owe anything in return, they have given more than their share already. 

So I say Go Matai go. Protect what is yours, be mighty warriors. Don’t listen to all that nonsense about competition. It’s not a fair playing field and never has been. Do whatever you need to do to protect your small business, your rich fertile land, your water, and your solar energy. 

It belongs to you.

Wendy in wonder