Editor
The jubilant and joyous celebration upon the return of the national rugby team, Ikale Tahi, from their heroic tour to the World Cup gave me the idea of organizing a parade for our elected politicians (PRs) from Ha'apai. This parade will be a celebration of their successful parliamentary campaign for this year, 2007.
Since the opening of Parliament this year, our PRs have been heavily engaging in debates and lobbying to improve the lives of their Ha'apai constituents. How admirable!
Ha'apai's commerce and trade [could] have dramatically improved, a credit to their two PRs' hard work. Harvesting the ocean, being Ha'apai's main source for their livelihood, their PRs [might have] come through with their parliamentary proposals to provide cooling and refrigeration equipment for storage and transportation of Ha'apai's fish to the more profitable market in Tongatapu. A modern communication system as well as a mobile medical team concept [might have been] exceptional as well.
Oooops! I beg your pardon. I spoke too soon. Ha'apai does not have the cooling and refrigeration system or the other nifty stuff I mentioned, in place. But I am sure our PRs could have and almost thought hard about it.
To the PRs, thank you for thinking of us in our times of need. We know you are getting busier because of your tight schedules. I beg your pardon again for disturbing you while on your month long break due to the Pacific Forum. But please, do not forget us. As you are too busy working on more important issues like, hmm... hmm... , you know what I mean.
Please do not try to free us from bondage, as it seems to be your priority. We freely fish wherever we want, travel the kingdom, speak our minds without fear, and we keep sending clowns to the Big House. Yet, you keep telling us, ...Our form of government must be changed because we are not free....
As you [might have] declined to receive your salaries for your month long sabbatical from your duties, due to the Forum meeting, we are in deep admiration of your stand to show the rest of the kingdom, you only get paid if you do any work. Wait! What was that, you were on paid status while no work was done? Hmmm! Our cooling and refrigeration system can wait.
It seems a good lesson on hypocrisy is urgently needed as we are in dire need to be freed from those who claim we are not free.
TamaFoa
tevita [dot] u [dot] langi [at] us [dot] army [dot] mil
