Our leaders set a poor example [1]
Wednesday, December 2, 2015 - 20:20. Updated on Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 14:45.
Editor,
We are a people destined for failure because of the corruption we have allowed in our government for decades. As a largely Christian nation we should have taken a stronger stand against the dishonesty and wrongdoing we have seen in many of our leaders; but we did not. We are now paying the price for that failure. Our country is going backwards. While other island nations grow and develop industry, we do not. We live off of our loved ones overseas who must send millions of dollars back to us so that we can barely survive. We rely on hand-outs and loans from other nations. Much of that money has been squandered by those in power. We owe more money as a nation than we could ever repay, yet our solution is to beg for more and beg to borrow more.
We have lost all dignity as a people. We squander our children’s future leaving them with more debt than when we started. We thought that the solution was democracy (although we do not actually have a democracy). We all thought that if ‘Akilisi could be our leader everything would be great. The result has been one of the most incompetent, corrupt and embarrassing times in our nation.
It started with his appointment of ‘Etuate Lavulavu as a minister. This was the price he was eagerly willing to pay to get a coalition to put him in power. When you Google the name ‘Etuate Lavulavu the first picture you see of him is his mug-shot when he was arrested in the United States and it goes from there. ‘Akilisi Pohiva has managed, as Prime Minister, to lower the bar, the standard in government so low that corruption is acceptable of a minister as long as he apologizes and cries when he is caught. He takes away only one portfolio from Lavulavu rather than firing him outright. What signal does that send to foreign governments that we need on our side? As a Minister of Tourism; what an embarrassment to have him representing us around the world. There are more allegations and evidence of corruption that will appear in the next few weeks, not to mention that Lavulavu is on trial for corrupt behavior. Where is the Mormon church in all of this? They are quick to let everyone know that one of their own is a minister in cabinet. Is this the standard they want for a Mormon in leadership?
Meanwhile, government goes on, never improving our way of life, never creating jobs or improving our standard of education. Crime is on a steep rise but that is to be expected. When our leaders set such a poor example (and they are well paid) how does a young, unemployed and broke person make their own way? The only difference is that when they get caught, they go to jail. In government you just cry and beg for mercy and nothing happens.
God help us.
‘Aisea ‘Amanaki