Villager tired of ‘broken promises’

By Vatapuia Maiava 20 September 2016, 12:00AM

Kerisiano Fale, from the village of Leulumoega-uta is sick and tired of the government’s broken promises. Aged 64, Kerisiano and his family’s only struggle is having no water pipes in his village despite the numerous requests to the government.

“We have no running water in our villages,” he told the Village Voice.

“We are lucky that we fixed up that car over there so we can fetch water from houses far down the road because before, we had to walk. “We have lived on this land for 40 years and we have always had this problem. Back then I would really feel sorry for my children who did most of the work in fetching water.

“We send so many requests to our constituency’s member of parliament and all he keeps saying is that the water will come. 

“He hasn’t done anything; even when it comes to our road light, he hasn’t done anything and there are many young people who have to make their way to school before the sun comes up; it’s dark and dangerous. “The way I see it, it’s better to just let them (government) be because it’s giving me a headache.”

According to Kerisiano, the only thing the government does for his family and fellow villagers is bringing papers to sign with no help following.

“When our village sends the government requests to bring a water pipes out here they just come around and make us all sign things,” he said.

“That’s all we get from them, papers to sign. We don’t know where all our requests are going. We have a water tank here from the Red Cross but that’s the funny thing. “The water tanks were given to someone to distribute and they came and sold it for $300 each. The distributer did a business with the donations but we had no choice but to buy it because we really needed a water tank.

“We have been living on that water tank for three years now.”

Despite all the promises made during the elections, not a single one has been followed through with.

“The thing is, our member of parliament made many promises and when the election ended, so did their willingness to help,” Kerisiano said.

“No one in this house works and I have one more girl in university. I am getting old but I work hard in the plantation to provide for my family.

“To be honest I am tired of plantation work so I just work enough to give my family some food.” Even with children residing in New Zealand, Kerisiano dreads asking them for help.

“I have children in New Zealand, who I ask for help when we are desperate,” he said.

“But I hate having to ask them for money;  so this household tries it’s best to provide for ourselves.”

Another issue Kerisiano has is the street lights not working. This poses a big threat for his daughter who makes her way to school in the dark before sunrise.

“Aside from the water, the people who deal with the street lights also give us trouble,” he said. “They too just come and make us sign over and over again and yet they do nothing. It’s dangerous for girls to go to school early because it’s dark without those street lights working.

“Maybe I should just go look for another government to go to. We were tricked into paying some money to the E.P.C. workers once.

“They came and told us that they brought a light bulb but we have to pay them $60 to install it on the street light but we noticed that it was already used.

“So we don’t know if they went and took it from another street light because that used bulb broke not long after. We paid the $60 for it because we were desperate and concerned about the safety of the young ones in the house.”

By Vatapuia Maiava 20 September 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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