“Your future is in your own hands.”

By Sarafina Sanerivi 28 August 2016, 12:00AM

Muli’aumaseali’ Ne’emia is a matai of Vaovai, Falealili.

He owns and operates a grocery store and runs a taro plantation.

He thinks the government is doing a fantastic job helping those who help themselves.

And he praises the government for all it has been doing over the years to help develop Samoa.

He told the Sunday Samoan during an interview at Vaovai last week, he had no sympathy for those who just complained and complained.

He dismissed their complaints where they blamed the government for their struggles as nonsense.  

“Our government is bringing in a lot of help and assistance from other countries to develop our country,” said Muli’aumaseali’i. 

“It is doing a really great job in developing Samoa,” he added.

“There have been a lot of improvements over the years in terms of development. 

“How do we know this? 

“Take a look at the town of Apia and its development. We did not have those tall and high glass buildings ten years ago. 

“Today we have a lot of cars and nice smooth roads in Apia. 

“We have new school buildings and improvements in infrastructure. That is a sign that there have been a lot of development and improvement over recent years.” 

Muli’aumaseali’i went on to say: “Many Samoans who have been living abroad for years are often surprised when they visit today. 

“They see a lot of improvements and are happy seeing how this country is progressing well at the moment.

“But in the midst of all these developments,” he pointed out, “there are those who are continuing to point their fingers at the government whenever there are problems in their lives.

“Instead of being grateful, they always complain and look at the negative sides.”

Muli’aumaseali’i is of the opinion that everyone has a part to play in the development of Samoa. 

“It’s not just the government,” he said.  

“Development starts from home. If you develop your own family well, you will not be dependent on others and especially the government, to do things for us.

“There is no government anywhere in the world where you can find government leaders going from house to house giving out money for every family in the country. 

 

“There is nothing like that happening anywhere else at all. 

“You are responsible for earning a living for your own family and feed your children. Your future is in your own hands. 

“A lot of people are depending too much on the government and are expecting too much from our government without even doing anything to help their own families. 

“If you work hard, you will reap the fruits of your effort. You will get back whatever you will put in whatever you do, if you work hard and make good use of God’s talent and gift for us. 

“We are all blessed with different talents and callings from God.”

Muli’aumaseali’i said “our people need to understand that we are responsible for our own future. 

“A lot of people don’t understand that your future is in your hands,” he said.  

“Some of us depend on our families living overseas to provide for us. That’s all right because we all need help sometime. 

“But we can’t just sit around and wait for them to keep sending us money all the time. 

“They also have their own problems and things to do, and they will not be able to provide for us every time we ask them for help. 

“Look around us. We have a green environment, prefect for plantations and farms. We are very fortunate to have these lands and natural resources with us.”

Muli’aumaseali’i said people need to stop coming up with excuses and blame others for their struggles. 

He also said: “For instance, when the roads are not in good condition and there is no water supply, people will always blame the government

“But the truth is this is not the government’s fault. 

“For example, I have mentioned the conditions of the roads that we have. 

“Yes, our government is paying for the construction of the roads, and as a matter of fact, those are our money. 

“But the money is then given to the construction companies or the people who are building the roads for us. 

“Not the government. But whenever there is a problem with our roads, people always turn around and point their fingers at the government, saying they are not doing this and that. 

“I am a witness of the careless work done by some of these construction companies who are in charge of fixing our roads. They are so dishonest and careless with the way they do their work.

“One of the issues that I have noticed and a lot of people are complaining about, are the children hawking goods for sale on the streets of Apia. 

“We often ask, why are they out there when they should be going to school? Most of them say that their parents do not have enough money to send them to school. 

“But the thing is, our government has made education free so that they can go to school even if their parents do not have enough money to send them to school. 

“It’s my belief, the main reason these children are out on the streets earning money for their families is because their parents are lazy. 

“Most of these people are the ones who migrated from the rural areas to the urban areas and when they moved there, they did nothing but sat at home and sent their children to earn money for the family. 

“But that’s not how it should be. And once the children get home with the money, they use it on other silly things. 

“The escape from being part of the village because of village and church contributions saying they need to move in order to find a better future for their children, but that’s a different story when they move to Apia. 

“And they keep blaming the government about it.”

He also thinks people should stop blaming the culture and the church for whatever problems they’re facing.  

Muli’aumaseali’i is of the opinion that “people are blaming our culture for the struggles and hardships we face in life. 

“Culture has become a part of us. We can’t turn our backs on our culture because it is part of our identity. 

“We all have faalavelave; it’s just that we have different ways of handling our problems. Some people suffer because they keep comparing themselves to other people. 

“Some even use church contributions as an excuse. The Bible is clear that the more you give, the more you receive. And I believe and I have faith in that saying because it happens to me all the time. 

“If you give something to the Church whole-heartedly, God will provide another way to reimburse what you have given away. But if you give something for God and then complain, what’s the use of giving it in the first place? 

“The problem is that people are not thinking ahead and are not looking at the long term run. 

“I have noticed back here in the village that some people, once they get $100, they think and act like millionaires spending all that money in just one day, wasting it on alcohol and other things. 

“Some of them drink starting from the morning till night,” he said.

“But like I’ve said, everything starts from each individual family. If you develop your family well, you will never depend or rely on others to do things for you.”

By Sarafina Sanerivi 28 August 2016, 12:00AM

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