Now that the XVII Legislative Assembly has got down to business with the recent passing of the Government’s $982 million 2021/2022 Fiscal Budget, we expect our leaders to shift their focus to their constituencies.

And it appears the Aana Alofi No. 4 M.P. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster already has his work cut out, revealing in the parliament during the recent budget debate that 75 per cent of his constituency’s 6,000-plus residents didn’t complete their education up to Year 12 and Year 13 levels.

“And only 40 per cent of those from the constituency are employed,” he said.

“It is my personal goal that after the completion of my five years in parliament, I hope to increase the number of people from my constituency that complete school and obtain work…” 

The constituency of Aana Alofi No. 4 comprises the villages of Faleatiu, Faleolo, Fasitoo-tai, Magia, Sagafili, Satapuala and Vailuutai. 

Toeolesulusulu’s concerns about the education shortcomings of residents in his constituency were highlighted in a Samoa Observer article (M.P. aims to eliminate dropout rate in district) published in the 28 September 2021 edition of the newspaper.

We see the rationale of the intervention by the M.P. and the connection he is making between the number of people in his constituency and the low rate of employment. 

If you start joining the dots between the educational levels of the residents in Aana Alofi No. 4 and whether a man or a woman is in full-time, part-time or temporary employment or even seasonal employment or unemployed then you start to get the picture.

There is a strong link between higher education levels and decent paying jobs so it makes sense for Toeolesulusulu to make that a priority in his first term of parliament.

What about the other Members? What are your plans for your constituencies and have you identified areas or issues that need to be addressed as they’ve become bottlenecks to your people's aspirations for a better life?

We are not surprised that the Aana Alofi No. 4 M.P. has detailed information on the demographics of his constituency, which enabled him to rattle off his constituent’s total population and their educational backgrounds, due to his background as an environmentalist where data collation and use is considered an essential part of the job.

And we accept that not all legislators are as technically savvy with data use as Toeolesulusulu. 

But that shouldn’t be the end of the road for Members lacking project management skills as a visit to the Government-funded agencies such as the Samoa Bureau of Statistics, could offer them insights on how they can plan their development interventions in their respective constituencies using the resources offered by the various Ministries, agencies or even corporations.

Over two weeks ago the Ministry of Health (M.O.H.) released data showing districts in Samoa with the highest and lowest uptake of the COVID-19 Astrazeneca vaccine. 

The data showed that the Safata No. 1 constituency had the lowest vaccination rate in the country with just 57 per cent of the eligible population receiving the first dose.

The M.O.H. Director-General Leausa Dr. Take Naseri expressed concern at that time at the declining number of people voluntarily turning up to get vaccinated.

“People do not think the virus will reach Samoa and that some do not believe that it can happen here,” he said in a video published by the Ministry.

It is obvious the Safata No.1 M.P. Leaana Ronnie Posini has got a lot of work to do to bring up the vaccination rates in his constituency in line with the rest of Samoa. 

Political will and a determination to act for the common good, especially in these uncertain times with a global pandemic casting a shadow over the country, can go a long way in promoting a change of mindset against the vaccine.

And do not leave it until towards the end of your five-year term to attend to matters concerning your constituency, even those with ministerial responsibilities who sit in the Cabinet. 

The mandate belongs to the people and ultimately they decide if you rose to the occasion after five years and changed their lives for the better.