Dear Editor,

My education, economic freedom and, choices are products of appreciating foreign learning and orientation. I don’t hate any of the host countries and friends I was privileged to sojourn among. 

However, I never tried to force my Samoan way of life, on any of them. Nor does any other Samoan who, like you and I, had the financial freedom to journey outside of Samoa to be learned marching to the hosts beat. 

It is what’s expected of a guest. 

But Samoans have been forced to march to the beat of foreigners for way too long. Even now, after it won it’s long and hard fought struggle for Independence. So what? Continue to be slaves on our own turf? That I dislike. There is no Freedom in idol worship. To be free we have to break this dependency. 

Added to that is a vile contempt of an individualism ideology, and a ‘Capitalist Society”, of defectors who abandoned our forefathers fight for “Samoa Mo Samoa”, either blindly or with clear intent, joined the ranks of hungry predators such as ADB and the likes, to destroy Samoa and what we hold close to our hearts. Le Aiga. 

I disagree with you on this Trade Issue, Jeffery. You see, Samoa’s self-reliance is right here under our noses. Samoa can be sustainably viable at all levels of local and regional competition. It does not have to be modeled after China, Iran, the U.S.A or Singapore. 

We are rich, living with in our means. No need to compete with Sharks on the global level for resources and garbage we do not need. For what is needed but the unquenchable thirst of want, which can never be satisfied. A ta’avale afi ia ua pala solo ma fa’atamaia ai le si’osi’omaga ua le iloa po’o fea e tia’i I ai. Simple and sustainable is how we have always lived.

Asipau McMoore