Expensive cost of living worries Talisoa

By Aruna Lolani 31 August 2017, 12:00AM

Talisoa Iolama of Lalomanu is asking the government for help.

According to the 61-year-old, Samoa’s cost of living is clearly that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

“It’s expensive and I know everyone else would agree,” he tells the Village Voice team.

“My family here is just me, my wife and one of our daughters because all my other kids went to seek better futures in overseas countries. So they work there and provide for us financially.”

“I still work the lands as well because I want my kids to know that this life is all about working while you can.” 

“Let’s take the Chinese people for example because they are also my motivation to work; I mean we can spend this lifetime complaining about them but it doesn’t change the fact that they are very smart business people.”

“The Samoan people are also smart but they don’t work like the Chinese people; I mean when another Samoan sees another Samoan succeeding, instead of supporting them, they try to pull them down and I think that’s just in our nature. But you see the Chinese people; they help each other with their businesses.”

“Looking at the situation we are in now; to me it just feels like the Chinese have just moved in to our country and now today; they own this country.”

“Everyone is happy saying that Chinese businesses are where most of our people find jobs but they don’t know that they are just using our people to know everything in this country.”

“For instance; you see a Samoan employee driving a delivery truck that belongs to a Chinese company and then after a few months; you see that delivery truck come again but a Chinese employee is now driving it and that’s because they are using our people to know about the roads around our country but you know that’s just my opinion.”

“I’m just trying to state a message that our people, our government should be protecting our own people. Despite their nature, it is still our responsibility to protect our own and to protect one another.”

“If that doesn’t motivate you to do this for our people then think about this; 10 years from now, I assure you that the life we have now is not the life we will have in the future because by then, another country will be taking over Samoa.”

By Aruna Lolani 31 August 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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