Editorials—Details

Governor Palagi?

07/17/2010

Over the July 4th holiday, radio commercials announced that local businessman Tim Jones would be running for Governor in 2012.  In what has to be one of the earliest official starts to a political campaign in history, Jones, who is not Samoan, announced his intention to run for the terrotory's highest office and launched a web site at www.timjones4governor.com. 

Can Jones win?  Probably not.  As mentioned above, he's not Samoan.  Fa'a Samoa still plays a big role in all things Samoan and the pressure would be there to reject this "outsider" as just another trouble making palagi, despite the fact that Jones has lived in the territory for decades.  Then there's that "jobs for votes" thing.  While seldom discussed openly, this dirty little secret is probably what cost Abe Malae the election in 2008, when he mentioned that the ASG was bloated and some jobs may have to be cut.  (See separate guest editorial).

Albert Einstein once said "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing the same way but expecting different results."  Yet, we keep electing people from the same political cesspool year after year and complaining that things don't change.  Perhaps it is high time we forget about the "palagi" label and elect somebody who can clean up the mess that has been made by those who have clung to power for years.  

It will be an interesting campaign.