We have a treaty of ‘friendship’ with New Zealand, but all we see is a bully reminding his ‘little friend’ of his place in their world. It has no credibility.
Our people are subjected to a process where they go through humiliating interviews and profiling. There are rising costs, lengthy wait times, and denials. But when a visa is issued, it creates a false sense, like it’s our ‘validation’, while their tourist dollars through visa-free travel are our ‘salvation’.
This is not an accident. It’s a design to keep us in check – a vestige of colonialism. They treat us like second-class citizens while we roll out the red carpet for them like royalty. We shouldn’t continue with this mindset, as our country is more educated now, offering university graduates and much more than what it used to be like 30 to 50 years ago, when our people were only assigned to factory jobs and cleaning.
If New Zealanders travel visa-free to Samoa, then we should demand they obtain one before they travel to Samoa. It’s only fair, isn’t it? It’s not tit-for-tat, but asserting our self-respect as an equal partner in the treaty. We’re not asking for scraps, but for parity and fairness.
They continue to peddle the narrative that it was because our people overstayed a lot, and these measures were necessary to avoid the burden on their country. However, records from the past showed that the highest number of overstayers were from Europe and Britain. Yet they hunted down our Pacific people like animals in that infamous era, the ‘Dawn Raids’. Although a public apology from the NZ government has been issued, it was just a token with no effect or consequence whatsoever.
The introduction of visa-free travel for Samoans would have been far better, but nah – it’s no way, Charlie banana!
There’s no disputing the great support Samoa has received from New Zealand over the years. We are always grateful for their persistent love and compassion for Samoa and her people, especially in times of desperate hardships following natural disasters or health epidemics.
But NZ is a regional player, and they also have an agenda, which helps their CV in the international arena when they present their credentials to undertake prestigious roles on the world stage. And for a small nation, NZ has always boxed above their weight and holds credibility when it comes to getting the job done.
It is also very important for the Western nations to keep track of these events, as our Moana/Pacific nations are cuddling up to China and their readiness to support us. With the recent disaster like the sinking of the NZ Navy vessel Manawanui, they didn’t care about the locals’ well-being, and neither did our own government. So eventually China stepped in and helped, after the local communities appealed for support. New options are now available on the smorgasbord of the ambassadorial menu.
So let’s get behind afioga Anae Arthur Anae and his team, who are fighting to grant Samoan citizens visa-free travel to New Zealand for three months. I’m also appealing to our diaspora in Auckland who like protesting – please help Anae and channel your energies to that worthy cause for our Samoa.
Visa-Free Travel for Samoa to NZ.
