Dear Voters, I am certain that at this time, most of our voters have pretty much made up your minds as to whom you will support in this election for our Delegate’s seat in the United States Congress. This letter is to ask you one last time to consider TOGIOLA TULAFONO to be your choice to represent our people and our territory. I am not asking you for your sympathy, family relations or just because we are friends or acquaintances. While these considerations are naturally our human nature, I am asking you to consider first, the qualifications and usefulness of the Delegate you want to represent American Samoa and our people. I am offering to you my training, education, extensive experience and love for our country to do the best job for us. I am asking for your support, firstly, because I truly believe my qualifications and experience will help build a better future for American Samoa. I am committed to renewing better and closer working relationship between our representative in Congress and our local leaders including our Governor, the Fono and the private sector. I will also forge a stronger bond with the federal government at every level to advance American Samoa’s living standards in income, jobs, education and health care. My administrations as Governor were able to write competitive grants that brought millions of dollars for programs and supporting our economy during tough times. This was only possible by working closely with these federal agencies to maximize the federal funding. We were able to write and present to U.S. Department of Interior our five year plans in order to be rewarded the maximum amount of CIP dollars under USDOI formulas. I was able to apply, and receive from the President of the United States, a declaration of a disaster within a few days (not weeks or months), from the tsunami event, allowing my administration to work with federal agencies immediately to give the assistance to our people. Within that week, I spoke personally with President Barack Obama to thank him and his administration for the excellent response to our needs. These were results of excellent working relationships I have built over the years with federal agencies. I will bring this approach with me to the U.S. Congress if elected as our next Congressional Delegate. We are deeply indebted to the federal government’s support for more than a century. However, federal forces can adversely affect American Samoa’s economic development with inappropriate laws and regulations intended for the US in general. Too many things have happened that affected our interests, but are always having to come after the fact to try and correct each situation. If I am elected to be our Delegate, that will not happen again. I will always be in the forefront to articulate the protection of American Samoa’s interests, and will make sure these issues are communicated immediately to the Governor and the Fono, so we can address these matters together at the same time, before they are concluded against American Samoa. As your representative in Congress, I would rebuild American Samoa’s relationship with the Office of the President of the United States as well as the Congress. I would urge the federal government to develop specific policies and plans for the development of American Samoa and the U.S. Territories. This is necessary in order to receive maximum Congressional and Executive Branch interests. A former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of the Interior for Territorial and International Affairs, Allen Stayman, has reported that the major issue in U.S. territorial relations is the fact that: the federal government has “no policy-guiding principles for the unincorporated territories; there is no political status goal, and that places like American Samoa remain in a “status limbo, neither fully domestic nor foreign—a condition that complicates the development of solutions.” He argued that: unless Island leaders can join with the Obama administration to develop targeted economic revitalization plans… and obtain needed Congressional support … there will probably be significant economic contraction in the CNMI and American Samoa. There certainly was. He expressed concern that under these depressed economic conditions, federal officials may be unable to find the necessary financial resources or the time to deal with the challenges of these territories. As your representative in Congress, I will cooperate with the Governor and the Fono to urge the federal government to develop federal executive policies and plans for territorial development. We need a change in order to give our people and our territory better service. In order to create new conditions, we need new thinking. Let us join together to make that change to create new conditions for ourselves. Let us “Look Forward and Move Upwards” in the next term in Congress. I, once again, request your support and vote for TOGIOLA TULAFONO, to be our Delegate to the Congress of the United States. My very best wishes for a successful election and I pray the peace and harmony of our Lord and Savior will prevail in everything. Ia manuia le Palota Amerika Samoa. Soifua, Togiola T.A. Tulafono youtu.be/CYJF1ZBBhGg
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 21:00:00 +0000
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