Dear Editor,

Asian Development Bank Board of Directors have ignored a report that states,

“When considered as a whole, there is prima facie evidence that the noncompliance with information dissemination and stakeholder consultation provisions of the Public Communications Policies (2008 and 2012) resulted in ADB failing to address stakeholder concerns in a timely and meaningful fashion directly leading to policy and legal changes that are likely to cause material harm to the complainants and other customary landowners in Samoa.” Many will remember that the P.M. actively denied that the Torrens System would be introduced thus misleading the customary land owners resulting in actual damage to their interests.

The A.D.B. have also stated that Indigenous Protection Safeguards cannot apply in Samoa as under A.D.B. Policy the ethnic group must be a minority for those safeguards to apply.

Plainly speaking they are permitting corrupt officials to act to the detriment of a race of ethnic people who are strong but at risk, while only protecting those indigenous peoples already dealt a fatal blow by the misconduct of others.

The A.D.B. agree that even though the UN accept Samoan people as Indigenous they do not.

The H.R.P.P. government have signed the Declaration of Indigenous Rights yet must be held to account for acting to deprive its own citizens of their customary land rights.

Maua Faleauto