The
Samoalive
personality of the Week is Sapau
Ruperake Petaia. Born on the 11 of April 1951,Sapau now resides in the
village of Vaitele Uta.
He is presently the Director of Posts and Telecommunications.
Sapau is behind the successful implementation of
a lot of the new Ministry’s policies and regulations, as well as on
advice to the government for the proper administration of the communications
sector.
His
formative education years were in the Primary Schools in Samoa. His secondary
school years were in Samoa College. He then received his Bachelor in Public
Administration and Economic Geography from the University of the South Pacific
in Suva Fiji in 1980. Returning to Samoa he worked in the Public Service
Commission restarting a working career which began in 1973. In 1987 he was
appointed Deputy Secretary of the Commission. In 1989 he was appointed the
Director of the then Post Office Department and a year ago he was delegated and
appointed to his present designation as Director of the Ministry of the Post and
Telecommunications. Sapau also has a Masters in Public Administration from the
Trinity University (USA), through the long distance learning scheme.
So
where to from here:
“
It is my serious intention to leave the public service at the end of my current
contract. However, the feeling now is, its time to move on to my other areas of
interests like working in the plantation, being involved directly with village
matters as a matai of the family and looking after the aiga and church
commitments. I want the younger fellas and the more versatile, energetic
qualified people to take over in the best interest of the country’s
development”
I
wasn’t sure whether I was going to ask this: What about politics?
Well
maybe, but I don’t feel the urge to take up politics
- Hey but who knows!
Sapau
on the other hand, intends to take up creative writing on a more serious and
full time basis. He says, “ It gives
more freedom and keeps ones sanity intact, I HOPE”. Sapau has published
two collections of his poetry, a short novel in English and Samoan and several
other short stories in both the Samoan and English language.
Samoalive hopes to mount excerpts of some of his genres on the
site in the very near future with the permission of my friend Sapau. – soifua