Speaking of left and right (which I’ve been doing a lot of lately), it seems that left versus right has flared as a political issue in Samoa. No, it’s not about left-handers versus right-handers, or liberals versus conservatives. It’s about which side of the road to drive on.
As reported in today’s Wall Street Journal, the Samoan prime minister has ordered a switch from driving on the right (a la the U.S. and most of the rest of the world) to driving on the left (a la Britain and its former colonies). The idea is that because Australia and New Zealand do it in the British style, the switch will make it easier and cheaper for Samoans to purchase used cars. The prime minister has also claimed that driving on the left could help more people escape tsunamis. (I’m having some trouble following the logic of that claim. Maybe you had to be there.) Opponents envision tremendous carnage as a consequence of the changeover, as well as a steep decline in the resale value of the cars that are currently in use in Samoa. The change is supposed to take place next month. Let’s see how this one plays out.