Samoa is holding its legislative election this weekend and citizens are preparing to line up to vote for, most likely, one of the two major parties.
The incumbent party, the Human Rights Protection Party (HRRP), led by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, currently enjoys a more than 70 per cent majority in Parliament.
In April 2006, the HRPP won 35 of the 49 seats, improving on its narrow victory at the 2001 poll. However, the party has effectively been the major power in Samoa since 1982.
The other major party is the Tautua Samoa Party. It was formed in 2008, seemingly with the main intention being to provide a strong opposition to the HRRP.
Yet the first years of the Tautua Samoa Party have not been easy. Due to problems faced when registering the party, and with incumbent members breaching the Electoral Act by joining the party while already in Parliament, the first member was only properly elected at a byelection last May.
Joining forces
Since then, the Tautua Samoa Party has joined forces with other minority parties such as the Samoa Party and the People’s Party. Thus they are the major opposing force when the nation goes to the polls tomorrow.
But that isn’t saying much. The HRPP has 79 candidates up for election, while Tautua only has 39.
In fact, Prime Minister Tuilaepa has already been declared the winner for his seat, as his only opponent was recently disqualified.
Two other Tautua candidates as well as an Independent were recently disqualified in a court decision that applied the ruling that a candidate may not run for Parliament without the signed consent of their village pulenu’u, the equivalent of a village mayor.
The pulenu’u confirms that the candidate has matai (chiefly) status, and has served the village well. Both are requirements in order to run for Parliament.
In a letter to the editor in the Samoa Observer, the Office of the Press Secretariat defended the court decisions.
“Village government is, of course, a microcosm of state government, thus, leadership in the village often translates to leadership in government.”
Tuilaepa told the Observer the three disqualified by the Supreme Court were dishonest.
“It is proof they have done nothing for the village,” he said.
“It also is proof they are not worthy to be candidates because they never had any intention of giving service to the people they proposed to represent.”
'Sad day' for Samoa
But Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi, a co-founder of Tautua Samoa Party, said it was a sad day for Samoa and cried as he spoke to the Observer.
“The saddest part is that (the HRPP party) was conceived to protect the rights of the people,” he said, arguing that the decision had stripped the would-be candidates of their constitutional right.
Tautua had some brief joy recently when their candidate for Palauli, I’aulualo Tuimaseve won a petition against the Electoral Commissioner, when the village pulenu’u eventually consented to his application to run.
In another case that is still in front of the Supreme Court, the current Member for Lotofaga, Fiame Naomi, is suing her opponent and Tautua Party candidate, Fiaola Lole, for reasons of eligibility.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa has argued that the Tautua Samoa Party is unrealistic in its expectations, and that his HRPP have many ongoing policies that require their re-election to be fully completed.
In an interview with the Samoa Observer, Tuilaepa said “the HRPP targets more long term development while including the current needs of our people.
“That’s the simple difference between an untried party and us where we have the experience and necessary knowledge and expertise in how to run a country.
“Even when you want to do things short term you need money. You can’t do anything without money.”
With money and power comes a great deal of responsibility. Just how much power the HRPP has will be determined in the next few days.
Whether the HRPP’s majority is lessened or increased will show the judgment of the Samoan people of Tuilaepa and his government.
Alex Perrottet
