Ask any of the old timers in our local boxing community if they’re familiar with the name George Tanoa and the eyebrows will surely be raised in a huge question mark.
Not because they don’t know the man but because they are interested.
Who doesn’t know George the champion slugger from American Samoa back in the day!
He even boxed at the Apia Park Stadium and won against a home opponent.
Anyway, the same George Tanoa is now taking out a lawsuit against the Governor of the US territory.
Here’s how the full story came out on the international media:
A former national representative boxer has filed a lawsuit against the American Samoa government for restricting his right to freedom of religion.
Tanoa filed the complaint in the High Court seeking $US1 million in compensation due to the government’s Covid-19 restrictions.
Mr Tanoa’s lawsuit is the third one pending in court challenging provisions of the governor’s declarations.
According to the complaint, Tanoa wished to attend an early morning prayer-meeting at his church but the governor’s declarations only allowed public gatherings between 5am and 9pm daily.
He said the meeting had been a routine church event since 2017.
He argued that the restrictions were made despite there being no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the territory.
The other two pending lawsuits are seeking $US4 million each in punitive damages.”
End of news report.
How does that sound? Now before you rush off with some silly thoughts about chatting up your lawyer along the George Tanoa way pause a moment.
Chill a little. A lot of good that will do you.
This is Samoa. Not American Samoa or the US of A as they say in the land of the brave and free.
We are the land of the ‘pipo’ or the ‘Malo o Pipo.’ We follow the ways of the ‘pipo’.
“….really…and where does that lead, dear?