By Staff Writer
God and village chiefs and orators will make up the police numbers necessary to maintain law and order during the sensitive general elections period.
The Minister of Police, Tialavea John Hunt, is confident of the more than adequate police enforcement combination and is fully convinced there is nothing to worry about.
“God will not forsake Samoa,” Tialavea promised in response to angry reactions in some of the villages spilling into polling day and beyond, stirred by opposition political parties election campaign smear tactics.
The Minister admits it is a big ask for a police force of only 700 to carry out their duties efficiently in a country with a population of 200,000 people.
The ratio works out to one police officer keeping about 286 people honest and law abiding citizens.
“The honest truth is our police force is too small to perform their enforcement role effectively but we have chiefs and orators working with us in every village.
“The respect for the authority of our traditional leaders is unique in our village culture it is the key to peace and stability in Samoa.”
Tialavea believed Samoa could be worse off than some of the troubled areas in the world if not for the influence of religion and culture.
Election campaign rallies by the FAST opposition party sparked angry reaction recently from many of the villages like Saleaula in Savaii and Manono.
Aiga-ile-tai MP Mulipola Laki reacted angrily in Parliament before it was dissolved last week that FAST ‘dissected’ his good standing in his constituency that included Manono.
MP Mulipola fumed at being kept awake by his constituents ringing up with reports of being smeared by the opposition party in their election rally in Manono.
The Savaii village of Saleaula issued a public notice prior to the Manono incident to protest the name shame in a visit to the constituency by FAST leaders.
Saleaula leaders also threatened serious consequences to any member of the village in or outside the country continuing to add to the name shame.
Many of the FAST election billboards promoting their election candidates were also banned by several villages worried about creating tensions in voters.