Aso Tofi, 08 Oketopa 2020 i le 10:00 am
(Full Samoan and English versions)
(Samoan)
Ou te talitonu ua mae’a ona paelago le mamalu ua aofaga potopoto mo lenei Sauniga Fa’apitoa, po o le Special Sitting o le Fa’amasinoga Maualuga o Samoa, e molimauina ma fa’amavae i le Afioga ia Vaepule Alo Sueenaena Vaemoa Vaai lea ua fa’amanava-ina e le Silisili Ese ona galuega.
O le afioga ia Vaepule sa fai ma uso, tuagane, fa’atamā ma uō mamae mo tausaga e fia i le toatele o lenei fa’atasiga. Fa’afetai faafetai tele lava mo le fa’a-avanoaina o le tou taimi taua e tatou fa’atasi i lenei taeao.
Lau Susuga le Ta’ita’i o le tatou sauniga, lau afioga Reverend Father Etuale ua fofoga le Atua i faiva o lana auauna, sa molita’i le taulaga ma auala mai ai le mānavaga pa’ia, o le feau ma le faamalosi mo i matou uma. E momoli atu le faafetai i lau Afioga mo lou tapena ma saili, lea ua lagona i le faalogo ma oo i loto, le finagalo o lo tatou Matai. Ia saga foa’i e le Atua le mau e tele, ma ia tumu pea lau utu, auā feau ma tiute ua faafeagai ma lau afioga.
E maitauina o lea foi e fa’asalalau fa’a-Livestream lenei Sauniga i le itulau fa’apitoa o le Fa’amasinoga o Samoa i le Facebook (Special Page on Facebook titled Samoa Judiciary), ia lenei Sauniga i nuu-mamao ae maise mo le faletua ia Emma ma le nofoaalo ma le aiga o le Alii Fa’amasino i Niu Sila, Auestalia ma le Lalolagi-atoa. E aofia ai ma Tasmania i Ausetalia lea o lo o matamata mai ai leisi matai o le aiga o Vaepule, o le tofa ia Lautalatoa Pierre Slicer, se tasi faamasino palagi sa matou galulue faatasi mo le tele o tausaga.
Ia fa’amafanafana pea le tatou Matai Sili i le faletua ma le nofoaalo ma le aiga, ma ia avea lenei avanoa e momoli atu ai alofa’aga o lenei fa’atasiga, ae maise mai Alii ma Tamaitai o le Fa’amasinoga a Samoa.
E muamua lava i se tala i le soifua o le Alii Fa’amasino.
Sa soifua mai le Alii F/no i le aso 9 Novema 1952, e maliu ua 67 ona tausaga.
O lona tuaa o le afioga ia Vaai Kolone lea sa fai ma Palemia o Samoa i leisi vaitau, o lona tina o Fotu o Samoa Toma.
E toa 12 ona uso ma tuafafine, ma i le tausaga 1978, sa faaipoipo ai i le pele o lona olaga, le afioga ia Letuimanu’asina Emma Kruse Vaai.
E to’a 5 o la alo lea e aofia ai le alii loia o Masoe Saleimoa Charlie Vaai le e alala mai, ma le tamaitai loia ia Lemauga Monique Vaai.
E to’a 6 fanau o le fanau po o grandchildren.
O Vaepule e mimita lava, o ia o le tama Vaisala mai le Motu-tele o Salafai. Sa aoga i le Vaisala Primary School, soso’o ai ma Leifiifi Intermediate i Apia, ma ave ai loa e ona matua i Niu Sila i le Wellington College i Ueligitone.
Sa maua lona tikeri BCA po o le Bachelor of Commerce and Administration ma lona Bachelor of Laws mai Victoria University i Ueligitone, toe foi mai lea i Samoa e tautua mo le atunuu.
Sa amata lona auauna faa-loia i le kamupani loia o lona uso matua o Alaelua Saleimoa Vaai le Vaai & Vaai Law Firm lea sa paga fa’atasi ma le afioga ia Lesatele Rapi Vaai, se tasi o tamalii sa fai ma fa’amasino o le F/ga Maualuga o Samoa i tausaga ua mavae.
Soso’o ai lea ma lona faigaluega i le NPF i le tofiga o le Loia o le NPF mo le tele o tausaga.
Na tofia ai lea e le Malo e avea ma Tausi Mavaega ma o ina na toe fa’amanuiaina lona olaga i le tofia o ia e avea ma Fa’amasino o le Faamasinogaga Faaitumalo. A sa’o lo’u manatua, masalo o le tausaga 2004 lea na tofia ai, amata ai loa ona ma faigaluega fa’atasi, ae ua leva ona ma uo.
Sa ia umia le tele o tofiga o le F/ga F/lo: Fa’amasino Sinia po o le Senior DCJ, Coroner po o le Pule o Maliu Fa’afuase’i, ma sa amata ai loa ona faigaluega o se Fa’amasino o le Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa, e lotea talosaga apili ma talosaga o le toe iloiloina o Fa’aiuga o le F/ga o FmaS.
O le tasi lea vaega o le galuega sa fiafia ai tele le alii fa’amasino. Ma sa maitauina lona atamai i le fa’atino-ina o ia galuega.
I le tausaga 2016 na tofia ai e le Komisi o Galuega Fa’a-fa’amasinoga (JSC) lona afioga e fai ma Fa’amasino o le Faamasinoga Maualuga. Sa ia tauave lea tofiga mo le 3 tausaga ona retaea ai lea i le fa’aiuga o le 2019 ona ua si’i mai i Niu Sila e saili se fofo mo lona gasegase Kanesa.
Masalo o lea ua maitauina i tou afioga sa tufa-ina e le Matagaluega ia lipine piniki i le tou ulufale mai ma o lo o laei nisi o matou I le lanu piniki, e fai ma faamanatu o le alii Faiamasino ma le faigata o lenei gasegase ua sosolo fa’a-afi i le tatou atunuu.
E tele foi isi tofiga sa umia e le afioga ia Vaepule ae ona o le manumanu i le tatou taimi, o lea o le faa-puupuu atu – o le tamaloa, e tele ona taleni! Ma e tele tofiga fa’a-fa’amasinoga na fa’aoga ai ona mealofa mai le Atua.
Gata ai I se faamatalaga I lona soifua galue. A tonu e leai seisi o tatou e tete’e pe a fa’aauau lau molimau i le gagana Peretania mo le silafia o e o lo fa’a-fofoga mai i nuu mamao ae le malamalama i le tatou gagana.
(English)
We send greetings to all who have been able to join us on this auspicious occasion of a Special Sitting of the Supreme Court of Samoa, to pay tribute and formally farewell a distinguished and much loved colleague mentor and friend, Afioga Vaepule Alo Vaemoa Vaai. Special greetings go out to Mrs Emma Vaai and the family in NZ and elsewhere, and to Your Honour Robert Fischer & the other overseas members of our Court of Appeal, and of course to our friend former Justice of the Supreme Court of Samoa Your Honour Lautalatoa Pierre Slicer and Tonia Slicer in Tasmania, Australia.
I have said a little about Vaepules history which I will repeat for the sake of our non-Samoan speaking audience on this Livestream broadcast coming to you from Ctrm No. 1 in the Court Building in Mulinuu, Samoa.
(See above).
Since his premature retirement from office last year due to illness, Vaepule has been sorely missed by all of us. Because yes, he was a colleague, but to all of us, he was much more than that. Variously described in the tributes we have just heard from the Law Society and Madam Attorney as:
– a mentor,
– a friend,
– a calming influence during times of turbulence and stress, and there is much of that in this job,
– and one who applied the law with common sense,
– even if the law said something different!
– I recall an occasion when a lawyer from the Attorney Generals office who violently disagreed with one of his rulings demanded – “Your Honour, that is outrageous, may I please have that decision in writing.” Whereupon he responded – “Here is my ruling counsel. I will speak slowly for your benefit. You will write it down. Now you have it in writing!”
This is not to say he couldn’t write. Because he was well known to all the lawyers for his penmanship. If a lawyer was speaking too fast he would slowly and deliberately look up from his notes and say – “Counsel, can you see this? (holding up his pen). It’s called a pen. You just watch the pen, watch the pen.”
He also had a wickedly sardonic sense of humour which is probably why we have been close friends for over 40 years. In the days when I was recognized as a senior judge, the newly sworn- in District Court Judges when they encountered a tricky problem, would sometimes come to me for advice. I would patiently listen then give them the benefit of my experience. Then they would go to Vaepule and seek his advice. His first question would be – did you ask Vui? They would say yes. His response would be “very good. Now go and do exactly what it is that you want to do”.
We will also miss his smile. That broad never-ending smile that is well known to us all. The smile that could mean “malo” for a job well done. Or it could mean – you just keep on going and going counsel, with that ridiculous submission, keep on digging your hole deeper and deeper…………
There are many stories to be told about this man. Justice Ameperosa and my colleagues can tell you many more. As can Justice Lesatele Rapi Vaai who I see is back in town [ua lava le ga kafao Lesa – sau ia e fesoasoani mai i le galuega o le Fa’amasinoga].
Suffice it be to state that Vaepules passing will be felt not only by the judges of the Civil & Criminal Courts but also by those of the Land and Titles Court. As can be testified to by the President and Judges of that court the Land and Titles Court was very dear to his heart. Vaepule like many of us understood the importance of that court to the citizens and residents of this country. And he like I believed that for real change to occur, it had to be sustainable. And this meant a change from within. Because you can reshape any institution as much as you like, but if it is not accompanied by changing the hearts mind and habits of those who serve within it, all will be for naught. This process was begun by the President last year with a programme of training and upskilling of judges and support staff and there can be no better testimony to the dedication and commitment of people like Justice Vaepule, who gave so much of his time energy and well-being to the Land and Titles Court, that such work be continued by the President and the new judicial administration.
I can think of no truer words about Vaepule and his life than those contained in Timothy chapter 4 verse 7-8:
“I have fought the good fight
I have finished the race
I have kept the faith
Now there is in store for me
The crown of righteousness
Which the Lord the righteous judge
Will award to me on that day.”
Fai mai upu o le Tusi: “Le auauna lelei ma le faamaoni, ulufale maia i le fiafia o lou Alii.”
We today collectively mourn but also celebrate the loss of a colleague, who had a deep sense of fairness and justice.
– he always strove to do the right and proper thing,
– whatever the cost, whatever the price that had to be paid.
– he was very “old school” in that sense.
– but these are values that should never change,
– these are the values that we as judges should daily espouse to fulfill and carry out.
– I like to think that we do a reasonably good job of that.
– And that Justice Vaepule would be proud of us.
Manuia lau malaga Vaepule Alo Vaemoa Sueenaena Vaai.
E le mafai ona fa’agaloina oe.
Tatou toe feiloai i se aso ma se taimi i le alofa o le tatou Alii Fa’aola.
On behalf of all my colleagues, we extend our sincerest thanks and appreciation to Vaepules family both here and overseas, and to all who have been able to join us today. In particular Mr President of the Samoa Law Society and Madam AG. And to the Reverend Father Etuale for the beautiful service and of course, to the Ministry and Madam CEO Moliei Simi-Vaai for organizing this event.
Soifua ma ia manuia.
