I was asked recently by the media on what I thought of Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
From the perspective of a small Island Country in the middle of this vast Pacific Ocean, whose only concern is a peaceful ocean to provide our children with daily sustenance, the visit has caused unnecessary ripples, darken the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean and brought unnecessary headaches and high blood pressure to its citizens.
The geopolitical worries and concerns of the many powerful countries of the World are matters far, far beyond our daily priorities.
As the oldest member of our Parliament and the leader of the Human Rights Protection Party, I see Madam Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as an unnecessary interference and provocation by the Speaker on a highly sensitive and dangerous political issue impacting the relationship between the Government of the United States and the People’s Republic of China and peace in the Pacific and the World.
As in any Democracy, the business of the Speaker is only to conduct the meetings of the peoples’ representatives in their Houses of Parliament, while international relation policies are the responsibilities of their Executive Governments headed by the Presidents or the Prime Ministers.
For Pelosi to take on the role of the President of the great United States, this is an embarrassment to President Biden and the Democratic Party.
It appears now to the other leaders of the World that the most powerful Democracy in the World, the United States, is led by a very weak President.
The United Nations has by Resolution, supported the One China Policy.
And the United States Government by virtue of its agreement with China when opening up their relations in 1979, four years after Samoa signed its own friendly agreement with China, also recognized the one China Policy.
The Pacific and the World do not need another Putin style blunder which is which is now creating havoc worldwide.
The Taiwan visit gives all of us a good lesson to remain peaceful and vigilant against what their blind and power-hungry Speakers of their Parliaments can do to their countries.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi
Leader of HRPP