By Mataeliga Pio Sioa

Our democracy took a death blow in Savaii last Thursday. It is now buried under the tar seal of the main road at Salelologa and Sasina villages.

Large rocks and dried wood were scattered on top to show up the graveyard and to keep away all who dared to protest or mourn the loss  

What happened?

The proud pillars of unity in our society failed in their moral obligations to protect and uphold our democratic freedom.

Our distinctive culture of traditional rule was corrupted. The healing influence of our Christian leadership was strangely missing. The rule of law opted for diplomacy.

The best way to sum up the aftermath of the events in Savaii last week is to name it Tragic Thursday.

The late Prime Ministers Vaai Kolone and Tofilau Alesana will be in tears at the demise of our proud democracy on their beloved island.

The proud legacy of national unity they left behind was scattered like those rocks and dried wood the village men of Salelologa and Sasina left on the road. 

“What is good for Upolu is also good for Savaii.”

This was the wisdom of foresight by Vaai and Tofilau that echoed louder and louder every passing generation as a reminder that Upolu and Savaii IS Samoa.

What Tragic Thursday did was to shame this endearing legacy by what the anarchy on the Savai’i roads appeared to suggest.

“Democracy that is good for Upolu is not good for Savaii.”

“Freedom of speech that is good for Upolu is not good for Savaii.”

Apologies Vaai and Tofilau.

Where is that going to leave us as a nation? Who will believe us when we loud mouthed about our iron-clad culture of traditional rule and Christianity at the core of our stability?

Are we still a stable country?

To blame politics is not going to cut it.   Politics by nature is the same as fire. Treat fire with respect and it is a blessing. Corrupt it with a blind ambition for power and we are damned.

We all know that the roots of Tragic Thursday are embedded in our indecisive 9 April 2021 general elections result.

The rush to the Judiciary for a quick-fix solution has compounded our political unrest.  The court rulings have messed up a political matter that was not mandated to fix.

Political leadership is the will of the people. The voters rule supreme. Tragic Thursday is what commonsense fears the most when that power is usurped.

The risks of ‘Us Savaii you Upolu’ mindset of separation is now sprinkled like a ‘dust to dust, earth to earth’ farewell to a democracy buried in disgrace on the big island.

The Judiciary solution has failed.  Our chiefs and orators are divided.  The silence of our Christian leadership is compromised by political affiliations.

Samoa has for many months now remained in a state of political disarray that is slipping frighteningly into decay.  Allow the rot to continue and there will be more Tragic Thursdays waiting to happen.

We can demand from Fiame as the new Prime Minister why her FAST political supporters were all over the roadblocks.  Did she knew and condone it?

Was it her doing or was it by the chairman of the party, La’auli Polataivao Schmidt, whose election billboard was set up in the centre of the rock barricade at the Sasina roadblock?

Whatever admission made will not undo the damage done and the pitiful image of Samoa’s democracy in shambles seen around the world?

What about our international donor partners deciding to keep as far away from Samoa as possible after being spooked by the wild images from Savaii?      

What then pray are we to do?

We do have the FAST government in power.  The HRPP has conceded that but only for the sake of peace and to legitimize their protest at the ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ ruling of the Judiciary to install the new Government under FAST.

The motorcades and peace marches they have organized are within their democratic rights of freedom of expression.

The overwhelming public support shown will continue to fire their resolve to openly plead their case against the injustices of the Judiciary and the court ruling that forced them out.

The resistance Tuilaepa and the HRPP party met in Savaii from the chiefs and orators of Salelologa and Sasina were obviously incited.

Whoever was or were behind it failed to see beyond to the damages done to our democracy and the shock of the shameful images of lawlessness in Samoa to the global community.

The underlying question now is what options, if any, that are left for us to save our Samoa from collapse?  All else seems to have failed.

For our own sake we cannot afford to allow our political divisions to fester.  An untreated sore can spread the infection.  ‘Ole po’u e tupu ai le papala.’

We have another saying and it is about the remedial powers of the crown of thorns to cure the same wound it inflicted …. “e fofo e le alamea le alamea’

Politics has wounded the country.  Politics holds the cure.

The healing powers are in the will of the people. Let them make their mandate   absolutely clear and settle this political leadership shame once and for all. 

‘Government of the people by the people for the people’ is the ‘fofo e le alamea le alamea’ way.