By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
When people assemble in peace outside Parliament in a collective response to express their rights is that civil unrest or a basic process of democracy?
When people set up roadblocks to prevent travel on public roads is that civil unrest or democratic rights?
Where do we draw the boundary between the two?
A hot-shot lawyer like Taulapapa Brenda Heater-Latu would know.
For most of us common sense and a basic understanding of the law should do the trick.
The talk Taulapapa gave Pacific Newsroom (PN) at the end of the week about opposition leader Tuilaepa fomenting civil unrest because the HRPP lost the general election is partisan political rhetoric.
Very obvious! PN knew it too and it was big time drama for their regional audience whether it was one-sided or not.
Good listenership rating in a competitive media market equals budget survival for the newsroom site.
Next time keep our politics to ourselves please Taulapapa. Do not bring in the outside media with their own designs and interpretations at our expense- possibly our lives.
These outside media sites are interested only in information to suit their own listener interests and meet their own objectives.
To hell with whatever the consequences of misinformed and misleading information have on the lives of the innocent people directly affected.
What do they care if what was reported and the opinions made would fan more roadblocks and possibly more serious civil unrests in far away Samoa?
At the end of the day they return to the comforts of their homes to enjoy love and peace with their families.
Back in Samoa we and our loved ones dodge roadblocks and more civil unrests they have fanned in our home villages with their out of context opinions
But why tittle-tattle our domestic affairs in the region?
It is not as if we have run out of answers to our own political problems.
What people like Taulapapa want along with all the others who agree with her political beliefs and aspirations are easy answers.
Fighting for a Government they wanted in power and doing so is an achievement they would not want to let go if they can help it.
What they don’t want to hear are cries of protests that the general election results were inconclusive.
There has been no quick-fix answer to those protest cries to date and they are not going away.
For as long as a strong sense of injustice remains they will not be silenced which is normal human reaction.
Tuilaepa as opposition leader has to make that injustice right for the HRPP supporters.
The peace marches and motorcades to raise public attention are the cries of unfair democracy.
As long as the public awareness event is justified and not illegal they are within their democratic rights.
Setting up roadblocks on a public road is illegal so how can they be accepted democratic peace process if they were meant to incite civil unrest?
Taulapapa would know who were involved in the Salelologa and Sasina roadblocks.
A court ruling is a process democracy is founded on. But what if the findings of the judges are conflicting and do more damages than good as the HRPP is protesting?
Supporters of the Taulapapa side have branded Tuilaepa a sore loser but even if that is true it will not wash off the alleged injustices he and the HRPP are convinced of.
Taulapapa did a big NO NO by telling the Pacific Newsroom that Tuilaepa should be locked up for the civil unrest he is supposed to be stirring.
If Samoa really wants true civil unrest then go ahead and throw Tuilaepa behind prison bars.
See where that ends at this very very fragile state of political stability we are hanging on to.
Make the man a martyr to his nation of followers for the legitimate rights he is fighting for.
When Tuilaepa called off that Savaii HRPP motorcade it was for that very reason. Good responsible leaders do that.
The peace rallies and the roadblocks to some extent are fully deserving of the credit for the New Zealand judges to be brought in to preside, over controversial election charges pending on both political sides.
Finally there is a flickering of hope at the end of our very dark political tunnel.
We should focus our attention there.
If they are the cavalry that will bring us out of the dark tunnel lets shower them with as many Hail Mary’s as possible to bring us justice we can accept as fair.
Please Lord, by the love and grace of our Holy Mother, we need wisdom not silly babble about civil unrest.