By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
The shame and shambles of last week would all have been avoided if the Speaker Papali’i Taeau Masepa’u had sworn in Tuilaepa and the HRPP and moved on from there.
He did not have the strength of leadership to stand firm or the counsel of matured wisdom to do so against the wish of the FAST Government party hawks.
As predicted it ended in the infamy that is being echoed around Samoa and out into the international community as the darkest day for our democracy.
The Tiafau Malae became the graveyard for our pride in our ‘ava fatafata’ or culture of respect.
The remains of our faith in the teachings of peace and love by the God this country is founded on is buried there as well.
Our God and Culture is now the Judiciary as far as this new Government we know as Fa’atuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi or FAST is concerned.
Literally translated FAST stands for Faith in God Samoa is United.
After the disgraceful events of the week this party made a mockery of what is supposed to stand for.
Where is that ‘Faith in God’ when the Church leaders were ignored?
One had to sit in the hot sun under a fine mat and risked a heart attack infront of the Government Building lawn. Nothing happened.
Another dropped to his knees on the hard burning ground at Mulinu’u and still nothing happened?
A delegation of the National Council of Churches were shoved aside before they could relay their message of God’s love.
Where does the ‘Samoa is United’ fit in when the Head of State and the Member of the Council of Deputies turned up at Mulinu’u and nothing happened?
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday for the HRPP elected members to be allowed entry into Parliament and to be sworn in.
By Friday Speaker Papali’i was all holy and cultural when he allowed the 18 opposition MPs to take their oath.
Who is you daddy now Samoa?
What has become of the foundation of stability for this country? Try the Malae o Tiafau graveyard. Take a shovel.
When PM Fiame spoke in Parliament on Friday she mumbled about her Government representing the new generation taking over from the old.
Forty years of the HRPP under the leadership of former Prime Minister Tuilaepa is now the geriatric generation if that is what she was going on about.
Young generation huh! Maybe that helps to explain why Parliament was locked up.
Was it to keep out the HRPP members or to have the House to themselves to play around inside?
Young people would do something like that with their level of maturity.
Is this the generation PM Fiame referred to as her transitioning FAST Government?
When Tuilaepa and Co. walked up to the first steel barricade on Tuesday and were prevented from continuing by the solid blue line of police officers, they stood and momentarily sized each other up.
Beautiful oratory then ensued firstly from the police and then from Tuilaepa. This was the culture of respect at play as we Samoans know so well.
The consensus was for Tuilaepa and elected party MPs only to proceed to the second barricade.
The huge crowd cheered and retired happily to cool down in the shades of the hot morning sun.
The HRPP leader did not have the same success with the second steel barricade so they retired to the shades of a breadfruit tree and enjoyed the fresh Mulinu’u sea breeze.
After a while without success they decided to call it a day and returned to party headquarters.
Wednesday morning they made their way back and went as far as the steps of Parliament before the police came around.
This time the tone of respect and deference of the previous day was nowhere to be heard. Booming loudly in its place was a militaristic snarl of obey or else.
Where has all that tone of respect the day before vanished? Is it possible as Tuilaepa suggested that officers were given a dressing down from the top?
What happened? Did the young generation running the show throw a tantrum?
The true victims we should all feel for and must do something about with our vote are the men and women in blue.
Where exactly do they stand with their duty to uphold the law in a land divided by politics?
Is making arrests of rival members of a political party in opposition to the Government of the day breaking the law they are sworn to uphold?
Maybe when this young generation Government tires of wielding their new found powers like light swords from a Star Wars movie, hopefully they can find time to go over the issue.
Tuilaepa has already promised to do so if they are back in power. Do that. Move it up to the priority list.
In the short time the young PM Fiame Government has taken over, confidence in their leadership is far from reassuring.
Are they ready to lead Samoa or are they too young and inexperience to be trusted to do that?
What are the risks they could end up doing damage rather than good to the proud achievements Tuilaepa and the HRPP built over the last 20 or so years for Samoa?
Our political turmoil may have hit a happy note with Parliament back together again but in keeping with the spirit of our young Government, lets not kid ourselves.
Keep us in your loving grace Lord on this your day of rest.