The rapid development of technology and artificial intelligence has created political instability in many nations.
It has been used to spread disinformation and misinformation through social media, which small countries like Samoa are not equipped to fight.
Cyber vulnerability is the latest addition to the list of challenges to threaten Samoa.
Under the Human Rights Protection Party, we worked hard to build our resilience and manage our economic and environmental vulnerabilities.
This allowed us to graduate from the list of least developed countries (LDC) on 1 January 2014.
It took Samoa 52 years to achieve that milestone.
This progress is now being undone as cyber threats using disinformation and misinformation are being used to destabilize our nation. In 2021 we saw the speed with which the FAST Party leadership spread false information about the sale of customary land by HRPP to the Chinese, the millions of tālā in public funds that were used to buy mansions and property overseas, and the illegal employment and nepotism by the Prime Minister’s family and relatives.
In its first term in office, the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi Party commissioned a forensic audit costing millions of tālā to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by the HRPP Government.
According to the findings, no evidence of such wrongdoing was identified.
Our HRPP Government followed principles of good governance, including transparency and accountability.
Hon. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, who was later ousted by the current FAST leaders, recently stated in Parliament that there was in fact nothing in the forensic audit report to substantiate the allegations.
That was yet another complete waste of millions of tālā by the FAST Government to mislead the diaspora about the situation in Samoa.
Larger developed nations have the technology, experts and money to fight cyber threats, which is happening every day.
Small nations stand very little chance of overcoming this challenge, especially if misinformation and disinformation is a weapon that has been used by the current government.
The weaponizing of disinformation, prosecution of social media journalists, banning of local media from government press events, and silencing members of the Opposition is a threat to our democracy.
Twice, I have been taken to the Police Station and charged in connection with carrying out my duties as Leader of the Opposition.
History has taught us that unless we the people stand up against the abuse of power, tyranny and corruption, nobody else will.
Tuilaepa Sailele
Leader of HRPP