One key lesson learned from our present turbulent parliamentary term has been the role of a vigilant, capable and proactive opposition in our democratic process.
After the turmoil of the 2021 election, it became clear as the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi government took shape that Samoa needed a loyal opposition to uphold the rule of law.
FAST did not have the experience in leadership, and it was obvious that they had no real plan for the development of Samoa.
The role of the opposition is not fully understood by many Samoans, who grew up believing that being in the opposition carried a certain embarrassment, even shame.
Many believed this meant you were on the “losing side.”
At the time I joined parliament, I saw firsthand the importance of the opposition role, as we fearlessly challenged the disastrous policies and heavy-handed tactics of the government of the day.
There were many stories of fierce exchanges of those days in parliament that are part of our history, retold with some comedy and colorful twists.
But those hard-fought battles focused on the needs of our country and struggles of our people.
As Prime Minister, I often encouraged opposition members of Parliament to organize themselves into a shadow cabinet and hold our HRPP administration accountable.
To support their efforts, we provided the opposition leader with a vehicle.
We even allocated $200,000 annually in the budget for officially recognized political parties in Parliament to cover their expenses, and helping to reduce reliance on business donations that could lead to corrupt practices.
Even when our party held an overwhelming majority in the House, at times reaching up to 95% of Parliament’s membership, we still relied on our self-created backbenchers to raise concerns and offer constructive criticism of our government policies.
In many democracies, the opposition is referred to as the alternative government, challenging the policies of the ruling party in parliamentary debate.
Over the last four years, Samoa has come to better understand the role of an opposition that upholds the Constitution of Samoa and never backs away in the face of intimidation.
There is no shame in being in the opposition.
That is a constitutional role to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency.
As Samoa has now seen, the opposition is the people’s last democratic line of defense against tyranny, deceit, incompetence and divisive leadership.
The scars of this parliamentary term will heal and soon be a distant memory in Samoa’s history.
We will emerge stronger as we continue this journey to being a truly independent nation, proud of its faith, culture and traditions.
God bless Samoa.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi
Leader of HRPP