View Across Apia Harbour of the Catholic Mulivai Cathedral
There is a famous saying often credited to Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool some people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
The sentiment conveys a powerful lesson for any democracy, in that, political deception may succeed temporarily, but it cannot permanently overcome truth.
That lesson is acutely pertinent to Samoa today.
The rise of the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi Party and its subsequent assumption of government in 2021 was accompanied by a political campaign in which claims and allegations were made against the then Human Rights Protection Party Government that had great consequences for public opinion.
It is about something far more fundamental: what happens to a democracy when political misinformation becomes an instrument for obtaining and retaining power, and when those in power Some of those claims were repeated so persistently that they were accepted by many people as established facts, without ample distinction between allegation, political rhetoric and demonstrable
become increasingly dismissive of legitimate criticism and public accountability?
A government can survive a mistake.
It can survive an unpopular decision.
It can even survive political embarrassment.
But when deception becomes a method of political conduct, the damage is much greater.
It begins to erode the foundation upon which democratic government ultimately rests: public trust.
Our Christian principles demand better:
Samoa is a Christian nation.
Whatever our political affiliations, our Constitution, our churches, our villages and our families have long been influenced by principles of Christian morality.
Scripture provides remarkably clear standards by which those entrusted with authority should be judged.
Proverbs 29:2 tells us: ‘When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.’
Proverbs 11:3 reminds us: ‘The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.’
And Luke 8:17 provides an enduring warning: ’For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed.’
These passages are not political slogans.
They are principles concerning truth, integrity, justice and accountability – principles that should apply equally to those in government and those in opposition.
Political power does not exempt anyone from those standards.
Indeed, those entrusted with the greatest public authority should be held to the highest standard.
The charges brought against me:
The Samoan public was informed through various media outlets last week that charges had been filed against me following a complaint by the Prime Minister concerning comments I made in press conferences.
I will allow the legal process to take its course, and I have no intention of prejudicing proceedings that are properly before the courts.
But there is an important public dimension to this matter that I believe cannot simply be ignored.
As members of the Opposition, we have an inherent constitutional and democratic responsibility to scrutinize the Government of the day.
Opposition is not an act of disloyalty to Samoa.
It is an essential component of parliamentary democracy.
An Opposition that cannot question government decisions is not an effective Opposition.
An Opposition that cannot raise matters of public concern is not serving the people.
And an Opposition that is expected to remain silent whenever the Government finds criticism uncomfortable would render democratic accountability meaningless.
As an Opposition member, I am also routinely approached by journalists and members of the public seeking comment on matters of public interest.
Responding to legitimate media questions is part of the responsibility of public office.
The Prime Minister may choose not to have media conferences and respond personally to questions put to him by the media.
That is his prerogative.
But my decision to respond to questions concerning the Government and matters of public interest should not, in itself, be transformed into wrongdoing merely because the Government finds those comments uncomfortable or politically inconvenient.
The misinformation that cannot simply be forgotten;
What concerns me most is the broader history of political claims made during the 2021 election campaign and the consequences those claims continue to have.
There were, in particular, three major claims repeatedly associated with the FAST campaign which I believe deserve serious public examination.
First, the claim that the HRPP Government had sold customary land to foreigners.
This was an extraordinarily serious allegation in Samoa.
Customary land is not simply an economic asset.
It is inseparable from our identity, our villages, families and our obligations to future generations.
To suggest that a government had sold customary land to foreigners was therefore capable of generating enormous fear and anger among ordinary Samoans, especially those living abroad who remain deeply connected to their families and villages at home.
Such an allegation should never have been treated casually.
It demanded evidence.
Second, claims concerning my alleged ownership of houses and other financial interests overseas, which were used politically to create an impression that I had improperly enriched myself while serving as Prime Minister.
Again, allegations concerning the personal integrity and financial conduct of a Prime Minister are extremely serious.
If such allegations are made, the appropriate democratic response is not simply repetition.
It requires evidence, verification and accountability.
Third, there were claims concerning the reforms to the Land and Titles Court and the related constitutional amendments, which were portrayed as politically driven and unconstitutional.
These were matters of enormous constitutional importance.
They concerned the relationship between Parliament, the judiciary, customary authority and the constitutional order of Samoa.
Reasonable people can disagree profoundly about constitutional reform.
But the fact remains.
The reforms were initiated by increasing public concerns regarding their traditional rights and the challenges of the Land and Titles Court, and the normal parliamentary process was followed.
The HRPP government however, supported the restructuring of the LTC to coincide with the importantly customary matters that it dealt with.
Interestingly, the recent ruling by the LTC President allowing lawyers to represent parties at the Land and Titles Court of Appeal is contrary to the FAST government 2025 amendment that did remove such access to legal representation initially provided in the 2020 Act.
The cost of political misinformation;
The results of misinformation do not end when an election is over.
Words have consequences.
Political allegations can damage reputations.
They can divide families, influence communities, and alter the way people are treated in villages, workplaces and overseas communities.
They can affect the reputation of children and grandchildren who had absolutely nothing to do with the political dispute that created the allegation in the first place.
This is why I can no longer simply remain silent.
The misinformation and allegations surrounding these matters have affected not only me but also the people I represent.
My family should not have to carry the burden of allegations made in the heat of political competition, particularly where those allegations have not been properly established.
For that reason, I have decided to seek appropriate legal advice and pursue whatever lawful avenues are available to me to establish the truth, protect my reputation and clear my name.
I do so not merely for myself.
I do so because a person’s reputation should not be destroyed by political allegations simply because those allegations are repeated often enough.
A government must answer to the people:
There is another issue that deserves public attention.
Government is not the owner of Samoa.
Government is the servant of Samoa.
Public funds do not belong to political parties.
They do belong to the people.
Public institutions do not exist to protect those in power from criticism.
They exist to serve the public.
And public authority should never be confused with personal authority.
When governments spend public money recklessly, when accountability mechanisms are weakened, when criticism is treated as hostility, when inconvenient questions are dismissed rather than answered, and when political narratives are placed above demonstrable facts, the public has every right to be concerned.
The question should not be whether criticism is politically convenient.
The question should be: Is it true?
Is the expenditure justified?
Is the decision lawful?
Is the evidence available?
Has the public been properly informed?
Has Parliament been properly informed?
Has the Government accepted responsibility when mistakes have been made?
And, perhaps most importantly, would those in government be able to apply the same standards to themselves that they demand of their political opponents?
Samoa deserves better than politics of deception.
I do not believe that every supporter of FAST was motivated by deception.
Many Samoans supported FAST in 2021 because they genuinely wanted change.
They believed the promises made to them.
They exercised their democratic right to vote.
That is precisely why the truth matters.
The issue is not whether one political party won an election, and another lost it.
The issue is whether Samoan voters were given accurate information upon which to make that decision.
If political parties are permitted to win elections through claims that cannot withstand scrutiny, and if those claims are subsequently left uncorrected, then the injury is not merely to the opposing party.
It is an injury to the voter.
It is an injury to democracy.
And ultimately, it is an injury to Samoa.
There is a profound variance between political persuasion and political deception.
Persuasion asks people to consider competing policies and decide for themselves.
Deception pursues to create a conclusion by distorting the facts.
The first is democracy.
The second is manipulation.
The truth does not need political protection:
Those who hold public office should not fear scrutiny.
They should welcome it.
If allegations against a government are false, the Government has every opportunity to disprove them with evidence.
If criticism is inaccurate, the Government can correct the record.
If public expenditure is justified, the Government can provide the accounts.
If policies are lawful and constitutional, the Government can explain why.
That is how mature democracies operate.
What should concern every Samoan is a political culture in which questions are treated as attacks, criticism is treated as disloyalty, and accountability is treated as inconvenience.
A government confident in the truth does not need to fear questions.
A government confident in its record does not need to silence criticism.
And a government confident in its integrity does not need to manufacture narratives about its opponents.
As Numbers 32:23 warns: “You may be sure that your sin will find you out.”
Truth may sometimes take time.
Justice may sometimes take time.
Accountability may also sometimes take time.
But none of them disappear simply because those in power wish them away.
Samoa deserves a government that can withstand scrutiny, an Opposition that is free to scrutinize it, a media that is free to question it, institutions that are free to investigate it, and citizens who are free to demand answers.
Most importantly, Samoa deserves political leadership founded not upon fear, manipulation or deception, but upon truth, justice, humility, integrity and accountability.
The people of Samoa deserve nothing less.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi
Leader of HRPP