Martha Taumata Faavae
The Chairman of the National Council of Churches NCC is anxious at the signs of divisons showing in Samoa.
NCC Chairman Rev Kasiano Leaupepe believes that Samoa is becoming a divided country as a result of the intense campaigning by the different political parties contesting the 50 seats in Parliament in this week’s general election.
Rev. Kasiano believes that candidates have lost respect for each other and no longer knows the ‘va tapuia’ or mutual respect.
“ They are just lashing out to ruin the respect and good regard for each other,” Rev Leaupepe said.
”They use the name of the Lord all the time but their actions and words are not that of Jesus.”
Rev Leaupepe is calling for everyone to pray for a peaceful election this week. This has been an unceasing call by the Chairman and the NCC in the ongoing build up to the general election.
He is hopeful that after Easter with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ everyone would have felt a renewal of faith with the presence of the Holy Spirit and Lord Jesus guiding Samoa into a peaceful election.
The constitution of Samoa states that Samoa is founded on God and Christian principles.
Also accommodated in the Constitution are democratic characteristics and traditional values which are close to the hearts of the Samoans.
Rights to freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of forming associations are also written to the Constitution.
Over a 190 candidates are contesting the election this year. The biggest number of candidates are of the Human Rights Protection Party HRPP followed by those from the Faatuatua I le Atua Samoa Ua Tasi Party FAST.
Another party is the Tautua. Independents with no party affiliations are also contesting the election.
In the past, elections were held triennially but this was changed to 5 years by the Human Rights Protection Party.
Prior to the party system candidates stood for Parliament as independents.
Members were and are still elected either by consensus or by secret ballot. The secret ballot is employed when a consensus has not been reached. Consensus as a practice of the ‘aiga’ or family to select ‘matai’ leaders has been adapted to electing national politicians.
In the 1961 elections, 23 members of parliament were elected by consensus and 18 by secret ballot.
For the 2021 elections three members have already been elected by village council consensus.
He also noted that the name of the Lord is being used in vain and this is very disrespectful.
They are the current Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi leader of the Human Rights Protection Party HRPP, leader of FAST former Deputy Prime Minister in the HRPP government Fiame Naomi Mataafa and Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi of the HRPP.
The party system took quite a while to become entrenched in the Samoan political scene after independence despite the first political party being formed in 1951 by Fonoti Ioane with the Samoa Democratic Party.
Parties were seen by the Constitutional Convention as contentious organizations and Lauofo Meti in his book noted that the concept of a party system was resisted by the Samoans because it was believed that “ the party system if introduced could prove disruptive to Samoan society way of life; it would be an anathema to the closely knit nature of the Samoan way of life.”