Last week Government announced that this year’s Independence celebrations shall be scaled back.
This is part of a new policy to limit grand celebrations only to milestone years.
Although one can also conclude that the decision to scale back this year’s celebrations is to ensure that all efforts are directed to the successful hosting of CHOGM in October.
This is a noble goal.
However, Samoans have been celebrating Independence Day for the last 60 years.
The annual festivities including parades, dances, traditional sports, songs, and feasts, were provided voluntarily by schools, organizations and villages.
It has always been a source of national pride to do so.
With communities far and wide getting up before sunrise to join the celebrations and hear the stories of Samoa’s journey to independence.
Although important, the contribution of senior civil servants at the annual celebration is limited to the organization of the VIP programmes, coordinating group entertainment and distribute the fares home for the performers.
For the Samoa Police Service and its band, the independence celebration is an opportunity to proudly lead our national anthem and march with military precision to raise and lower the flag with great dignity.
Surely, none of these arrangements for our Independence Day celebrations would interfere with the CHOGM preparations?
Unfortunately, what becomes clear is that the celebration of the day that Samoa finally regained its independence has been relegated by the Faatuatua I le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party leadership in its set of priorities.
It is simply a matter of prioritization and certainly not the availability of funds.
Particularly as public attention now shifts to the FAST government’s budget for the 2024/2025 fiscal year, including the proposed increase in entitlements of Members of Parliament.
This has also become a sensitive issue in the region, as this week the Fiji Parliament came under fire from the public for raising their salaries sky high when the majority of poor Fijian households are suffering from the high cost of living.
Independence Day is when Samoans recount our journey to statehood.
It is when we celebrate freedom, our cultural traditions, the accomplishments of our people, remembering those who paved the way for us, and most importantly the values, laws and rules that bind us together.
Or has it become a case of diminishing returns for the FAST Party?
During the 60th anniversary celebrations, the whole country watched the FAST government organize numerous flag-raising ceremonies in Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and the US mainland with zero consideration to the cost to our national budget.
There were also many generous exchanges of fine mats and lafos at those FAST celebrations.
This is more likely the reason we are scaling back the annual celebration for our Independence Day, not the availability of resources, CHOGM preparations, or demands on our civil service.
The significance of Samoa’s Independence Day disappears when decisions are based on the convenience of easy financial returns rather than the celebration of our God-given heritage.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi
Leader of HRPP