People, Parliament, Party and Pi Tautau

Subject: Samoa Politics 

O Se Fesili: What is an MP? 

This post is brought to you by the character or letter “P” of both the Palagi and Samoan alphabets. 

“P” as in Perspective and Parody. And speaking of the Samoan alphabet, the “Pi Tautau” immediately comes to mind. 

Parliament, Party or People? (Palemene, Pati po’o Pipo?) 

Presently, we have this period of percolating political pandemonium among our people talu ai ni popolega i nisi o pili poo tulafono taufa’aofi. Oute le ta’ele pisipisi, but for the most part, I would like to parse some problematic words like “Parliament” and “Party” especially since the acronym/abbreviation/initialism “MP” is now in the state of perplexity or puzzlement - if not a political ambiguity. Which one is prior and precedent? “Member of Parliament” or “Member of Party” - Palemene po’o le Pati? According to the present principles, practices and laws, passed recently, it might as well be the latter. I ni tulafono fou ma le foliga pi’opi’o, ua atagia mai ai ua faase’etuagalu ma lona lua le palemene, ae faamuamua ma sili atu le taua o le pati. O la’u point, e iai tulafono e prudent and praiseworthy ae iai fo’i isi tulafono e pointless and pea-brained. 

One such pea-brained law is the one where a Member of Parliament loses his/her seat when he/she leaves or resigns from a party. When a person runs in the national elections, he/she primarily and principally runs for a seat in Parliament, first and foremost, and not a seat in a party. The constituents and voters elect their candidate to go sit (no pun intended) in Parliament as a Member of Parliament ae le o se member of a party. The candidate can and may run as a member i lalo o le tagavai a le party, but his/her premiere right and privilege as a Member of Parliament supersede that of any party membership, loyalty or primacy. 

I le ma lenei, when a member of Parliament is sworn in and takes the oath, yes in Parliament, he/she is sworn in, literally, as a “sui usufono o le Palemene,” (Member of Parliament) ae le o se sui usufono a se pati. E lelei ona toe faitau le tautoga. When an MP leaves a party, he/she needs to stay in Parliament as an independent. A party should not have the right, through its by-laws or through any Act, to abrogate or deny a duly elected MP his/her seat until the voters decide during a regular election or by election -- if for another legitimate reason. Ia poo se recall fo’i. The authority is vested in the people - not the party. Power without authority is illegal. Atonu e iai le right a le party e faate’a ai le sui mai i le latou party, but not from Parliament. 

A party is temporary while a parliament is permanent. A party is fickle and changes but a parliament is perpetual. A party is inferior while a parliament is paramount. A party is only a “part” but a parliament is whole. A country can exist without political parties but not without a parliament - or other ruling body for that matter. 

Now here’s a preposterous irony or -- in line with the P subtext -- a Paradox. According to the government, the primary objective for the three bills and other new laws is to advance and perpetuate customs and traditions; hence to bring the modern government’s protocols and practices more in line with the tu ma agaifanua. Okay perfect, fair enough. That’s a positive and a plus. And why not? There are plenty of parallels between the two. With regard to the national Parliament, it has gradually been modified to mimic and photocopy its local counterpart - the village fono. Put simply, Parliament is the local village fono writ large. First, the national Parliament is called the Fono (with uppercase “F”) eponymously after the local village and “lowercased” fono (council). Second, the national parliamentary house/building (Fale Fono) is modeled in shape and pattern after a traditional fale in the village where the local fono meets. Third, the round seating arrangement of the traditional fono is also a pattern found in the national Fale Fono. Fourth, the members of both are exclusively matai only. Fifth, and unbelievably so, the monotaga is now a requirement to become a member of both assemblies. And that leaves us with one profane and prevailing difference between the two -- pppparties! Political Parties. 

Here’s my personal prognostication: The perspicuous purpose and goal of the present government is for the village fono and national Parliament to be perfectly aligned and compatible. Again, they are not because Parliament has parties and the village fono does not. Therefore, to be similar or the same, two propoundments are possible - either get rid of political parties in Parliament or introduce them on the local level. I think the former is more pertinent and apropos. Not to become a one party state, but as one group of pally, peaceable, patient and pleasant people with a shared pedigree as in the traditional village fono. Only then can we hopefully restore and reclaim the ava fatafata through the traditional maliega ‘autasi or the consensus protocol in the place of the present bickering, profanity, name-calling and the daily adversarial process of party punch-up. Sometimes members of Parliament during fono proceedings sound like pesky little kids at a playground provoking and pestering each other. Excusing such exchanges for suaga (or persiflage) is simply puerile and petty. 

Does Samoa need political parties? Now that’s an issue and topic for another time. It may also be too late -- the pig is already out of the pa pua’a. But it is another paradox for the government because it will definitely support Samoa having political parties. Although they point fingers to such phenomena as palagi ploys and procedures, yet they continue to pursue them. For me, however, my answer is “Perceptively, no!” Why? Because Samoa is not yet a pluralistic polity. It’s still a very plain and homogenous society. The issues facing Samoa, so far, are neither multiplex, convoluted nor publicly contravening. Hence, the platforms and proclamations of all these parties are very similar if not exactly the same. Why do we need several parties and platforms with basically the same or similar plans and goals? 

Probably the real growing pain and problem is that there are too many parties. (And that’s a pun too.) Tautua, Samoa First, Tumua and Pule, SNDP, HRPP and now we have FAST. If another new party is formed, please name it FURIOUS because people are furious and pissed. It will have a nice ring to it especially when Fast and Furious form a partnership or coalition in the future. What will be more phenomenal is with Seiuli (The Rock) becoming their leader. He’s already a matai, you know, and he will have no problem with any monotaga issues. He can do it lump sum. As far as living in Samoa for three consecutive years, he can faaliu kupe that part too. Precisely. 

And yet another popolega, and that is the parity between politics and religion in our pseudo democracy. It’s true that our national motto is religion-based, but that doesn’t mean we should be pious and seek to petition Deity in everything we do politically. If progressive piety becomes the new normal, then whenever we talk about politics in Samoa, it would not be pure political policies but politics plus religion or “Poligion”. Probably not proper. 

Back to the MP. If the present public, partisan and prickly political pandemonium prevails and perpetuates, then MP will soon take up another popular parsing which is “Military Police”. What we don’t want, however, is for MP to end up being “Member of Politburo” which is quite possible and pertinent if the present and popular premonition of absolute POWER/PULE is procured, perpetrated and prostituted. Prudence is hereby prompted, proposed and promoted. 

Oh, and speaking of the Pi Tautau, could the patrons and proprietors of this alphabetic pictorial or portrayal change the “P” association to “Pua’a” or “Povi” from “Pusi” -- Please?!?

Politically polite, 

LV Letalu