Winning the Next Election in Samoa

Samoa Election 2011 strategy

Winning an election has a lot to do with timing and strategy.  I have won an election before where I came out of nowhere to win.  I was an unknown, but at the time when I studied the election landscape there were certain clues as to where the majority of the candidates were going to get their votes and they were all going to the same place.  My strategy was go to the ones they were not courting.  These were the votes I got to win while they all split the certain group they were all trying attract and they all got a small number but not enough to win.  My lesson learned from this was that elections are a numbers games and the winner always seems to know where to get extra votes in case there is a crush of campaigning for the same segment of the public.  Being able to identify the neglected groups is a very important part of winning.

The key to getting the neglected to vote for you is to convince them they are about to become empowered if they vote for you.

Where can we get the extra votes to defeat HRPP?  

HRPP right now are quite overconfident.  The timing is perfect to defeat them.  But we cannot go to the same well they are drawing water from to get our votes.  They have that segment of professional voters sown up.  We must go elsewhere.  Here is my opinion of where to get new votes.

I believe there are 2 segments of the population that are not being targeted by the HRPP. Samoans from overseas and Youth (21-30 years of age).  Everyone is going for the Matais and adults in the villages with their campaign promises and money.  These are what I call professional voters.  They are not necessarily in it for the best candidate only the candidate that gives them best deal prior to the election.  We need to find a new source of votes to tap into.

1. Overseas Samoans with citizenships.

The number of Samoans living overseas in NZ, Australia and the USA is about equal those living in Samoa.  I do not know how many still have their Samoan citizenships but in 2006 the number of Samoans in NZ were 131,100 and about 30,000 in Australia, and over 200,000 in the USA as of the 2000 census.  That means probably half are from Samoa the rest from American Samoa.  So overall there are about 300,000 Samoans from Western Samoa living abroad.  The numbers would translate to about 100,000 adults and of those maybe 50-60% are from Samoa with Samoan citizenships.  So we have an untapped resource for votes in these countries. The difficulty is convincing them to go home and vote next year or any year. They need to pay for their air fare and bring a Faaoso for the family, but it is a very real resource that needs to be developed and motivated to go home and vote.  As I will explain later, another 3-5000 votes spread among the closely contested races in Samoa in 2006 would have changed the outcome of the election.  That’s not many when looking at a population of 50,000 votes.

2. The youth of Samoa

The only statistics regarding the youth from Samoa is that about 60% of the population are between 15 and 64 years of age. So that is around 120,000 total.  The 21-31 age group would in my approximation be about 30,000 to 40,000 strong. These are another group of voters that I believe are not being mobilized into a voting body.  The fact is that there are votes to be gotten we just have to know how to access them.  Another 20,000 votes from this group would devastate the HRPP.  How do we get these young voters to vote, they may not be so difficult because they live in Samoa already, but as with anything in that age group the hormones rule.  If you want the young people to vote they need to be stimulated in a different way from the adults, because they will be voting for an entirely different reason than the adults.  The college students need to be mobilized into a voting group.  They are the key to these young folks becoming registered to vote and actually going to vote.  And the better looking the campaign managers the better chance of the young men and young women coming out to join the organization.  Its just a fact.  I have dealt with youth all my life I know how they think and what moves them.  It will be a fun and active campaign for their votes, but they will follow whomever they feel has the most charisma and attractiveness.  In America the Rock the Vote campaign was promoted by the major stars in the media, rappers like P-Diddy, Jay Z, Kanye West and others were getting the word out for young Africa Americans to vote and they did contribute to Obama’s victory. A similar approach would be quite effective in Samoa if we can get the right parties like Savage, Zipso the Rock and others to join us and the College students at NSU to form an organization that would be a very viable group to mobilize and to organize into a voting lobby.

3. Samoans living overseas who go home to get Samoan citizenships.

This is one area I am still researching but when I was in Samoa in 2003 I talked to immigration and was about to get my Samoan Citizenship based on the fact that my parents were Samoan citizens. I have confirmed that this policy is still is available.  This means for those of us who are first generation foreign immigrants whether in New Zealand or Australia or the USA, you can go home to Samoa and get a Samoan Passport if your parents were Samoan citizens.  If that is the case then my only other question is can they vote or what is the restriction on them voting once they get their citizenship?

4. The Samoan public who normally vote. 

These are the more difficult to change because they have ought into the system of corruption and are as I put it “Professional Voters”.  But there are some who may be fed up of the HRPP and want change they are the ones who need to be converted to our message.

So if these 4 groups listed above are mobilized and that is a big IF, then we have access to over 200,000 extra voters we can use to unseat the HRPP.  Only about 90,000 voters elected the HRPP in the last election.

In the last election the HRPP won 35 seats ad I believe through the course of the aftermath of that election many seats were gained through the legal system that was manipulated by the ruling party to disqualify and remove certain MPs from their seats.  The numbers are very easy to decipher, the number of seats needed by any one party to become the power in Samoa is 25.  That is the magic number.  If a party can win 25 seats then it is over, your party is the winner.  Now it would be better to have more in case someone is disqualified, but in an ideal world 25 seats will get you the reigns of power in Samoa.

So based on this number lets look at the election results from 2006.  The opponents of the HRPP including the Independents and the SDUP won, at the time of the election, 14 seats.  Now if they had gotten 11 more seats and they were a united group they would have won the election.  There were about 15 races that were close.  These were races where the winner won by less than 300 votes.  In some races the winner won by less than 10 votes.  In others it was less than a hundred.  So if we target the close races with additional voters we can change the outcome by inserting 50 to 300 voters extra to win that close race.  In total you are looking at an extra 3000 votes to change the election resuts from landslide for the HRPP to landslide for the opposition.

But the problem is we have no legitimate Opposition.  We need to start an opposition or unite behind a single opposition party and mobilize all these voters that we have to change the outcome of the next election. 

In my opinion the voters from overseas with Samoan citizenships are the more conscientious voters.  They will vote for the right reason.  If they will travel enmasse to Samoa and vote they can make the change next year.  If someone can mobilize the youth in Samoa into a voting body then they can also be an effective voting body.   Can we do this?  Can we mobilize before the next election?  This is what we need to consider and begin making moves towards that objective or for the following election.

For those who would like to start the ball rolling go to the website www.lauakinamulauu.ning.com and become a member and join the facebook page, Lauaki Namulauulu. More information will be available there as we move forward.

We need to focus our efforts on those races that are close.  That is where we can make up the difference and win the elections.

Here is the summary of the last elections.

Vaimauga East

HRRP             Tuisugaletaua Sofara Aveau                    781             36.2    

Independent             Maposua Fealofani                         760             35.3                 -21

Vaimauga West

            HRRP             Anauli Pofitu Fesili                                   1422             20.4    

            SDUP             Sililoto Tolo Tuaifaiva                               1322             19.0    

            SDUP             Patu Ativalu Togi II                                  1286             18.4                 -136

Faleata East

            HRRP             Manuleleua Lalagofaatasi Falaniko Leleua 331             73.4    

            HRRP             Lepou Petelo II                                            120             26.6    

Faleata West

Independent             Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi                    795             32.4    

HRRP             Ulu Vaomalo Ulu Kini                                     630             25.7                 keep

Sagaga-Le-Falefa

            Independent             Solamalemalo Keneti Sio               738             30.0    

            SDUP             Patea Satini Epati                                       555             22.6                 keep

Sagaga-Le-Usoga

            Independent   Muagututagata Peter Ah Him             980             40.5    

            HRRP             Taliaoa Pita Ulia                                    658             27.2                 keep

A'ana Alofi No. 1  (2 seats)

            HRRP             Toleafoa Apulu Fa'afisi                       653             16.6    

            HRRP             Aiono Tile Gafa                                   531             13.5    

            SDUP             Maiava Visekota Peteru                      460             11.7                 -197

A'ana Alofi No. 2

            HRRP Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Lei’ataua                   425             36.0    

            SDUP             Tulilo Paulo Leutele                                350             29.7                 -75

A'ana Alofi No. 3

            HRRP             Vaeolenofoafia Tapasu                                654             30.9    

            SPPP             Toalepaialii Siu Pose Salesa III                    515             24.4                 -139

Aiga-I-Le-tai

            SDUP             Mulipola Oliva                                        819             32.8    

            Independent             Vaatiuola Lautolo Misi                690             27.6                 Keep

Falelatai & Samatau

            HRRP             Misa Telefoni                                                     852             76.2    

            Independent             Olomoutu Salapu Asalele                         266             23.8

Lefaga & Falese'ela

            SDUP             Le Mamea Ropati                                        1114             55.5    

            HRRP             Masinalupe Tusipa Masinalupe                   565             28.2                

Safata (2 members)

            HRRP Palusalue Fa’apo II                                                        1019             20.9             Keep

            SDUP             Tuia Pua Fuatogi Letoa                                      897             18.4    

            HRRP Auseugaefa Tuvaifale Vaasatia Poloma Komiti          867             17.8    

Si'umu

            HRRP             Tuu'u Anasi'i Leota                                                    679             56.9    

            Independent             Tupuola Tevaseu Mano Sola Siaosi Hunt         481             40.3    

Falealili (2 members)

            HRRP Tuiloma Lameko                                              1186             20.5    

            SDUP             Fuimaono Naoia Tei                              1065             18.4    

            Independent Tusa Misi Tupuola                                    931             16.1                 -255

Lotofaga

            HRRP Fiame Naomi Mata'afa                     481             65.1    

            SDUP             Fata Siaosi                               257             34.8                 -224

Lepa

            HRRP             Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi                              Unopposed

Aleipata-Itupa-I-luga

            HRRP             Taua Kitiona Seuala                                    676             66.1    

            Independent             Fuataga Kasimani                              332             32.5    

Aleipata Itupa-I-Lalo

            SDUP             Paepae Kapeli Sua                                      731             43.0    

            HRRP             Tautoloitua Farani Posala                         627             36.9                 Keep

Va'a-O-Fonoti

            HRRP             Leao Talalelei Tuitama                                 369             24.5    

            SDUP             Togiai Fuatau Eteuati Faiilagi                      365             24.3                 -4

Anoama'a East

            HRRP             Moefaauo Lufilufi                                         628             35.0    

            HRRP             Savea Sione                                                   617             34.4

Anoama'a West

            HRRP             Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo                                     1149             55.0    

            SDUP             Leota Leuluaialii Ituau Ale                               834             39.9     

Fa'asalele'aga No. 1 (2 seats)

            HRRP Gatoloaifaana Amataga Alesana-Gidlow                 710             14.7    

            HRRP Tiata Pulufana Saunoa                                               707             14.6    

SDUP             Tuilimu Manuele Paletasala                            614             12.7             -96

           

Fa'asalele'aga No. 2

            HRRP Pau Sefo Pau                                                 505             32.5    

            SDUP             Leasnapapa Laki                               459             29.5              -44

Fa'asalele'aga No. 3

            HRRP             Unasa Mesi Galo                                          367             25.4    

            SDUP             Tofa Eteuati Siitia                                         361             25.0            -6

Fa'asalele'aga No. 4

            HRRP             Mulitalo Sealiimalietoa Siafausa Vui     689             60.7    

            SP             Su'a Rimoni Ah Chong                                  436             38.4             -253

Gagaemauga No. 1

            HRRP             Sala Fata Pinati                                               1068             64.3    

            SP             Sala Vaimili II Uili Ioane                                       490             29.5

Gagaemauga No. 2

            SDUP             Levaopolo Talatonu Va’ai                            393             41.9    

            HRRP             Faasootauloa Pati                                         388             41.4    Keep

Gagaemauga No. 3

            Independent             Galuvao Viliamu Sepulona              481             37.4    

            HRRP                         LEOTA Lu II                                   464             36.1            Keep

Gagaifomauga No. 1

            HRRP             Tuilo'a Anitelea                                          366             38.7    

            HRRP             Gaina Aukusitino                                        297             31.4    

Independent Peseta Toleafoa Lua Nafoi                          254             26.8             -112

Gagaifomauga No. 2

            HRRP             Safuneituuga Paaga Neri                            404             31.4    

            Independent Sooalo Siliga                                                  289             22.5            -125

Gagaifomauga No. 3

            HRRP             Laauli Leuatea Polataivao                                         593             60.9    

            SDUP             Segi Usufono Tauanae                                               294             30.2    

Vaisigano No. 1

            Independent Va'ai Papu Vailupe                                      1095             52.9    

            HRRP             Masoe Toga Potoi                                         802             38.8             keep

Vaisigano No. 2

            Independent             Motuopuaa Uifagasa Aisoli                         597             44.5    

            HRRP Toleafoa Mauteni Tamasone Metuli II Esera                  449             33.4   keep

Falealupo

            SDUP             Aeau Peniamina                                                  634             73.1    

            HRRP Solia Sefo Kalolo                                                            167             19.3             keep

Alataua West

            Independent             Lafaitele Patrick Leiataualesa             421             37.6    

            SDUP             Seuula Ioane                                                      381             34.0             keep

Salega (2 members)

            HRRP             Tapuai Sepulona Moamanu                  861             26.9    

            HRRP             Toomata Alapati Toomata                     781             24.4    

            SDUP             Leilua Manuao                                         626             19.6             -235

Palauli West

            SDUP             Taua Falaimo                                               681             37.8    

            HRRP Afoa Faleulu Mauli                                                 498             27.7             keep

Satupa'itea

            SDUP             Asiata Sale’imoa Va’ai                                      591             43.6    

            HRRP Selesele Tanielu Asiata                                                 565             41.6             keep

Palauli

            Independent             Toluono Feti                                            585             36.7    

            SDUP             Laulu Ianeta Tui Laulu                                     544             34.1             keep   

Palauli-Le-Falefa

            HRRP             Taua Falaimo                                          1103             69.6    

            Independent   Le Tagaloa Pita                                         481             30.4    

Individual Voters (2 members)

            HRRP             Niko Lee Hang                                              1040             30.5    

            HRRP             Hans Joachim Keil                                           725             21.3    

            Independent   Wilson Edward Lotasiano                                 414             12.1    

Total seats:                              49 seats

HRPP seats                             35 seats

Non HRPP seats:               17 seats

Close contests:                   19 seats

                                                36 seats                majority=25 seats

This an analysis of the 2006 election.

Summary of the 31 March 2006 Samoa Fono election results Parties             Seats

Human Rights Protection Party                                                                               35

Samoan Democratic United Party                                                                           10

Independents                                                                                                              4

Samoa Party                                                                                                               0

Samoa Progressive Political Party                                                                             0

The Christian Party                                                                                                    0

Total                                                                                                                         49

Approx 83,000 votes were cast

Closely contested:                    votes behind

Vaimauga East                           21     votes

Vaimauga West                        136  

Aana Alofa #1                         197

Aana Alofi #2                            75

Aana Alofi #3                          139

Falealili                                    255

Lotofaga                                  224

Vaa o Fonoti                                4

Faasaleleaga #1                         96

Faasaleleaga #2                         44

Faasaleleaga #3                           6

Faasaleleaga #4                       253

Gagaifomauga #1                    112

Salega                                      235

1797 votes needed

14 closely contested races (less than 300 votes each) 

2000 more votes would have changed the results of the election.

From the above statistics

the Vaa o Fonoti and Faasaleleaga #3 races should be the easiest to win.

Vaimauga East, Aana Alofi #2. Faasaleleaga #1 and #2 are the next easiest to win

Vaimauga West, Aana Alofi 31, Aana Alofi #3 and Gagaifomauga #1 the next

And Falealili, Lotofaga, Faasaleleaga #4 and Salega more difficult.  The rest are too difficult.

This where we concentrate our efforts.

RISE UP!

The Samoan Constitution is supposed to be sacred.

A post from Iuni Sapolu caught my attention. It was quite disturbing. The Parliament with the powerful influence of the HRPP and Tuilaepa the PM, have passed an “amendment” to the constitution prohibiting any member of parliament from switching parties mid term. This means once you are registered in a party then if for some reason the party policy doesn’t agree with your agenda or your constituents agenda then you cannot change parties. If you do then that will mean a whole new election will result. I still need to examine this law and determine if this means a national election or just an election for your constituency.

Now I can see there are both pros and cons for such a measure, because as was pointed out by another comment, this same policy was instituted in NZ when rogue MPs were changing affiliation and affecting the stability of the decision making process. However I don’t see that as being the cause in Samoa. In my humble opinion this is another preventative measure by the PM restricting the movement of some of his own party that may be leaning towards jumping ship for whatever reason. It feels like an act of desperation that in my opinion may backfire on him one of these days.

But more importantly I am appalled at the ease with which the PM and his cronies can just amend the Samoan constitution at any time in order to suit their self serving agendas. This document needs to be protected by a requirement that any changes to the constitution must first be approved by a referendum vote of the people in order to make such behavior by a governing party difficult. It should not be as easy as changing underwear. 

We are moving closer and closer to one party rule in Samoa and the man in charge has begun to exert his authority with impunity in order to retain political control over the country. Most of us living outside Samoa, who are actually the majority, need to pay attention to what is going on at home. The state of Samoa’s political health is being attacked by a cancer, a dangerous contaminant that has in the last 20 or so years changed the way government does business in Samoa. The authority of Samoa is becoming more and more concentrated in the parliament to the demise of our traditional model of “malo” which was decentralized and the day to day decisions were left to the Village and district matais.

We are now becoming more and more Westernized, which was a primary motive for the Mau movements of Lauaki and Tamasese who sought to remove the foreign control over our people and preserve our form of government which in their eyes was unique and successful for our people because it embodied all of the cultural values and identity that we had struggled so hard to forge through wars and interaction over thousands of years before these foreigners even set foot into the Pacific. Now our country is being manipulated by our own people or rather the puppets of foreign governments and financial institutions, similar to what happened in Vietnam, Central America, Africa, India and other countries that were prey for these predators who wanted only to deplete the resources of these nations and then leave them demoralized and poor.

The current government of the HRPP have been in power too long. They are drunk with power and influence they have held over our people for so long which they accomplished with misinformation, cronyism, abuse of power and graft. We need transparency, we need honest and good men to run for government, we need courageous leaders who will not replace the current party with their own corrupt form of dictatorship.

Do we know what we want? That is why we keep voting for these predator for so long because we have not identified what kind of government we want and sought out the right men or women to run in the election, and then support them. I know for a fact that there are righteous, honest and capable leaders in Samoa, It is our duty to encourage them to run for office and then support them in what ever manner possible.

“ Samoa e le tatou pale ne’i toe avea!” RISE UP! 

O le Mau a Samoa 2009

O Samoa o le I'a iviiviia ma oute faatulou atu ile pa'ia ma le mamalu ole atunuu ua faitauina lenei Blog ona oute manatu ole a afaina ai se lagona o nisi ole a faitauina lenei mataupu tusia aua o mataupu e faatatau i le lumana'i a Samoa ae maise le tula'i mai o faiga malo e ono lepetia ai faavae ole Malo e pei ona sa fausia ma faataatiaina e o tatou auga tama ua fai i lagi a latou folauga.  Ua ou tusitusiina lenei Blog ina ia mafai ai e le mamalu lautele a Samoa o loo papa a'ao i itu e fa ole lalolagi ona faitau i le tatou lava gagana i mataupu ua tula'i mai ona o faiga malo oloo ua tulai mai ma se tulafono ua iai se popolega i nisi o i matou, o le a talepeina ai le puleaga a aiga, nuu ma itumalo ma faatapulaaina ai aia tatau a tagata Samoa i o latou lava fanua ma ave'eseina ai le soifuaga filemu a Samoa e pei on sa sau a'i le tatou atunuu.
Samoa e, le tatou pale ina ne'i toe avea.  I le oo mai o faiga malo mai fafo ma suiga mata'utia na faamalosia e ia malo a iai Siamani ma Niu Sila, sa iai e na tete'e i le pule 'esea o le soifuaga a tagata nuu a Samoa.  Sa tula'i mai ai le Mau a Pule i le tausaga 1909 sa faafoeina e le tulafale faitauina mai Salafai o Lauaki Mamoe.   Sa ia tu malosi ina ia pulea lava e tagata Samoa, le latou lava atunuu e pei ona sa sau a'i Samoa mai anamua.  Sa iai latou o e sa faitio i le Mau a Pule, ona sa latou manatu o Siamani ua sili le atamai ma le maumea e mafai ona maua ai se manuia a Samoa pe a latou usita'i ma mulimuli i pulega a Palagi. A o Lauaki lava ia na le talitonu o Malo a Papalagi ua mamao le tofa ma le utaga i faiga malo e manuia ma saogalemu ai si o tatou atunuu. Sa silafia e Lauaki o atunuu mai fafo e le alolofa ia Samoa, e pau lava le mea o loo sailia e nei malo o le pulea o mea totino ma tagata a Samoa ina ia maumea ai latou lava ae le o iai se manatu alofa mo le lumana'i manuia o tagata Samoa.
Ina ua iloa e Lauaki e le o se tulaga lelei lenei mo Samoa sa ia tula'i malosi mo le tu to'atasi o Samoa ma sa avea le Mau a Pule ma faasoesa i le Pulega a Siamani se'i oo ina faatafea ai Lauaki ma alii ma faipule na lagolagoina le Mau a Pule.  O lea faatafeaga na ave faamalosi ai Lauaki i Saipani sa i'u ai lava na maliu le tulafale i Tarawa i le toe fo'i mai i Samoa i le mae'a ole taua muamua o le Lalolagi.
Ile mae'a o le puleaga a Siamani i Samoa na tuuina atu e Peretania Samoa i lalo ole puleaga a Niu Sila. Sa oo na fiu Samoa i pulega saua a Niu Sila ma sa tula'i mai ai le Mau a Samoa sa faafoeina e Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III ile tausaga 1929. O lea faatuiese i le pulega a Niu Sila sa oo ai lava na faaumatia ai le soifua a le Afioga a le Tama Aiga ina ua fanaina e fitafita a Niu Sila i Apia a o faia se latou solo tete'e filemu.  O le Mau lenei sa faia i ala filemu ma le faatuiese ina ia silafia ai e tagata o le lalolagi e le to'ilalo tagata Samoa i fana ma faiga saua a malo mai fafo. Ole faatui'ese lenei na silafia ai e isi malo le mata'utia o faiga saua a Niu Sila ma le to'a o le pulega a Matai a Samoa ina ua latou le taui ma sui ae sa iai pea le onosa'i ma le amio faatamalii i o tatou tagata.  O ia foliga sa suia ai manatu a e ua pulea Niu Sila ma atunuu mamao ma sa latou talitonu ai o Samoa o se atunuu ua lava le faapalepale ma le tofa mamao e pulea ai lava e i latou le latou lava atunuu.  Ole i'uga o lenei taumafaiga sa amataina e Lauaki ma faaauau e Tupua Tamasese, ua tula'i ma ai le Malo Tuto'atasi a Samoa i le 1962.
O le lua ai lea o Mau ua faia mo le sa'olotoga a le atunuu o Samoa mai pulega a atunuu mai fafo. I taimi uma e lua na faataunuuina ai lenei mau na maliliu ai toa a Samoa, o tamali'i ma failauga faitauina a le atunuu.  Ua masa'a le toto a Samoa ona o le sa'iliga ole sa'olotoga mai pulega mai fafo.
Ae paga lea, o le tausaga 2008 ua toe manu a'e ai le faama'i lava lenei e tasi o pulega malosi a atunuu mai fafo ia Samoa.  O le vaitaimi la lenei ua tu le Malo a Samoa, ae ua ui mai le pule'esea a Samoa i se auala faatogafiti ua pei se a i oloo pulea e Samoa le latou lava Malo ae leai, o tonu a malo mai fafo ua fai a'i ai le tatou malo ma afai e le faatapulaaina pulega a Malo mai fafo, ole a tu mai na'o se atigi malo, ae pulea mai e malo ma kamupani mai fafo si o tatou atunuu.
Ole tulafono lenei ua ta'ua o le Lands Title Registration Act 2008, ("LTR 08") ose tulafono ua fauina ma pasia e le Malo a Samoa e aunoa ma se pogai tatau poo se mea ua faaletonu ua tatau ona faaleleia e lenei tulafono.  E leai se mea ua mana'omia ai lenei tulafono ina ia suia le auala e resitalaina ai fanua a Samoa.  O se mea e sili ona taua oloo ufitia e lenei Malo o Samoa, ole tulafono lenei ole a resitalaina ai ma fanua tau Samoa.  Ose tulaga lenei sa le mana'omia i aso ua mavae a o lenei ua tula'i mai lenei Malo ua te'i lava ua mana'omia le resitalaina o fanua tau Samoa.  Aisea?  E leai ni faitioga mai aiga ma nuu i le tulaga o fanua tau Samoa.  Sa leai ni tala mai Samoa e faapea ua tele le femisaa'i o aiga i aia o tagata nuu i fanua tau Samoa.  O lona uiga o se tulafono na fauina mo le tamaoaiga o ai?
O le tulafono lenei o se tulafono o le a faamalosia ai le resitalaina o fanua tau Samoa.  O le tulaga e faapopoleina ai e o loo maitauina lenei tulafono ona o le puleaga o fanua e aofia ai ma fanua tau Samoa o le a pulea e e o le a iai a latou suafa i luga o le pepa resitala.  O lona uiga, o se tasi e le o iai lona igoa i luga o lenei pepa resitala ua faamutaina sona aia i le fanua.  Ole a suia ai le tulaga o Samoa ma le aia o tagata uma i fanua tau Samoa e pei ona sau ai si o tatou atunuu i tausaga ua mavae.
I tausaga ua mavae sa le mana'omia le iai o se fasi pepa resitala ina ia faamaonia ai lau aia i fanua a lau lava aiga.  O tagata uma lava e tupuga mai i lenei aiga e iai le aia tatau i fanua a le aiga.  I le tula'i mai o lenei tulafono o le a faatapulaaina le aofa'i o igoa e mafai ona tuuina i lenei pepa ma afai e faamalosia lenei tulafono o lona uiga na'o e ole a iai a latou suafa i luga o lenei fasi pepa o le mafai ona faamalosia a latou aia tatau i fanua a le aiga laua'itele.  O le to'atele e ole a leiloa a latou aia i fanua ma o se tulaga o le tulai mai ai le femisaa'i ma faatupuina ai faalavelave i nuu ma afioaga.  Ua ave'eseina le puleaga a tagata Samoa mai o latou lava fanua ma ole a tuuina atu ile malo e faia faaiuga mo le puleaina o a tatou fanua.
O se tulaga lenei sa faatuiese ai Lauaki ma Tupua Tamasese ina ia aua ne'i tuuina atu le pulega a a tatou lava fanua totino ise Malo poo se puleaga e ese mai o tatou lava aiga.  A o lenei ua tulai mai le auala o le mafai ai e le Malo ma pulega mai fafo ona lepetia le faavae o le sa'olotoga a si o tatou atunuu e pei ona iai talu mai le 1962 ona ua iai le auala e faatapulaa ai aia a tagata nuu a Samoa. Afai ole a faamalosia lenei tulafono o lona uiga na'o le o loo iai lona igoa i le pepa resitala o le a pulea fanua.
Oloo iai se faitioga i nisi ua latou talanoaina lenei tulafono ona e faapea o le Sa'o o le aiga o ia lea o le a tuuina lona igoa i lenei pepa.  Afai e faapenei le tulaga o le faaresitalaina ai fanua tau Samoa o lona uiga i le va'aiga faalemalo male tulafono na'o le Sa'o lava ole aiga ma lana fanau o le mafai ona pulea nei fanua.  O le ave'eseina aia a tagata uma o le aiga se'i vagana o le Sa'o.  Aisea ua mana'omia e le malo lenei suiga?  Aisea ua finagalo ai le Palemia ina ia suia le pulega a fanua tau Samoa ina ia aveeseina mai aia a tagata uma a le aiga ae tuuina atu ise tagata e to'atasi?
Ole tali o ia fesili ona o loo pulea mai e isi malo mia fafo faapea ma Fale Tupe tetele a le lalolagi faaiuga fai a lenei Malo.  Ua le o toe tuto'atasi Samoa.  Afai tatou te le suia lenei tulafono ma ave'eseina lenei pulega faamalosi mai malo ma kamupani mai fafo, o lona uiga o le a pei tatou o tagata Hawaii ma Maori ma Apoliki i Ausitalia, ua leai ni fanua ma ua pulea e tagata mai fafo a latou fanua ae o nonofo i le matafaga ma fanua le mana'omia e nei tagata nuu ese.  E pei ona sa iloa e Lauaki, o nei tagata e le alolofa ia Samoa.  E ala ona o mai ma faamasani ia malo e iai Niu Sila ma Ausitalia ia Samoa ona e iai mea totino a tatou o loo manana'o iai.  Ua tele tupe nono ua aitalafu ai si o tatou malo i ia atunuu ma fale tupe tetele.
Afai e le mafai ona totogi e Samoa nei aitalafu o lea le mea o le a tupu?  Ioe, ole a mafai e nei malo ona ave'eseina a tatou fanua aua e le lava mea fausia pe toto i Samoa ina ia mafai ai ona totogi nei aitalafu.  Atonu o le pogai lea ua fai ai e le Malo a Samoa lenei tulafono ole LTR 08 ina ia mafai ai ona mumulu a tatou aia i fanua tau Samoa ma avatu i ia kamupani ma atunuu ese e totogi ai a tatou aitalafu.
Ose tasi o tulaga e le o iloa e le tele o tagata e le na'o Samoa o loo una'ia e nei malo ina ia suia a latou tulafono tau fanua faaleaganuu.  O le tulaga o loo faafeagai nei ma Fiti, Papua Niu Kini ma isi malo o le Pasefika ua tutusa lava ma i tatou ma o le pogai lea o loo tula'i malosi ai le puleaga a le Malo a Fiti ina ia aua ne'i suia le latou faavae aua e tutusa lava aia a tagata Fiti i o latou fanua e pei o le tulaga o loo iai fanua Samoa.  O le tulaga lenei o loo una'ia  i le vasa Pasefika i malo uma nei na tuto'atasi ina ua mua'i Tuto'atasi Samoa.  Afai tatou te le faatui'ese i lenei tulafono ole a faapea ona toe ave'eseina le tatou pale aua o loo iai se fuafuaga a Malo mai fafo ina ia latou pulea a tatou tagata e ui mai lea i le pulea o  tatou fanua.  Aua ne'i tatou faatagaina lenei tulaga e pei ona sa mua i malae Samoa i faiga Malo Tuto'atasi i le Pasefika, ia faapea fo'i na muamua Samoa i le tete'e atu i nei auala faatogafiti ua alia'i mai i lenei vaitaimi.
Samoa Tula'i!