There is something common about the road in Moamoa, the wharf in Apolima, the money in Savaii, better health care, improved education, lower internet charges, good governance, and a few other things. All of these were election promises which to date remain unfulfilled.

While there are things in the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) Party manifesto, some other promises were made. These were promises made by candidates when they visited villages within their constituencies.

These were empty promises so votes could be garnered and a seat secured. This has been seen too very often. Once the candidate becomes a member of parliament, most promises that were made are forgotten.

It is indeed sad to see that when constituents question the MP, the questions are deflected and the person questioning shut down. In many cases, voters are unable to question their MP because of their social standings.

This should never be the case, the MP is there to serve the people and not the other way around. All MPs should answer to their constituents.

Politicians knowingly making promises during election campaigns that are pie-in-the-sky, should be investigated by authorities for undermining voters’ ability to make informed choices.

Knowingly making false, unachievable, and illegal campaign promises amounts to a political lie, and breaches ethics and honesty.

It is intended to deliberately deceive voters – many of whom are desperate, illiterate and do not know better. It now appears that even political campaign speeches have been “captured”.

Outrageously false campaign promises undermine the credibility, legitimacy, and trust in the country’s electoral system – and also in politics broadly.

Increasingly ahead of elections political leaders and parties are making false, unrealistic, and unattainable promises to get the votes. Making false and unrealistic promises is unethical, immoral, and irresponsible.

It shows a shocking disregard for the truth. Leaders and parties show their disrespect for poor, desperate, and illiterate voters by promising them things that are patently undeliverable. Making such promises is not in the best interests of the constituencies they purport to serve, neither is it in the best interests of the country.

False promises also undermine the credibility of information given to voters to base their voting decisions on. False campaign information, particularly in a society such as Samoa with high levels of illiteracy about governance, with citizens who often do not have access to credible information, undermines the credibility of truthful, fact-based, and evidence-based information, as unknowing ordinary citizens believe the false information they receive from cynical politicians and political parties.

Voters cannot make informed voting decisions based on false election campaign promises. False campaign promises undermine the sacred power of the vote itself.

It also undermines open public debate over policy choices to be decided because campaign promises are based on untruths.

It also shows the hunger for power for its own sake that many political leaders and parties would say anything to be elected to be part of the gravy train of high salaries, perks, and access to patronage.

Of course, it is very difficult for ordinary citizens to seek legal recourse to hold politicians to account who make wild promises – beyond not voting for such leaders and parties. However, there must be a way to hold politicians and parties accountable for false campaign promises.

In 1964, the US Supreme Court pronounced that deliberate false speech by politicians would not enjoy constitutional protection in the US. The US Supreme Court said: “For the use of the known lie as a tool is at once at odds with the premises of democratic government and with the orderly manner in which economic, social, or political change is to be effected. Calculated falsehood falls into that class of utterances which ‘are no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and are of such slight social value as a step to truth that any benefit that may be derived from them is clearly outweighed by the social interest in order and morality ....’ Hence the knowingly false statement and the false statement made with reckless disregard of the truth, do not enjoy constitutional protection”.

Let’s do this in Samoa too. Politicians who make false promises must be held accountable or give up their posts because those votes have been garnered through false promises and lies.