Any kind of publicity to promote interest in last year’s 2021 General Election and how the Office of the Electoral Commission delivered on its mandate has to be a good thing.

And public interest in last year’s polling is critical, through submissions made to the current Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the electoral processes, if Samoa is to have a trouble-free general election in the future and avoid a repeat of the four-month constitutional crisis last year.

We are sure the constitutional crisis, which immediately followed the 9 April 2021 general election, is still fresh on everyones’ minds today as it divided families and villages and was unprecedented in Samoa’s history. 

This is why we hope the challenge by the suspended MP for Lepa and Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.) leader, Tuilaepa Dr. Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, for Samoans living abroad to “get on the plane and come and vote” will spur movement and get more people to go to the inquiry to make their submissions.

In an article ("Get on plane and come vote": Tuilaepa to diaspora) published in the 19 June 2022 edition of the Sunday Samoan, Tuilaepa challenged Samoans living abroad to “do the right thing” and return home to vote.

“If they really want to have their voices heard through electoral processes in Samoa, if you really want to participate in our elections and have your voices heard, get on the plane and come to Samoa and vote.”

The call to allow Samoans abroad to vote is not new, according to Tuilaepa.

"It has been raised so many times before but we have always followed the policies laid out by our ancestors from the time of Mata'afa," the veteran M.P. said.

One thing that the H.R.P.P. leader did not mention – when challenging Samoans living abroad to exercise their voting rights – is that voting in Samoa is mandatory and only a voter whose name appears on the main or supplementary roll can vote in his or her constituency.

Under the current law (Electoral Act 2019) most, if not all Samoans living abroad, will not qualify to vote based on residency. Unless they relocate and move back to their villages in Samoa.

From our standpoint, if change is to happen to enable Samoans living abroad to join families on-island and exercise their democratic rights every five years to vote, then the push for it to happen through electoral legislative reform has to come from citizens living back home here in Samoa.

We note the interesting reference by Tuilaepa, which he attributed to comments by one of Israel’s Prime Ministers, on how Israelis living in America were out of touch with the daily struggles and realities of their people back home. 

"I remember this issue was raised in one of the meetings we had back then with world leaders from around the world,” the H.R.P.P. leader said. 

“The Prime Minister of Israel explained why they never agreed to allow Israelis residing in different parts of the world to vote during their elections.

"He [Israel Prime Minister] said the Israelis staying in America and other countries of the world will never understand the struggles and the life-threatening challenges faced by the Israelis staying in Israel on a daily basis.”

But was it a good choice, in terms of comparative analysis of two different democratic systems, for the former prime minister to use Israel as an example to argue his case against the Samoan diaspora voting in our general elections?

Comparing Israel with Samoa is like talking about apples and oranges in terms of democratic practices. For starters, Israel does not have a written Constitution like Samoa does, except what are described as “basic laws” and a Declaration espousing principles of equality and freedom as “envisaged by the prophets of Israel”. 

And then there is the case of the 3 million-plus Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, occupied by Israel, who do not have the right to vote. There are limitations on political participation in modern day Israel.

Looking at the impact of the Samoan diaspora on the everyday lives of compatriots back home, surely the Opposition Leader has to acknowledge the positive effects of millions of tala in remittance that they send to their aiga (family) back home, mainly from Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and the U.S.

So we urge members of the public in the districts to use the opportunity that the COI is now availing through its various public consultations to make your submissions about the conduct of the general election last year and how you think it should be improved.

The consultations for this week are on Tuesday 21 June in Faleata 1 (Vaimoso, Sinamoga, Alafua and Moamoa); Wednesday 22 June continues in Faleata 1 (Lepea, Pesega, Lotopa, Tuanaimato, Seesee, Tuaefu and Ululoloa); Thursday 23 June in Faleata 2 (Vailoa, Tulaele, Tailimatau, Vaiusu, Elise and Vaigaga); and Friday 24 June continues in Faleata 2 (Siusega, Falelauniu, Tapatapao and Tanumapua).

If you are a Samoan citizen and voted last year and relocated abroad, thanks to technology you can lodge your submissions (O.E.C. highly recommends PDF format) through the following link on the Office’s website: https://coi.oec.gov.ws/ 

Remember democracy in our beautiful islands will always be work in progress as we strive to fix and fine-tune the system, so let's not waste this opportunity that now avails itself through the Commission of Inquiry.