To say that former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi has had it tough lately is an understatement. 

First he was unseated as the Prime Minister when his political party lost the election, then he was found guilty of contempt for scandalising the Court. As if that was not bad enough, he was then slapped with a suspension from Parliament. 

For someone who has had a very illustrious career and was once one of the most respected and powerful men in Samoa and the Pacific region, it has been a very dramatic fall from grace, let alone a very public one too. 

It has been very difficult to ignore, even if we pretended not to care. 

This week, we have been told in a story titled “Police recommend charges against Tuilaepa” that the former Prime Minister’s woes are far from over. The story tells us that the Police have perused a file on a defamation complaint against the Opposition Leader and have recommended that the veteran politician be charged.

For the uninitiated, Tuilaepa was the subject of a complaint lodged with the Police by the Minister of Works Transport and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Vaai. Tuilaepa had accused Olo of ignoring Government policy and Treasury Instructions on the purchase of Government official vehicles when making purchases in Australia. He claimed the Minister could have bought the vehicle locally at a discounted price. 

Olo of course vehemently denied the allegation, saying the vehicle was a registered Government truck under the Ministry of Transport registry and that it belonged to the Apia Waterfront Project, which has not been officially handed over to the Government of Samoa. 

But the Minister didn’t stop there. He lodged a complaint against Tuilaepa which has been investigated by the Police. This week, Police Commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo said the investigation has been completed and they have recommended that charges be pressed against the former Prime Minister.

He added that the matter has been referred to the Attorney General’s Office for review and a decision has not been made. 

 “The Attorney General’s Office represents Cabinet Ministers and the reason why the file has been referred to them for their review and carriage,” the Police Commissioner said. The complaint was apparently one of three matters filed by members of the Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) party against individuals including Tuilaepa. We are told there is another defamation complaint under investigation lodged by the political party against a female and connected to members of the H.R.P.P. 

Political rivalry and disagreements are part and parcel of Parliamentary democracy. It is healthy and expected as long as the debate is above board and constructive. 

Ironically, once upon a time not so long ago, the roles between Olo and Tuilaepa were reversed. As the lone Opposition voice then, Olo was always a thorn on Tuilaepa’s side. And the history of Samoa’s political discourse exists to show that Tuilaepa did not let Olo lightly off the hook. 

Olo was called many nasty names, as everybody else was, including the editors of this newspaper. What from being labeled “uneducated fools” to “idiots, stinking pigs and dogs”, the former Prime Minister’s vocabulary had it all. 

That was then, when Tuilaepa felt that he was on top of the world where he could do anything. Nothing lasts forever and the former Prime Minister has become the latest world leader to prove the age-old principle that whatever goes up must come down. 

The fact is Tuilaepa and his H.R.P.P. have taken a very hard fall. After 39 years in power, it is understandable they still cannot get over the cold reality that they are no longer in power. That’s why they are continuing to dig themselves into a hole they will find quite tough to climb out of. We hope they wake up soon.

In the meantime, while the Government and Minister Olo have every right to pursue defamation avenues under the law, we hope they would reconsider for the sake of nation building and moving forward. 

You cannot continue to kick someone who is already down. We need some humanity, forgiveness and cool heads to prevail. For all his faults, Tuilaepa’s role in the development of Samoa cannot be ignored. Besides, despite all the nasty names he had used to discredit all his critics, in his role as Prime Minister, we rarely saw him threaten anyone with defamation, despite so many accusations that were leveled against him. He gave as much as he received. The shoe has changed for Olo Fiti and as a Cabinet Minister in a position of power; he should at least try to understand the position Tuilaepa has found himself. 

The point here is this, during the past few years; a lot of hurtful things have been said by both parties. The Government cannot continue to wallow on this pettiness and toxicity. Let Tuilaepa enjoy his sunset as a politician, he will eventually wear himself out. 

Minister Olo and the Government must get on with the job of delivering what they promised the country in terms of developments and learn to develop thick skin along the way. What do you think? 

Have a wonderful weekend Samoa, God bless!