Dear Editor,

Your Editorial of 15 August 2025 titled “Leatinu’u’s win, democratic processes and ineligible candidates” highlights some of the limited strengths of the current democratic processes about rules and regulations governing the voters’ free agency to influence the selection of a new Government as they see fit. If I may, the article came across as quite biased, but that is not for me to judge, as everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  

However, my main concern is that the democratic processes praised in this article do not adequately consider the rights of law-abiding voters in general. The voters of concern did everything right by taking the time to register in the new voting system before the expiry date. Their only mistake is not sympathising with the now pre-poll established seat for Faleata No. 2.  

They are now left without viable options to exercise their free agency to influence the selection of a new Government. I refuse to accept that the brilliant minds that authored the democratic processes referred to therein failed to see this shortfall, given several instances in past elections where constituencies are forced into these dead rubber situations. Such instances that come to mind are Lepa   (Leader of HRPP) and Lotofaga (Leader of SUP) to name just a few.

Shouldn’t these voters be allowed to at least exercise their rights to vote in adjoining political districts of Faleata Nos. 1, 3 or 4?  

Ultimately, Faleata is one big family of the House of Ata, and the political districts were just a means of managing the voting rolls in comparison to other political constituencies. This is just one of the many solutions that the system could have allowed for.

Why then is this any different from the condemned decision by the Falelatai Village Council? Or is it because the Electoral Act now legalises the suppression of the voters’ rights in this case? For these voters, there needs to be a Plan B or C to fully exercise their voting rights.

Are these voters now expected to sit back and accept that they will have to wait another five years, or at least when the next polling comes along given the status quo, to exercise their rights to participate in the Election?

Mamea