Beware The Call Of The Conch Shell

Written by Pio Sioa
Tuesday, 09 October 2007
A heated exchange between the Minister of Police and a spokesman for the protesters at the opening of the Scientology Exhibition on Wednesday, ended abruptly with the threat of calling the police in. This was while the protester told the Minister not to sweet talk them (aua ete fa'asuka matou). The intense duel of words that ensued when the Minister reprimanded the speaker was a live display of democracy at work. One hears this all the time in Parliament. We see it when the orators face each other with their talking sticks and whisks. This is freedom of expression. The Minister's threat of resorting to militaristic tactics to quash this God given freedom conjures a disturbing scenario for Samoa. Frightening really! It is not as if the protester was threatening physical retaliation or violence. Yes he was agitated. True his rhetoric was forceful! Maybe he overstepped the accepted boundaries of traditional deference. But this was a protest. A peaceful one too. Did the Minister of Police expect the protesters to be easily appeased with 'sweet talk" as the speaker correctly interpreted? In fact it was downright insulting to think that these protesters would be easily fooled by the apparent intentions of the Minister in his speech. That is basically what the protest speaker was agitating about. The protesters did quickly dispersed after the threat was made but has that solved anything? Not likely! Not by a long shot. Is the risk of being bundled off behind prison bars the best the Minister has to offer to silence protesting opinion? People complain out of conviction and self belief. Is this not what democratic society is all about? The police recently took into custody a couple of Samoa College students and kept them behind prison bars, only to discover they were falsely accused. What lasting impression does that hold for these young fertile minds about fairness and justice in our democratic system? Did the police officer who decided to chuck these students into jail did so for their own protection or simply to scare them off with the powers he can wield? Surely if the Minister of Police is inclined to do so, why not the police officers who follow his leadership? The ' I don't care less' reaction by the Scientology director Matthew Adams to the protest march seems to follow the same arrogant mindset. Are our leaders already under the spell of the Scientologists or are they starting to play mind games with us? When asked about the negative allegations made against scientology, he went into a trance about the services Samoa could benefit from their work. The way he sounded was almost as if saying 'you don't deserve what we are here to provide for you.' Well well well! Are the true colours starting to show under pressure? Is making people feel obligated to the services they can offer, part of the mind game strategy being played to win our affection? Are we supposed to be shamed by our guilty conscience for rejecting their 'helping hand'? Is that what the Church of Scietology really all about? History shows that Samoa was once a warring nation until Christianity found a foothold in the country. Since then God has immersed His presence in the core of our traditional wellbeing. Instead of people picking up their stone spears at the sound of the conch shell, they reach for their bibles when the church bell rings. We all know that God and Culture are the pillars of the peace and stability we now proudly brandish before our regional neighbours, beset with political turmoil and instability. The protest march our Minister of Police swiped away with strong arm tactics, revolved centrally around concern for God and Culture, the very foundation our stability is anchored on. The Minister's bullying tactics, if allowed to filter down as an example for our police officers to mirror, is truly frightening. All they will succeed in doing is erode the chains that hold in place our anchor of stability. When those chains snap, reach for your stone spear. The penetrating sound of the conch shell will once again call to you, as it drowned out those divine bells we so dearly treasure. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Title Comment

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