Warnings From The Secret Police!

Written by Seuamuli Des Bentin
Tuesday, 08 July 2008
Apparently, a Secret Police is a requirement before a state can be called a Police State, even if such state is already “characterized by repressive, arbitrary and totalitarian rule.” It is very comforting to know that we are therefore not one yet! The Attorney General has every right to send out warnings to local newspapers and journalists who engage in the publication of material that is defamatory and could lead to “the causing of discontent, insurrection or resistance against a government.” It may be a very powerful office with the means to scare the bejeesus out of anybody, but it is not a Secret Police. As a Samoan and someone who has relatives who work for Polynesian Airlines, I would like the Attorney General to send a second warning to the Samoa Observer for publishing an article by one Andre Vltchek, where he repeatedly made defamatory comments of our nation and sacred culture, which he referred to as “nationalist and xenophobic”, as well as our work ethic, which he described as being “habitually obnoxious and incompetent”. We all know that he wasn’t just talking about the staff of Polynesian Airlines! He was also grossly inaccurate in stating that “Samoa is well known across the Pacific for its extreme nationalism and glorification of its culture”. I have mates in the deep South of Aotearoa New Zealand who know of Samoa only as a source of good rugby players for the All Blacks! May I suggest that a second warning be more severe and strongly worded. In your first warning, you wrote; “4. Instead of pursuing criminal prosecution, I believe that a warning be issued to you and your newspaper to refrain from publishing this type of writing.” With all due respect, I think this is rather wimpy. I believe that if one is to be respected and taken seriously by these newspapers and journalist types, then one must be prepared to use maximum force with the tools at your disposal. Even the most hardened journo fears a smacking with a rolled up newspaper or yesterdays limp lettuce! I think the young lady who had the misfortune of being caught up in a sex scandal involving four British rugby players at a hotel in Auckland has already explained why she did not make a formal complaint with the police. The police still carried out an investigation and tried to interview the British rugby players involved. Without a formal complaint, they did not have to talk to the New Zealand police, and they didn’t. The Samoan policeman who was a passenger in a RAMSI vehicle that was in an accident that resulted in the death of a young lady in the Solomon Islands refused to talk to the police. This is hardly good enough! Since when were people allowed to say that they would not, or refused to talk to the police about their part in an incident where someone was allegedly sexually violated or lost their life? How can their police carry out an effective investigation when people are allowed to say that they did not feel like talking to the police without a formal complaint being made? Here in Samoa, our Attorney General issues a written warning to newspapers and journalists for printing reported comments made by other people which he says are seditious and defamatory without a formal complaint being made by the alleged victims. If they had, I am sure that the Attorney General’s letter to the Samoa Observer would have read something like; Dear Sir, SEDITIOUS AND DEFAMATORY PUBLICATIONS 1. The Honorable Speaker of Legislative Assembly has made a formal complaint…….. Instead, the Attorney General writes; “1. I am very concerned about two recent publications…..” In Mister Andre Vltchek’s article that was in the same edition of the Sunday Samoan that the Attorney General’s letter to the Samoa Observer was printed in, he said that the “sexual abuse of minors” in Samoa is much more serious because “there are no outside watchdogs that are allowed to bark.” That may be so and Andre Vltchek may be totally right in saying that “the international community in Apia is fully complacent, busy playing politically correct games of giving legitimacy to the feudal system”, but our Office of the AG as our internal watchdog, is totally on the ball in monitoring any nonsense written by left wing liberals that may – God forbid – irritate our political masters and government. Have a nice one folks! Comments (11) Subscribe to this comment's feed Take this to Court, The AG cannot and should not b written by this is ridiculous, July 09, 2008 The Supreme Court decides what is Seditious The Attorney General is an Enforcement Agency not a mouthpiece for the Government If, you don't think for a minute Samoa can head into a Police State, just look at Fiji Censorship can be considered Police State like-- Try printing or publishing something on your website that the AG considers seditious. You get that midnight knock to a shallow grave real first with reality hit into you Defend the Freedom of the Press or DIE friend-- This is a Statement of facutal according to my opinion: The Attorney General should just shut her mouth . Is that considered seditious? I would be happy to send a team of lawyers to her office to explain to her how we can enrich her career. Long Live Samoa- Death to all Enemies of her future... Inlcuding parties and agencies who CHOOSE to udnermine her well being hehehehe!!! written by sole, July 09, 2008 I give you the A ..you are right..who is that Andre Vltchek anyway? ..has he been to school or live in Samoa for at least 30 years to qualify his sweeping statements? ...se o le au G lega ua seasea ai le mea se hehehehe!!! thanks for the wake up call anyway. um, one thing... written by Observer, July 10, 2008 The Attorney General is not a "she", so can't shut "her" mouth. The A-G is a he, so is in a better position to shut "his" mouth. The previous A-G (Brenda Heather-Latu) was a she. The current A-G is Ming Leung-Wai, a he. Also, Fiji has an army that regularly takes over government and tells the Police where to go. It is a military dictatorship at the moment. Samoa doesn't have an Army, and I don't think Samoa's police are in the habit of taking over government. He She should then shut the hell up written by well sure, we can count on tha, July 11, 2008 feel better-- police state, military army, brown shirts, black shirts--- how fast can we past a motion in the chambers for a standing army-- it took the brown shirts 5 days it took Bani dummy of Fiji 24 hours-- who decides what the mouth of the Protector of the Law defends and what it decides to persecute Pursue to Uphold the Constitution and the Spirit of the Document or many men and many women decide what your grandchildren and them after eats. Long Live Samoa and Her Laws Get another job Des written by Veta try again, July 12, 2008 Des, What a complete piece of groveling nonsense you have written. You may as well work for the Savali. Since Su'a Rimoni was sacked, this country has been led down a path of corruption and greed on a scale that is breathtaking.Any Govt. office can be compromised. Many have already. Think about it. We're the Phakarwee! written by Des Bentin, July 12, 2008 Greetings Veta. I gave up grovelling for sarcasm and ended up being self-employed! And I am constantly THINKING about IT!!!!! Tell you what tho'. It feels heaps better DOING IT!!!! See you in the funny papers suga/sole! ... written by Veta try again, July 13, 2008 Intrasignece can be suffocating but you're welcome to it. Do I need A tetanus shot for it? written by Des Bentin, July 15, 2008 Sole! Kau mapeva le laulaufaiva i le kau kauga o ga upu kekele! A oe e sese le faikauga ole uiga ole ka column ula ile Attorney General ma laga warning ae koe faimai o au e "intrasignece"? You missed the angle of the dangle dude! But I suppose it's quite easy to do if you read anything anybody else writes already convinced that you are the only clever dick in the whole world. You really should "Veta try again"! Q: We're the pharkarwee? written by Veta try again, July 15, 2008 Dear Des, I am terribly sorry, but I always seem to get stuck on big words that I can't spell like intransigence. All I said was you wrote nonsense on an important issue, and you should work for the Savali. I now realise you cannot write at all, so you should work for the Observer. A: Busy with Wayne King on my coloumn. Think about that. samoa in new york malu le vai i lau faasausauga sa written by matai, July 16, 2008 we samoa never was two state until colonial european cut us in two parts and run.now 21st century their great great grand children like andre vltchek bark like a dog with no leash.2 to 3 police station in the entire samoa goverment roughly the size of rhode island.matai system is the main respectful force in the island. keep peace,law and order.culture and tradition keep us in hamony with the new era.i dont blame you any way you are a tool of the most powerful weapon of today (media)we all human with too much knowledge we waste. both american samoa and samoa are one in their culture and tradition and language.is important to keep those force forever,for many souls to pass by these world and appreciate its diversity. Lou Reed Rocks! written by Des Bentin, July 17, 2008 You are one vicious individual Veta! Hit me with your best shot but leave my mates at the Samoa Observer alone! I live at Magiagi. If by chance you should swish past this way some time, stop by to give me some lessons on how to write about "important issues". I too used to have the answers to all the world's problems back in my twenties but the clever people called me condescending and I was perpetually pissed at the time anyway and couldn't remember the answer or the question by the time the drinks ran out. Now I just prod and poke at the beast and let guys like you tell our politicians and leaders how you would have done it if you were at the reins, which you are not. But do enlighten us on Wayne King. Any relation to Rodney? Not only do I not know how to write but I am pretty ignorant of important people and names I probably should know about if I really did give a toss how they brought the price of Texas Crude down or got Barack Obama elected! So do you write a column or do you just sit at the sidelines and snipe at those who do? Write comment Name Email Title Comment

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