Malo lava le tauivi Samoa... WE are praying for you guys out here in California that God be with your protest and that He open the PM's heart to do what is best for the people.

Faafetai le onosa'i Samoa.... Let us keep on praying to our Lord and soon he will be the only 1 to give us the right answer. God Bless!

As a boy in Samoa, I use to sit for hours and appreciate the debates and discourse within our matai and chiefly system.

The use of oratorical skills to debate and discuss issues of great importance arcane or not within our villages, our districts of concern to all, was so beautiful in my eyes. I saw some of the most beautiful of words my dad and grandad, God rest their souls, use when in full regal posture with the fue and to'oto'o with the lava lava wraped neatly and ie fai taga or flowery ula around their necks.

The words we're so sweet to smell, so sweet to hear, I still cry, because they are not in use anymore in this time period. I wish the debates today use the old words and old genuine tears when we begin to forgive or heal a family that was wronged.

My grandfather shot at a car in our village for going to fast, the passenger that was running away got hit. My grandad cooked 10 pigs for the Ifo, went and ask the family to forgive him for being quick to anger and such.
I will never will forget this as long as I live, the family felt as if they we're the ones that wronged my grandad and not the other way around. They actually had given us more than we brought and felt obligated forever to please my grandfather for being so loud in our village. I will never forget that for I have never seen anything like it-- genuine forgiveness, my grandad the greatest fisherman that lived in his time, taught the kids and members of the family how to catch fish with skills that today we're able to feeds their familys.. what a situation, to turn it from bad to good. PASS can turn this as well around from such.

The smell of the occasion is still fresh in my mind. My eyes in tears, I still hear the debates and disagreement in my soul. To touch this time period when the smallest details of timely, stoppage and flow of debates was an art form. When to fa'aumu and when to asu the sua from the background. O, how I miss the father of the groom, cry in tears, when the pua'a from the village was given as an appreciation. My mind still can hear and taste the air I once breathed, to hear the village so busy and my grandfather, yell to me to run and not walk to do chores.

I look forward to a funeral or wedding as a boy, just to hear a series of debates of lineage(real or not) from Matai's in Samoa or American Samoa) with fervor and serious dileberation within the normal flow of discussion.
O the time of my youth, how it was in innocence of hearing and believing the old timers meant good for all and fault others for not trying to protect our culture our good.

Always their was a sense of o.k, is this guy serious about his accordance or projection of lineage. You see, the issue was at the end of the day, everyone walked away with something in hand in the participation in the event

PASS may not have been the winner, and it may have been unfair. But, seriously your we're heard, loud and clear. From Fiji, Tonga, Vavau to Tahiti as well as China the great benefactor. I am giddy with joy to see, that the PM did not turn to violence to stop the debate( march is debate in my eyes) from occuring. We are new at this peacful march rally and such. We will need to stand up and loudly say, we either need change, thank you Mr. PM we will need a new party or continue seek resolution somewhere within the discourse of this discussion. Change slowly or keep the status quo. Seek a middle ground-- as well listen to past maybe we can find our future-- the smell of the air in Samoa just makes me alive all over again. The mosooi in season heightens my life more and more as I think of home and upon my fathers and grandfathers graves-- I choose to debate and clearly annunciate my freedom to choose my way in this lifetime.

Freedom of Press, Freedom to Life, Freedom to smell the air of Samoa in the morning and at night. To see the moon shine upon her crystal waters, to laugh at every mistake we make and to tell the next generation it is o.k to make your voice heard

God Bless, Samoa and American Samoa-- Land of My Fathers, Land of My Love and of my Heart- Land I will Die For. Bury me their wherever I may be Lord,--- hasten my hands to do good deeds an say good words for her, Bless her indeed, she shines amongst all the things you created O Lord

Public protest is not new in Samoa. The largest protest in Samoa's history was in 1981 when the public servants brought the country to a standstill with their national strike and daily protests which carried on for weeks. 30,000 people took to the streets. The country was in turmoil because our public (govt) debt was at an all-time high and there wasn't enough money to pay for even oil. Oil tankers bypassed Samoa because of unpaid debts. There were hardly basic foodstuffs on the shelves and there were queues everywhere. Scenes were reminiscent of the present day Zimbabwe (although it wasn't as bad as Zimbabwe).

Eventually, the Tupuola Efi govt was brought down at the next election and the HRPP swept to power for the first time.

There were also the VAGST protest marches in the 1990s led by Tumua ma Pule - 30,000 people and 130,000 signatures on petition.

Perhaps the most famous march in Samoa's modern history was the Mau march to Apia when the NZ colonial police opened fire and killed amongst others, Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III (1929).

However, public protest has also been seen in village performances. The pese o le aso is a traditional forum to air grievances to the govt of the day and to give the "opinion" of the village on various issues. The Faleaitu is also another forum where public figures can be mocked and comment made on issues of the day.