Birth-Pangs of Democracy
pp. 33-34 · Read in the full issue
Democracy In W. Samoa
Prom Our Own Correspondent APIA. February 10 ON December 5, 1947, the Trusteeship Council of the United Nations approved the report of the last year’s Mission to Western Samoa. The report was at once translated into Samoan and issued to Samoan representatives.
The report recommends, inter alia, a new set-up for the Legislative Assembly of the Territory which in future is to consist of the three Fautua (the Para mount High Chiefs of Samoa) and eleven Samoan members, a total of i 4 Samoan members as against five representatives of the European community and six Gov ernment officials, thus giving the Samoan representatives a majority.
In order to have the 11 Samoan mem bers of the new Samoan Legislative As sembly elected, the Administrator called a Fono, or general meeting of represent atives of all Samoa, together on January 15. To this Fono, composed of the Faipule, the of the Samoan Par liament and two more representatives of each district, the Administrator explained the new political set-up, stressing the im portance of their task of selecting the best men available for the responsible position of Member of the new Legislative Assembly from among the 41 members of the Fono of Faipule. , In order to select these 11 members, the Administrator suggested that each mem ber of the Fono of Faipule write 11 names on a piece of paper and place the paper in a ballot box which would be handed to the Chief Judge and three Samoan judges. The judges would then count the votes and announce the names of the 11 Samoans who had received the greatest number of votes.
On January 17, the Fono again as sembled and the speaker declared that it was the unanimous opinion of the Fono that the selection of the members should be left to the three Fautua, the paramount chiefs of Samoa (Malietoa, Mataafa and Tamasese). He added that this should not be taken as a precedent or a per manent procedure, but that they wanted to adopt the method only in this case and in future such selections would be in the hands of the 41 members of the Fono of Faipule. He said that the method of voting as suggested by the Admin istrator was foreign and contrary to Samoan custom.
In long debates following this an nouncement, the Administrator tried to
persuade the Samoans to take the re sponsibility of the selection on them selves, but the Faipule persisted in their attitude.
The position at present is that the Fautua have agreed to make the selection from 31 names submitted to them. They presumably are still deliberating on their choice as no announcement has yet been made as to who will be the 11 Samoan members of the new Legislative Council.