What about dirty water and broken roads?

// A WASTE of time and a waste of money” is how ndependent MP, Le Tagaloa Pita, described plans for a referendum on universal suffrage. “The most urgent problem now is to pull the country out of the shame of no electricity, of dirty water, of no water and of broken roads.” (Daily power cuts have been in force for weeks after breakdowns in half the eight diesel generators run by the Electric Power Corporation and the writeoff of a hydro generator. The power went off again during the interview with Le Tagaloa).

“No Samoan is currently prevented from making his views known to his chief. '"All suli (heirs) have the right to dissent under the Samoan system. Why bring in a new system when the Samoan way is adequate? Plebiscite comes from plebian which effectively means commoner. There are no commoners in

Samoa, only chiefs and their heirs.

Faamatai, or the chiefly way, is the system of respect and consensus. That is the system of the future because foreign ways are basically a divisive process.”

Pita’s views are the same as those of Falemalu Asoau, an 18-year-old who opposes universal suffrage. He believes such a reform will affect the respect for ( decision-making elders that young people are supposed to have. Falemalu is unsure whether 21-year-olds are old

enough.

For those of non-Samoan ancestry, universal suffrage could hasten the phasing out of their two Parliamentary seats reserved for Individual Voters.

“Individual Voter’s representation, and the formula for determining that representation, will be made redundant through the introduction of universal suffrage,” said Registrar of Electors and Voters, Tate Simi.

Asoau: is 21 old enough?