samoa – Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi has sent out a strong message that the judiciary should be held in contempt of parliament when they refused to appear before a Special Parliamentary Committee set up to investigate the work of the Lands and Titles Court.

The government is considering separating the Lands and Titles court from the current judiciary authority.

Tuila’epa revealed that the Attorney General’s office is drafting a new legislation for the separation – as well as the formation of a new commission to administrate and make guidelines for judges.

Members of the judiciary were invited to respond to public allegations and accusation regarding their duties – however, due to the belief that the judiciary was independent, none of the judges appeared.

Tuila’epa said it was a disrespectful of parliament and said the judges were too scared to appear because they knew they would be probed on the many allegations of dishonesty raised by several people against their rulings and decisions.

“They are afraid to answer the committee’s questions about the abuse inside court and the disrespect against parties to cases and complaints against their decisions,” Tuila’epa told Parliament.

Tuilaepa believes the judiciary had disrespected parliament when they stood against the committee’s request.

Tuila’epa explained that he had been inundated with complaints from members of the public seeking his assistance pertaining to their matters in the Lands and Titles court “that have affected their most precious belongings.”

“I told them, that is a matter for the court but they persisted. Remember, we as the parliament and the judiciary have our statutory duties and that it to do the best for the public,” he explained.

“I get many summons signed by a court official to appear in court and failing I will face the consequences, and I always appear and testify. Now parliament has summoned them to answer to how they are performing their duties and they refuse.”

Tuila’epa said parliament and the committee has the power and authority to summons anyone to testify before the committee, and even he had been summoned to appear before several parliamentary committees.

He said any order or summons from any parliamentary committee or commission of inquiry that is not honoured, that person or party should be dealt with under the “contempt of the dignity of this parliament.”

Chairman of the Special Parliamentary Committee for the Lands and Titles Court, Laupao’o Natanileu Mua agreed with Tuila’epa and recommended that cabinet should make a decision regarding the judiciary not honouring the committee’s call.

The ruling party caucus also favours setting up the Lands and Titles Court independent from the Courts Administration.

The Lands and Titles Court deals mainly with matters of lands and titles and the judges do not necessarily need to have legal training or background.

The Prime Minister says once Parliament has passed the new proposed legislation all positions of the Lands and Titles Court will be re-advertised. Call to protest being heard in Samoa

SAMOA – The rallying call of millions of women around the world protesting against the presidency of Donald John is not going unheard in Samoa.

As images of protest marches at different parts of the globe continue to make headlines around the world, women in Samoa are closely following the events – and offering their support where they can, the Samoa Observer reports.

For the majority of Samoan women, social media platforms, mainly Facebook and Twitter, have been their avenue to express their support for the courage of their sisters to voice their concerns.

One Samoan woman, Suisala Mele Maualaivao, said there are legitimate reasons to be concerned about Trump’s behaviour as he takes over the most powerful political office in the world.

Maualaivao, the Country Programme Coordinator for United Nations Women supports the protest marches and expresses her own concerns about Trump’s documented inappropriate behaviour towards women.

“This women’s march wasn’t just about how Trump treats women,” she told the Samoa Observer.

“It was really about how he treats people who he doesn’t share the same values with.

“My concern is where he was talking about kissing women and grabbing without their permission is illegal in majority of the countries in the world. Yet, still he was elected.

“I think that was for a lot of people at the core of what urged them on in terms of these protests.

“He is somebody who has admitted and caught on tape purposefully grabbing women, assaulting women. It would be considered assault overseas in the States, I don’t know about the law here in Samoa but any unwanted touching is inappropriate.

“Yet he was still able to run for office.”

“For a presidential candidate one would presume that the information that was revealed about him prior to the election would have ruined his campaign and prevented him from continuing on,” she said.

“It didn’t seem to work. It didn’t seem to surprise people that he behaved that way. I think the people who supported Trump didn’t care and that’s just who he was.

“It’s more of a matter of, when this man spoke this way and was publicly caught speaking that way, the fact that there weren’t people who decried him.

“ I think a lot of us here would think it to be inappropriate for a man to speak that way especially someone in leadership.”

For Maualaivao, witnessing women of Pacific island heritage engage in political activism thorough out the globe was absolutely astounding.

What started out as a Facebook post by a saddened grandmother from Hawai‘i soon snowballed into a global demonstration uniting people of all walks of life standing united advocating on behalf of the marginalised and those who have been targets of Trump’s contempt, the Samoa Observer says.

- Samoa Observer