Opinion Editorial: PROTEST AND ANTI-PROTEST END PEACEFULLY

6 August 2021

The HRPP vehicle rally and protest in Savaii has ended peacefully. Vehicles could not make there way around the island and were forced to retreat to the wharf and make their way back to Upolu. The protest in Savaii follows a similar car rally and protest march in Upolu last week.

The former PM and HRPP members are protesting at what they believe are the "unfair" decisions of the Courts which forced their removal from office and upheld the result of the general election some 4 months ago. A series of previous marches and protests has sought to garner support for the situation in which the HRPP now find themselves.

Primarily their grievances have been directed towards the judiciary as well as claiming their support for the Constitution. Meanwhile the Courts have not only upheld the Constitution but clarified a number of misconceptions relating to the scope of power held by the Head of State.

The HRPP has refused to accept these decisions, has denounced the "court appointed government" and continues to seek endorsement of the public for its stand against the judiciary. Yesterday's response from the Big Island indicates that certainly Savaii has had enough. The blocking of public roads with rocks and barbed wire is unlawful. No one has the right to do this.

At the same time we should all respect and honour the judiciary - whether we agree with the decision or not. The blocking of the road and implied threats of confrontation while unlawful was perhaps a message which needed to be said and heard by those leading the rally.

In spite of the rally being short lived and abandoned in Savaii, the former PM is claiming victory. It is unclear how the rally and its abrupt end could be perceived as victorious. However, in terms of raising awareness of the Court's decisions, of freedom of expression and stating the public's position, the events in Savaii must be seen as a total success. The situation in Savaii has brought into focus several other issues.

The primary issue is that regardless of the right to freedom of expression, such protests and marches consume an inordinate and maybe unjustified amount if public resources. At the top of the list are the resources of the Samoan Police personnel whose lives and safety were again put to the test yesterday all in the line of duty. A heavy Police presence was called for and additional resources brought over from Upolu by boat and plane in order to maintain the peace.

In doing so the roles and responsibilities of the Police normal duties were disrupted and were not performed because they were directed elsewhere. While they performed their duties admirably and achieved the objective of keeping the peace, perhaps we should question was it all necessary at all? Meanwhile the Australian funded Police Patrol boat Nafanua II remains stuck on the reef out from Saleleloga. In terms of man power what did yesterday's protest rally cost the Samoan people? Did the organisers of the rally pay this money to the Samoan Police? Will they be charged with the cost of retrieving the patrol boat? Criticism was levelled at the new Minister for Police in granting approval for the rally in the first place and he has defended that decision.

We hope that in future more analysis of the risk and cost versus rights be conducted before public resources are allocated. This includes not just the cost in allocating trained officers to uphold the peace but consideration of the personal risk which these events place such officers. Another issue arising from yesterday's incident is the positive role which all of the media played. From the outset it was apparent that Savaii was going to "push back" against the message which the HRPP was attempting to spread.

The media did not just simply report the events as they occurred but openly pleaded for the community as a whole to remain calm and peaceful. Thankfully along with the efforts of the village matai and Samoa Police, it worked. Kudos also to the village matai for their role in keeping villagers under control. The situation with untitled men could very easily have escalated but matai were able to intervene and maintain peace. An overview of social media feedback reveals that the HRPP and former PM are perceived as being even more isolated and removed.

Those HRPP members who were elected to represent their constituencies remain in the political wilderness having not been sworn in by their own choice. Their refusal to acknowledge the current government or the mechanism by which they were appointed creates a dilemma for them. The ongoing court-bashing by the HRPP is seen as tiresome and old news with the FAST lead government respectfully getting on with its elected duties.

The public too are tired of all the hate speak and have moved on. The peaceful resolution of any issue is always the best outcome. The HRPP protesters were sent back home and failed to achieve what it wanted. Regretfully it took some unlawful acts - an anti-protest-protest - to get this message across. Stay safe and peaceful Samoa.