Your White Sunday week news briefs from EyeSpy
LOTU TAMAITI WORLDWIDE: Samoan children, siblings Aidan and Simon Mata'afa and Camryn Elise with their first cousin Ryan Faumui in San Antonio, Texas during a White Sunday celebration.
Courtesy Photo
MONDAY, 10 OCTOBER IS WHITE SUNDAY HOLIDAY IN SAMOA
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (M.C.I.L.) has declared Monday, 10 October a public holiday in celebration of White Sunday or Lotu Tamaiti.
Children and their families across Samoa, American Samoa and in Samoan communities around the world are preparing for White Sunday.
On the day, children take center stage to recite Bible verses, re-enact Bible stories and sing Gospel songs with their elders as the audience. Elders and children reverse roles at home with the parents catering to and serving their children.
Parents and grandparents have been cramming businesses this week on the hunt for the perfect dress, suit, shoes and accessories to adorn and celebrate their children on White Sunday.
M.C.I.L issued a public notice early this week advising public, government agencies and the private sector of the holiday which is in accordance with Section 2 of the Public Holidays Act 2008.
Businesses are allowed to open on the holiday but M.C.I.L. reminds employees to provide workers with holiday pay in accordance with the Labour and Employment Relations Act 2013.
“In accordance with section 2 of the Public Holidays Act 2008, the public, government agencies and the private sector are hereby advised that Monday 10th October 2022 will be treated as a Public Holiday to celebrate White Sunday 2022,” the notice states.
“Businesses may open during a Public Holiday in accordance with the provisions of the Public Holidays Act 2008. Further, employers are advised to comply with relevant provisions under the Labour and Employment Relations Act 2013 regarding of Public Holiday pay.”
M.C.I.L. directs questions about the White Sunday holiday to the Industrial Relations, Employment Permits and Occupational Safety and Health Division at 20441 or 20442.
Blessed Happy White Sunday, Samoa!
The Samoa Umbrella for Non-Governmental Organisations (S.U.N.G.O.) when they met with the 2021 Commission of Inquiry Into Electoral Matters on Monday, 3 October.
Photo: S.U.N.G.O.
S.U.N.G.O. WANTS 10 PERCENT QUOTA FOR WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT REMOVED
The 2021 Commission of Inquiry Into Electoral Matters has received a long list of suggestions from the Samoa Umbrella for Non-Governmental Organisations (S.U.N.G.O.), among them the removal of the 10 percent quota for women in Parliament.
S.U.N.G.O. says the focus should be on empowering women to run for Parliament as opposed to the 10 percent quota mandatory under the 2019 Electoral Act.
“One of the main topics we discussed in our submission today was the empowering of women to consider running as candidates for future elections. This might be the solution to this 10% saga that we have noticed in the last election,” S.U.N.G.O. said in a statement on Facebook.
S.U.N.G.O. leadership presented their Electoral Act Submission from its member Civil Society Organisations (C.S.O.) to the Commission on Monday, 3 October at the Office of Electoral Commission (O.E.C.) in Mulinu’u.
S.U.N.G.O. is a network of Civil Society Organisations and its member organisations include N.G.O.s, Community Based Organisations (C.B.O.s), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Trusts.
The organisation has a growing membership of over 200 members spread across the urban and rural communities of Samoa.
Parliamentarians who participated in the dialogue hosted by The Office of the Ombudsman last week.
Photo: Ombudsman
SPEAKER, OPPOSITION MEET IN OMBUDSMAN DIALOGUE; RIGHTS OF CHILDREN ADDRESSED
In a good sign of progress, Speaker Li’o Taeu Masipa’u and leader of the Opposition Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi met when lawmakers gathered for a three-day Parliamentary dialogue hosted by the National Human Rights Institute (N.H.R.I.) or Office of the Ombudsman.
The theme was: “Strengthening partnership and promoting proactive engagement [of the Office of the Ombudsman] with Parliamentarians in the realization and protection of human rights in Samoa.”
The dialogue targeted Members of Parliament (M.P.s) who have direct engagement with the work of the Office particularly the Parliamentary Committee tasked to review and scrutinize the Office’s annual State of Human Rights Reports, according to a statement from the N.H.R.I.
Speaker Li’o, the Opposition leader Tuilaepa and Parliamentarians from the Social and Finance Committees and other Parliamentary Committees were in attendance, said the Ombudsman’s Office.
District Court Judge Loau Donald Kerslake of the Youth Court spoke on the application of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and why there is resistance in the community to some aspects of the rights of children.
“Healthy democracies have a system of checks and balances at the executive, legislative and judicial levels, and each of these levels plays its own unique and vital role in this democratic balance,” the Ombudsman Luamanuvao Katalaina Sapolu said.
“Alongside this system is the Ombudsman, an Independent Officer of Parliament who adds an additional, accountability layer that checks if the system is working to the benefit of people on the areas of good governance and human rights.”
Non-Government Organizations (N.G.O.s) at the center of advocacy work on human rights issues like sexual reproductive health, the rights of persons with disabilities and rights relating to fa’afafine and fa’atama shared their insights.
Participating N.G.O.s included the Samoa Family Health Association (S.F.H.A.), Nuanua o le Alofa (N.O.L.A.), and the Samoa Fa’afafine Association (S.F.A.). Common misconceptions that sometimes hinder the promotion and advocacy work within their communities were shared.
The Ombudsman thanked participating M.P.s and their partners and the Government of Australia through the United Nations Population Fund (U.N.F.P.A.) Transformative Agenda programme and the Office of the Clerk Legislative Assembly (O.C.L.A.).
New Zealand has opened its 2022 Samoa Quota registration. Deadline is 5 p.m. 2 November, 2022.
Image: New Zealand High Commission in Samoa
DEADLINE FOR NEW ZEALAND QUOTA APPLICATIONS IS WEDNESDAY, 2 NOVEMBER, 2022
There are 27 days left for residents of Samoa who seek to register for the 2022 Samoa Quota.
The Samoa Quota Registration 2022 opened on Monday, 3 October, 2022, according to a Facebook statement published by the New Zealand High Commission in Samoa.
The deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday, 2 November, 2022.
Applications may be filed online using a phone or computer. The best internet browsers to use are Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, the statement advises.
The High Commission reminds applicants not to forget your email address and password.
“You will receive confirmation of registration, updates and your outcome via your email address,” the N.Z.H.C. states.
Additional instructions are as follows: take photos of the Birth Certificates of family members included in the registration immediately before you start the process so the images will be easy to find when you upload them for your registration.
Step-by-step guides on how to apply are available in the Samoan language and the English language. Further instructions and links can be found on the N.Z.H.C. in Samoa Facebook page.
Registration is free of charge.