Let’s stick to village councils

Dear Editor

Re: Foreign beliefs and religions don’t enslave us. We are our own worst enemies

The village councils keep the peace, law and order in the majority of the country. For every bad incident and there have been a few well documented cases since 1981, by and large, the villages have been largely peaceful since independence. They play a valuable role in providing national stability in a country where western democracy is a relatively new thing. We have only had a modern central government in Apia since 1962 and before then the central colonial government run by foreigners for 50 odd years. The village governments have been around for 3,000 years. The very thought of an overbearing central government reaching into every household in the country should be treated with major concern. A decentralised governance system (village governments and a central government) spreads power over the 11 traditional districts and promotes national stability.

 

PS Jeffery

Samoa Observer

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