Getting those numbers correct

Dear Editor,

 

“We all know that the voting system favours the HRPP”

Rubbish. The fact that there are actually quite a few HRPP candidates per seat actually favours the opposition candidate. 

In the last election, the HRPP vote was split among 3 or 4 candidates whereas all the opposition votes are concentrated in the one Tautua candidate. 

If there was one HRPP candidate versus one Tautua candidate, the HRPP would demolish the Tautua candidate because all HRPP votes would be concentrated on the one HRPP guy or there would be less votes for them because voters for other HRPP candidates may not vote at all.

The electoral requirements for matai to serve the village is just normal Samoan cultural practice, which has existed for 3,000 years. 

Otherwise, you’ll have candidates who parachute themselves into the district on the eve of the election with a lot of money to buy their way to parliament.

Nothing stops opposition parties from forming or running. The Tautua party had only themselves to blame for the landslide loss in the last election because they only ran candidates in 25 districts. 

That is only half of the seats in Parliament. How can you hope to win government when you only contest half the seats in Parliament? 

In the previous election, they won 13 seats and in other elections in the past, the opposition has won 30% of the seats.

 

Petelo Suaniu 

Samoa Observer

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