God appointed matai to govern Samoa

By Aruna Lolani 17 July 2017, 12:00AM

Samoa’s foundation was set in stone from the very beginning.

It includes the fact that the matai system is the way Samoa should be governed.

So says Manupule Sautia of Lotofaga Safata. 

When the 45-year-old-father spoke with the Village Voice, he couldn’t stop praising the Village Councils for their role in maintaining law and order and keeping the harmony in Samoa.

“As you can see, this is one of the orders from the village,” he said. 

“Everything we do here is under the village commands in order to keep the peace.

“Since the kids are too small to cut the grass, we, the matai, step in to help. 

“I admire the committee and the members of our village for dealing with different issues such as youth violence as well as family matters. 

 “Not forgetting the effort of trying and encourage development here in the village so that families don’t have to go too far in town to get what they want.” 

Looking at the issues in some of the urban villages, Manupule said the problem is they don’t have effective village councils.

 “I think that is one of the problems in urban areas is the fact that they don’t have Village Councils, I am not saying that all of them don’t have strong Village Councils, only some of them.”

But Village Councils are not just about keeping peace.

They also empower villages.

“The matai encourage developments such as farms. It’s something that I’m very proud off. Aren’t you proud? 

“I mean God gave us the matai the authority to rule and oversee our families.

“It’s is why we have this motto Samoa is founded on God. Everything we do and are about to do is through God’s lead and guidance.”

Manupule believes if everyone plays their role in families, Samoa will be a better place to live.

 “Everything starts from the family,” he says. 

“With the issue of family violence increasing in Samoa, Manupule says everyone has a different view. 

“To me personally, I don’t blame anyone for that matter, everyone has right and wrong ideas but what we should do is to share and let other people know how you feel.

“We all know that the Samoan way of life is very simple, if you’re not happy with anything spill it out and let the other person know. From there, you will have an opportunity to sort it out.”

By Aruna Lolani 17 July 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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