The Scots greet their conquering heroes by singing: Hail to the chief!

The International Press Institute hails Savea Sano Malifa as one of the 50 world global Press freedom heroes. The Fiji Daily Post in an emphatic and sobering editorial, hails the conquering hero. Jean Ash Malifa, Savea’s wife, is also acknowledged. US Vice President Al Gore and Henry Kissinger are poised to do some more hailing in a ceremony scheduled in June and venued in Boston, USA. 

Out of a total world population of 5-6 billion people, Savea is one of the 50 world Press freedom heroes. Out of Australasia and the Pacific, there is only one world Press freedom hero. He is Savea Sano Malifa. He happens to be Samoan. 

Here is a genuine global hero! And there is barely a word of acknowledgement from Samoa and the Samoans! Hardly a whisper, let alone a whimper! Even if it’s whimpering, at the least, some acknowledgement. 

Why is this? Is it because we take Savea’s person or his contribution or both for granted? Or does the national psyche resist or resent or both, the notion of a Samoan global hero? Or is it a guilt complex premised on a political environment eloquently expressed by the Fiji Daily Post editorial? 

The award given to Malifa then is not a victory prize. It is an indictment. It is proof that many of our leaders have failed in one of their fundamental duties; to guarantee for everyone their right to information and their right to free expression. 

It has become the fashion since Tofilau’s death to deny, to dissociate, or distance the political environment above-named by trashing Tofilau. 

Tofilau did not work in isolation. In order to extend the current Parliamentary term from 3 to 5 years, he needed to amend the constitution by a two-thirds majority. In order to sack the Auditor, he needed to amend the constitution by a two-thirds majority. Tofilau did not act in isolation. In order to make the position of Auditor and Police Commissioner and departmental heads more accountable to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Tofilau needed the support of every single member of the HRPP Party. 

When Tofilau lied about the Police conviction record in Parliament, he did not lack volunteers to join him in telling lies. Tuilaepa, the Speaker of the House, Tuala Kerslake, Solia Papu and the late Luagalau Levaula were at the forefront of the bandwagon. Tofilau did not act in isolation. 

The burning of Savea’s Printing Press was a serious setback. In the recent Court case, Toi should have been asked about the razing of Savea’s Printing Press.

Savea and Jean had to front up with hundreds of thousands of tala (Samoan dollars) for legal fees and for Court charges and costs, when the decision went against them in the recent case. Leafa should have been asked in the recent court proceedings about the government support for the Tofilau family hotel. 

This is the environment that spawned and nurtured our global hero. The irony is that probably Savea would prefer to be the anti-hero. Provoke or prod him about his pet hates particularly when he is under the influence, and he lets fly. The language races until it jumbles and occasionally becomes gibberish. He becomes fearsome and aggressive. But it is all façade. For it is a defence mechanism by which he secures himself against the initiatives of the enemy, the curiosity of strangers and the prying of overly aggressive friends. With all that, he is fundamentally a very caring, kind, compassionate person. And one of his constant fears is that people will take advantage of him as a soft touch. 

The standard of his writing is uneven. I have read some of his work where I have had to say, more in anxiety, Savea hasn’t gotten over his hangover. But when he writes about the things that he is passionate about: the cause of democracy and freedom of expression, caring for the elderly, the sick and the young, and when he is attacking arrogance, greed, conceit, pomposity and cruelty, his prose acquires a life force which is as vibrant as it is lyrical. 

Jean Ash Malifa is a child of Apia: a street-smart, with an eye that is perceptive especially where money advantage is involved. And that is the gift which cannot be trifled with, considering Sano’s passion and the quarrels which necessarily follow in its wake. Someone has to ensure that the show goes on. For the bottom line, whether we like to admit it or not, is money. More than Sano, Jean has kept the ship afloat, despite severe setbacks. 

One of Sano’s greatest enemies is temperament. God has endowed Jean with the knack of bringing Sano gently out of his dark moods and tantrums. And that is one of the essential formulas of the Observer’s success. Someone has to keep the genius on track. Sano can thank his lucky stars that he has someone like Jean who can succeed with her devotion and understanding to bring the best out of Sano. 

 Let me hail you both by saying: You personify the best in the Samoan spirit! That spirit is symbolized in the words of the Solosolo song:

            O Mose lava oe o le ta’ita’i ala

            O Isaraelu lenei ua Malaga

            E ui ina mamao ma tele tausaga

            Ae faamoemoe pea lava i folafolaga

            O le tatou tofi o le nuu o Kanana   

• This was a tribute to Savea Sano Malifa and Jean Ash Malifa published on 22 April 2000 after Mr. Malifa was chosen as one of 50 for the World Freedom of the Press award. The tribute has been republished on the occasion of the newspaper's 45th Anniversary on Monday 28 August 2023.