Last week, we reached the nadir of politics in our Parliamentary democracy when the Speaker of the House, who is supposed to ensure that order and dignity in Parliament is maintained, exploded with the type of volatile temperament no one wants to see from any of our Members of Parliament. I can only assume that he wasn’t well or that he was under some medication and pray that he has recovered. Except perhaps for some sociopath, I don’t think anyone will ever want to see this display of behaviour in the People’s House again.

I’ve listened to Parliament ever since I was a kid and admired the way Parliament conducted its businesses during the Constitutional Convention and following our Independence under the speakership of Luafatāsaga Kalapu, Amoa Tausilia, Magele Ate and the leadership of that great Prime Minister Fiamē Matā’afa Faumuinā Mulinu’ū II.

Dignity oozed out of that old ‘Fale Fono’. Adversarial politics did not exist, and consensus, compromise, and respect for each other ensured that proceedings ran smoothly, and differences between members were resolved amicably through brilliant oration.

Today, we’ve moved well beyond adversarial to a more antagonistic style of politics where debate has been replaced by yelling matches between members. We the public must never be tired of reminding our MPs, the Speaker included, that it is the collective responsibility of all of members to ensure that our Parliamentary democracy is protected from this confrontational, fighting, arguing and squabbling style that some members now employ.

Our people are already exhausted from the rise in crimes resulting from aggressive and violent behaviour in our homes, schools and in some villages. Our courts and police are having great difficulty trying to deal with them, to bring normality to the lives of those people displaying these tendencies. And the example set by some of our political leaders last week doesn’t help them with their work. They failed to conduct themselves in a manner that leans towards maintaining and strengthening the public's trust and confidence in the integrity of Parliament.

This column has been vocal on this issue as far back as the mid-1980s, (when Prime Minister Tofilau Eti and Leader of the Opposition Tupuola Efi occasionally clashed in the House, calling each other names), about the need for discipline in the House and for members to conduct themselves with a sense of decorum to not erode the public’s respect for our parliamentary institution  and for our leaders.

Sitting in Parliament today are some members who shared this same concern and had themselves made similar calls in the past. “Parliament’s Dignity Must be Restored”, says former Opposition Member of Parliament [now Minister of Health], Valasi To’omaga Tafito (Samoa Observer 12 February 2021) when addressing “hundreds of voters at the Congregation Christian Church of Samoa at Lu’ua on Thursday evening at a F.A.S.T. [campaign] roadshow.

“Samoa’s Parliament has become a ‘figure of fun’, not only with the kind of language used in parliamentary sessions, but through Members of Parliament’s behaviour.

Gone are the days when Samoa’s Parliament was the most respected council in the country.

It lacks dignity and is no longer respected and honourable.

This is something that was raised by other matai (chiefs) in other constituencies we already visited. The childish behaviour we constantly see during parliament meetings is inappropriate.”

Mr. Tafito then reminisced about the “honourable days of Samoa’s Parliament” during the reign of then Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana:

“That is why it was highly respected and honourable. Because the leaders and members back then knew the boundaries and had the deep knowledge and oratory instilled in them.”

I don’t think many political observers will disagree with Mr. Tafito. The dignity, decorum and discipline that once clad Parliament during the Constitutional Convention and during Fiamē Mata’afa Faumuinā Mulinu’ū II’s reign as Prime Minister and onwards, is now but a memory.

The big question now is: What is Mr. Speaker and Members of Parliament going to do to make sure that ‘Parliament’s dignity is restored’ as suggested by M. Tafito?

Mr. Tafito and his fellow MPs know the solution, but are they willing to implement it? Are they willing to censure their colleagues, who are bringing Parliament into disrepute regardless of which side of the House they sit on?

Sir Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, in his speech on 5 March 1931, the theme of which was: "The Present Decline of Parliamentary Government in Great Britain" lamented, "The House of Commons as a vehicle of the popular will has steadily declined in public repute..." and "I am deeply anxious that its walls shall not be undermined by slow decay or overthrown by violent battering-rams".

I fear that this is what is happening to our Parliament. During the last few years tumultuous debates and clashes of personality in the House have recurred with disturbing regularity.

It is our duty as citizens and voters to speak up to protect our parliamentary democracy from being hijacked and “overthrown by violent battering rams”.