“It is impossible to practice parliamentary politics without having patience, decency, politeness and courtesy,”: Khaleda Zia.

Begum Khaled Zia was prime minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006.

Like our own prime minister, she was the first female prime minister of her country.

This lady’s belief that patience, decency, politeness and courtesy are crucial to the practice of parliamentary politics is quite in accord with what we reported last week, especially the last two traits:

The best leaders do not humiliate, but they encourage. The best leaders don’t make a noise, but they do make a difference.

Our take last week was prompted by the noise of the shouting match by our leaders in our parliament.  

And in discussing the recent activities in our House of Parliament I’m reminded of the hundreds of speeches that I heard in the House in the 1960s during the five or so years I stood under the Post (the Poutu of the old Fale Fono) as the assistant interpreter/translator to the inimitable chief interpreter/translator, Atoa Tuvale Te’o.

I do not recall ever having to translate a motion for the removal of any words or phrases from Hansard. But I do recall the comment by the redoubtable Hon. Pilia’e Iuliano about a keen young MP that: se’iiloga e fitifiti le muaulu o le sui lea – need to flick this member’s forehead – to check if he’s mature enough.

Later, there was an exchange between Tofilau Eti Alesana and Tupuola Efi about one being the dumbest student and the other failing the Malua entry exam three times.

I’m also reminded of the wit and humour of the late venerable Malieoa Tanumafili II, our first Head of State, during our first political crisis when Tofilau refused to leave the PM’s office when he lost power.

Under deadline pressure, I rushed up to Faato’ialemanu, His Highness the Head of State’s private residence, to find out if there was a decision on who the next PM was going to be, and was politely told:

Ua lelei ua e sau; o lenei lava ma te liliu faala’au mamafa ma le susuga i le Failautusi nei  [Maiava Iulai Toma] ma fesilisili po’o ai ‘ea lenei tagata le mafafuafau, le migao ua na faia lenei mea.

I didn’t hear the rest of what His Highness said because I was thinking – did I just hear Tofilau being branded rude and inconsiderate? Instead of asking whether he was talking about Tofilau I asked about the matter that they were pondering and turning over like a massive log.

Oi, se o lea e fia iloa poo ai ua to ai le Lady Samoa. Oh, we want to know who made the Lady Samoa [the boat] pregnant.

Ever the diplomat, Maiava did not laugh but he avoided my look; but I did notice a faint smirk, as I thanked His Highness and took my leave and laughed to the office. It was the classiest ‘no comment’ I ever got in my many years as a journalist.

But I digress.     

My topic is a follow-up of last week’s Take on our expectations of how our leaders are to behave. I endorsed the author of The Best Leaders don’t shout, Bruce Cotterill’s, assertions about the standards of his country’s leaders and how they have declined over the years.

I have no doubt that our own expectations have declined along with the decline in the standards set by our leaders.

It was disheartening to hear the prime minister take to task the MP from Falelatai for his charge that the government was guilty of Contempt of Parliament. It was obvious that the MP had not given any thought at all that his party’s Leader and Secretary were the only MPs convicted of Contempt charges. They were not Contempt of Parliament charges, true, it was worse  - they were Contempt of Court charges.

The prime minister was quite justified in telling the Faletai MP that the faatkpetope he advised is the cause of the mess that the government is trying to clear up.

More disheartening still is the knowledge that our parliamentarians who passed the Land and Titles Act 2020 were not aware that they cannot pass laws to dismiss judges, members of the Judiciary, the third co-equal branch of our democracy along with the Executive and Parliament.

Manuia lava le vaiaso fou.