It would be out of the ordinary for a current serving or former Member of Parliament to step forward to confess his or her wrongdoing using a global platform.

As to whether the crime was committed prior to entering public office, or while occupying public office, or after occupying public office is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is the laws of Samoa were broken and someone needs to be held accountable.

This is why the self-confession by the former Member of Parliament for the Salega East constituency, Tapua’i Toese Ah Sam, to sexually abusing young girls and women over many years is unprecedented. A 1.04 minute video of the former M.P. reading from his letter of confession was uploaded to YouTube on 22 September last year.

An article (Former MP confesses to sexual abuse) in the Wednesday 10 January 2022 edition of the Samoa Observer reported on the details of the self-confession by the former Samoan politician.

“To all people that I have sexually abused over many years, young girls and women. I have an illness and I need help, and I am seeking therapeutic rehabilitation help now,” the former M.P. read.

“Many times I hate myself for the harm and damage that I have caused these innocent people. I thought about committing suicide, killing myself. 

“I apologise to my victims, their families, my wife, my children, grandchildren and our families.” 

Tapua’i added that he will face God on judgement day and expressed remorse for his actions as he concluded his confession. 

“I repent, I am sorry. Toese Ah Sam,” the former M.P. said, before the video ended. 

The Police Commissioner, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo, was contacted by this newspaper for comment and he indicated that the Police have seen the video uploaded by Tapua’i.

However, Auapaau added, “but no victims have come forward to lodge a complaint or support his admission”.

We see the dilemma that the Police Commissioner faces – the Police have an online self-confession video of crimes allegedly committed on multiple occasions – but they cannot act unless a victim or victims step forward to lodge a complaint against the former local politician.

The fact that the Police in Samoa have been unable to link any alleged sexual crimes with the self-confession of the former parliamentarian, especially over the last four months since the former M.P. went public on YouTube, points to a number of factors including the lack of confidence and self-belief by victims in the system delivering justice.

So what if victims of sex crimes in Samoa lack confidence and self-belief in the country’s law and justice sector delivering justice? 

Or did the victims fear the power and position of authority of the former legislator back in the days which led to them concealing his various crimes?

Truth be known, there are a lot of unanswered questions in this particular case following the self-confession, which doesn't augur well for the community in the strive to make each and every home a safe place for women, girls and children. 

Individuals and organisations who work in this space in Samoa should ask if they are doing enough to get Samoa’s women and girls to step forward to report cases of sexual abuse perpetrated against them.

Interestingly, no church organisation who are or were associated with the former M.P. has released a statement to advise if they were aware of Tapua’i’s self-confession or were alerted to the now church pastor’s activities.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church (S.D.A.) of which the former M.P. was a senior pastor in California, Hawaii and Samoa should come public to advise if they were aware of the former Samoan legislator’s history. Over the years churches and religious institutions have had a history of sweeping incidents of sexual abuse under the carpet. 

A proactive church or religious institution – upon the uploading of the YouTube video in September last year – would have immediately begun an inhouse inquiry to investigate the period of the former parliamentarian-turned-pastor’s engagement and if congregation members at that time were exposed to any form of alleged abuse or had reason to be believe they were in such a position.

We sympathise with the women and young girls who were victims at that time – they should contact the Police now that the self-confession has been made. 

While it took guts for Tapua’i to confess his wrongdoing, the emotional, physical and psychological scar his actions would have left on his victims are lifelong, and he just like any other perpetrator should face the full force of the law.