A nation’s national anthem represents the tradition, history, and beliefs of its people. It is quite disappointing and shameful that there is no official word on which version is the right one.

Is it the one last revised in 1986 and sung at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting or is it the one listed on the government website? This is something that needs to be defined now.

The national anthem evokes patriotism and reminds us of the nation’s glory, beauty, and rich heritage. It also helps unite the people of this country by one single song. During the national anthem performance, citizens of a nation, despite their differences, rise in unison and listen attentively or sing the song with great enthusiasm.

Players also feel a great moment of pride when the anthem plays in the background. The emotion stirred by the anthem can be felt a thousand miles away through the television. It gives them a feeling of having made their country proud. Students who listen to the national anthem in their schools learn to respect their nation and develop a sense of unity among themselves.

This is why it is very important this issue needs clarification and amendments need to be made to the Official Flag and National Anthem of Samoa Act 1994. This law states that Samoa Tula'i is the national anthem, however, the lyrics of the anthem are not provided in the schedule.

On the contrary, the same law provides a clear description of the national flag.

There would have been no issues if the law in 1994 had included the anthem in its entirety in the schedule, just as it has been done for the flag.

This is another example of laws not being clear and precise. In recent years, we have seen how this can be a problem even for the judges. This was highlighted when the courts were deciding on women's representation in parliament and lately on the lawfulness of the removal of the former president of the Lands and Titles Court.

The gaps in the Judicature Act 2020 have also led to a delay in the appointment of new judges to the bench until further amendments are made by the House to fix the defective law. Samoa needs new judges and the only thing stopping the appointment is the law itself. Isn’t this ironic?

Complex laws and unprecise have not only undermined the functioning of the legislative branch but the courts as well. Judges are often confronted with the need to "clean up" after lawmakers whenever a case involving long-winded, esoteric legal provisions raises questions of statutory interpretation.

Getting back to the issue of which anthem to sing, the best step forward now for the government would be to have a referendum on which anthem the people want to be sung when the national flag is hoisted or at international events. If the government does not want to head this way, then the cabinet should make a decision soon and include the lyrics in the Act.

We need to be singing the right anthem. The failure of the nation to not know which is its true anthem is not something that should be discussed at a later stage. This is urgent and it should be dealt with great urgency.

We do not want to be known as a nation that does not know its anthem.