The age-old practice of banishment has been used for centuries, and those in power have abused it. In the case of a matai from Fausaga being banished for life for expressing his political views seems a bit harsh.

This is yet another example of a violation of a man’s constitutional rights. The courts would agree if the matter was pursued in a court of law. The banished matai’s fault is making comments on social media relating to politics through videos. As it is known, comments and videos on social media do not require a person to follow ethical guidelines and the videos were defamatory.

The course of action for this would have been a complaint to the police and a decision by the village council after the court had given its decision. It was rather harsh to banish the man for life from his home and family.

Tuia Paepae Letoa, the high chief who was the target of a few comments made sure that he made the commentator pay for hurting his image.  

This is also a precedent that no one has the right to raise their voice against what they think is wrong against those in power. Does this mean that those commenting against the prime minister, more rudely than the banished matai should be expelled from Samoa? Does this mean that people will be banished for raising their voices against corruption, especially with the district grants?

We also know that people have been banished from villages for not voting for people endorsed by the village council. This is a culture of abuse of power. This is the same power used by politicians because they are high-ranking chiefs to silence any voice that questions them.

This is very similar to the case of the man who was hog-tied because of his behaviour and refusal to leave his home. This is more closely tied to the incident in Vaitoomuli, Savaii. Autagavai Upa and his family were banished because he had inquired about a piece of land used under the district development project. The matai who did not like the questioning, exiled the man and his family.

Abuse of power by matai is becoming too common in many villages. Some chiefs can use their authority to mistreat people and evidently, this has been happening.

The way village councils operate is a complex issue. The unwritten rules and laws make it out to be. This is getting out of hand. Some matai think they are above the law. This is something legislators need to look into. Village bylaws need to be written and then approved in the same way any law does.

There should be a consultation with all leaders and they be made aware of how the rule of law works and the rights enshrined in the Constitution of Samoa, the supreme law of this land. Some may not know what they are doing is wrong while some know it, but do it because they have the power to do so.

Laws either written or traditional are there to protect people, not to subject them to abuse. Laws protect our general safety, and ensure our rights as citizens against abuses by other people, by organisations, and by the government itself.

Tradition and culture are a big part of the Samoan society. They should never be used as a means to exert abuse or break laws. We have a Constitution, the supreme law of the land and other various laws that help keep peace and order.

As matai, they are leaders of their villages and communities. They have the power to do good and be just and fair. They should not let political or personal grudges come in the way of decision-making. They are traditionally empowered to care for the people and not subject them to abuse.

Everything starts at home, in this case the villages. If matai do not end the abuse at the village level, why should they expect greater abuse of power to stop at the national level?