Salamumu village elders have welcomed a Parliamentary Committee's recommendation for the seat of Saleaula in Savai'i to be restored after it was dissolved by the former administration. 

The Committee's recommendation was the result of a review of a Commission of Inquiry's report into the 2021 General Election, whose findings were tabled in the House and debated by Members of Parliament when the session reconvened last week.

Speaking exclusively to the Sunday Observer last Friday, Levaopolo Palota Alefaio, who spoke on behalf of the village, said their prayers have been answered and confirmed that they had a meeting with the chiefs from Saleaula.

He said they've unanimously agreed to make an appeal to the current Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) government to restore the seat of Saleaula and Salamumu that was dissolved during the term of the former Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) administration.

Levaopolo pointed out that the current FAST government – through the recommendation of the Committee – is now keeping its election promise made prior to the 2021 General Election and it is the main reason behind their decision to support the new party.

"The proposal from the ruling party in their manifesto leading up to the elections won our hearts, especially when they campaigned that they would help restore the seat of Saleaula and Salamumu," Levaopolo said. "It gave us hope and ever since then, we did not stop knocking on their doors to keep the promise they made. 

"We had a great meeting with the elders and matai from Saleaula and we all agreed that we would continue to fight to get our seat back."

Expressing relief that the recommendation to restore their seat is now before the House, Levaopolo said he also notes the change in the positions of Members of Parliament who were previously part of the former HRPP administration.

"The other thing is that we are happy to hear that other Members of Parliament from the previous administration who made the decision to have our seat resolved are also supporting the call to have our seat restored. 

"Our M.P. who is also a member of the Human Rights Protection Party has declared his support for the recommendation and we are very happy. We want to go back to the way it was from the beginning. 

"Saleaula and Salamumu may be on different islands but we are one. That is where our roots are and where we originally come from. We have the same honorific and salutation and wherever we may be, that can never change." 

The dissolution of the Saleaula and Salamumu constituency seat in the last term of parliament had consequences for the villagers, which Levaopolo said included their loss of authority due to them not originally and traditionally being from the district where they are currently residents.

"We have no authority here because we are not originally and traditionally from this district. While we appreciate the lands given to us here, it's very difficult to push for the developments we want for our village and our people, as we were forced to merge with this constituency. 

"And if there are conflicts and disagreements, the only way we can turn to is the law. That is why we are so happy and thankful that we will go back to vote with Saleaula. We have the freedom there to express ourselves, and what we want and implement ideas for the development of our families and villages. 

"There are no words to explain how we feel knowing that there is a great chance of us going back to how things were. It was the main reason why we supported the F.A.S.T. party leading up to the election so we want to thank the government and the parliament of Samoa."

The recommendations tabled by the Committee before the House last week called for the restoration of several seats for the traditional authority (pule) in Savai'i and proposed additional seats for Aiga ile Tai and the urban area. 

The Committee rejected the COI recommendations in its totality but proposed multiple changes that include reverting back to using traditional constituency boundaries instead of the current electoral constituencies. The recommendation sees the use of the division of 49 constituencies, as it was from 1991 to 2016 and additional seats proposed boosting the number of representatives in the House to 55.  

The proposed changes mean restoring the Saleaula seat, which is one of the six main traditional authorities (puleono) in Savai'i that was dissolved by the former government. This led to the merging of Salamumu with Safata West in Upolu with the rest of the villages merged with other districts in Savai'i. 

The Parliamentary Committee Chairman and Deputy Speaker, Aupaau Mulipola Aloitafua noted the importance of maintaining the traditional authorities in the islands. The restoration of the Saleaula seat means the village of Salamumu in Upolu will revert back to vote under the Gagaemauga No. 2 seat in Savai'i while Leauvaa villagers will vote in the Gagaemauga No. 1 traditional constituency. The district of Faleata will maintain its four seats but the Committee has proposed changing its name to Faleata traditional constituency seat instead of the electoral constituency.