WE NEED LEADERS, NOT POLITICIANS!
The democratic party system today is increasingly fragmented throughout the world, let alone the Pacific. In Samoa itself, while the number of political parties surge, and for all good reasons, there is something that is declining which is deeply disturbing. Something that we’re sidelining, as we are too fixated on party wars, party politics, or gaining party numbers in the next election. That is, we are in decline of leaders with morals and principles. The democratic party system of course was made to produce politicians, but not leadership. It was made to produce governments, not governance. Politicians care more about the fish (gain, outcome, benefit, development). Leaders care about the net (land, ocean, people used for these gains and development). Politicians are produced from a system of competition. Leaders are produced from a system of care. A system grounded in ava fatafata, faaaloalo, faamaoni, amiotonu, alofa. These are leaders who do not follow the rule of parties, but rather the rule of love. Unfortunately, some leaders who have entered parliament with these qualities have been regrettably transfigured by party politics, forever scarred by the divisive and contentious nature of the party system, turning them into politicians who care only about the fish even if the net is torn. They become members of parliaments and not wisdom holders, as we now see in the Samoa today. Two things I would suggest as we head to elections. First, is a ‘leaders centred system’ where we refrain from voting for parties, but for people with principles and morals, who are honest, who personify the duty of care, no matter what party they belong to. We can identify these people by how they carry themselves with the audacity to fight for justice for all, not for a party. Second, and the most important one, is to develop a ‘values-based system’ alongside the political party system to constantly check and inform parliamentarians of their ethics of care, their duty of mending, their responsibility to people and not to a party, and their custodianship of identity and welfare of all Samoans.