Voters and leaders of the Safata constituency will present a petition to Parliament today.
The petition will oppose a plan to change the election of the constituency’s Members of Parliament.
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The proposed change is contained in the Electoral Amendment Bill 2014.
According to the Bill, one Member of Parliament for Safata is to be elected from the villages of Vaie’e, Nu’usuatia, Lotofaga, Sataoa and Sa'anapu while the second M.P will be elected from Mulivai, Fusi, Fausaga and Tafitoala.
Safata is represented in Parliament by the leader of the Tautua Samoa Party, Palusalue Fa’apo II and the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Manu’alesagalala Enokati Posala.
Speaking to the Samoa Observer yesterday, Palusalue, said the proposed change is wrong and unnecessary. It violates Safata’s traditional boundaries, he said.
“The constituency will be making their case about the appropriate boundaries,” said Palusalue. “Tuilaepa or his Cabinet do not make that division for the constituency.”
Palusalue pointed out that the amendment suggests that Satunumafono and Lealataua should be divided.
“That should not be the case,” he said.
“The elderly people of Safata understand that the whole constituency is the family of Satunumafono".
“And yet the proposal by the government is to divide the family of Satunumafono and Lealataua. That is not in accordance with the constituency’s traditional foundation and boundaries".
The other issue is logistics, Palusalue pointed out. He said the proposed change would mean one side of Safata will have a roll of 4,000.
“Lealataua would have less than a thousand on its roll while the Satunumafono will have about four thousand,” said Palu.
“It’s not how it should be divided. The government should leave the boundaries for the constituency to draw that line".
Under the Electoral Amendment Bill 2014, 2 For election of Members of Parliament for the six constituencies prescribed under subsection (1) (c) for the Safata Constituency no.13 (i) one Member of Parliament is to be elected from the villages of Vaiee, Nuusuatia, Lotofaga, Sataoa and Sa’anapu and (ii) one Member of Parliament is to be elected from the villages of Mulivai, Fusi, Fausaga and Tafitoala.
Last week, Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi said the changes are minor. Instead, he blamed the Opposition for stirring up things. Villages like Faleasi’u and Fasito’o know where the line is drawn between their constituencies,” said Tuilaepa.
“It’s just Falealili and Safata that have small changes and the same goes for the town area. But things like this, the Tautua is stirring up things. But that is their duty to stir up things".
Several recommendations from a parliamentary select committee on the Electoral Amendment Act 2013, were rejected by Cabinet. Palusalue is a member of the committee. The recommendations include a) Replacement of the individual voters roll with two (2) Urban constituencies;
b) Dealing with the problems of electors (without kinship connections) residing within the Faleata and Vaimauga territorial constituencies who have swelled the rolls of those constituencies.
The delegation from Safata will be at the TATTE building at 10.30 today.
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