The Speaker of the House released a detailed statement following a judicial ruling concerning the conduct and subsequent disciplinary action against two Parliament members.
The Court of Appeal has rendered a verdict in the appeal and cross-appeal in the case of Speaker v. Malielegaoi & Lealailepule, members of the opposition party HRPP. This case arose from the Legislative Assembly’s 2022 decision to suspend two Honourable Members for contempt for a two-year term.
The Court concluded that, while the Legislative Assembly has historically held and exercised powers to suspend Members under its Standing Orders, such authority should have been originally conferred by an Act of Parliament.
Consequently, the Court overturned the 2022 suspension of the two Honourable Members, upheld the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Members’ salaries should be paid (which has already been implemented), and issued a limited costs award.
Upon reviewing Parliamentary records, it was found that Parliament had suspended the operations of a local newspaper for 3 months in 1986 and subsequently voted to suspend Members of Parliament for Contempt in 1990, 2004, and 2020 under the authority of Standing Orders.
The crux of the decision is straightforward: successive governments (since independence) have acted via Standing Orders rather than through an Act, such as a specific provision in the Legislative Assembly Powers and Privileges Ordinance 1960. This deficiency can be promptly rectified.
In the interim, the Court has indicated that the Assembly retains the power to act in the face of immediate disruption.
While Parliament sought to follow the disciplinary process and powers exercised by Samoa’s Parliament over the past (almost) 40 years in addressing the breach of privilege complaint, the Appellate Court requires these powers to be specifically conferred by an Act of Parliament. “I intend to address this issue urgently for the benefit of Parliament,” says the Speaker.
“I appreciate the guidance provided by both Courts’ decisions in this matter and believe that another significant legal issue has been resolved, which will ultimately contribute to the smooth conduct of Parliamentary affairs in Samoa, both now and in the future.”
Message transcript fa’asamoa
Fofoga Fetalai o le Palemene o Samoa.
Fa’aiuga o le fa’amasinoga toeiloilo.
O le tiute o le fa’apalemene – fausiaina o le tulafono au le manuia o Samoa.
O le tiute o le fa’amasinoga o latou, latou te fa’auigaina tulafono e pei ona fausiaina e le palemene.
O lea ua aumai le fa’aiuga o le fa’amasinoga o talosaga tauiloilo e uiga i le talosaga a le fofoga fetalai ma nisi o faipule.
O le fa’aiuga a le fono aoao, ina ia fa’amalolo le tumau nei sui usufono e to’alua e tusa o uiga le migao mo le lua tausaga.
“Ia ma ua faia le fa’aiuga a le fa’amasinoga e fa’apea, e ui lava ina umia ma fa’atino le malosiaga ma le pule a le fono aoao fa’aletulafono i le tele o tausaga, e fa’amlolo le tumau ai sui usufono, e tusa ai ma au lape o ana tulafono tumau, ia ae maise o tulafono pule ma tulaga aloaia o le fono aoao, o ia malosiaga ma ia pule, ia o lea ua faimai le finagalo o le fa’amasinoga, sa tatau ona ulua’i fa’aee atu, ma aiaia e ala i se tulafono e pasia e le palemene, ia i le fa’amalamalama atili o lea tulaga, ia o loo iai nai aulape laititi o le tatou tulafono o lo’o iai i le taimi nei, ia ma olo’o finagalo le fa’amasinoga ina ia fa’amaoti pea le tulaga aloaia ma fa’aiuga fai a le palemene, e fa’apena ona fa’amanino i totonu o se tulafono e ao ona pasia ma aloaia e le palemene.
Ia ona o lea la mafuaaga ua fa’apea ai ona fa’aleaogaina ai le fa’amasinoga o talosaga toe iloilo, ia le fa’amaloloina le tumau o nei sui usufono.
Ia ma ua fa’ataunu’uina ai fo’i nisi o sailiiliga, o le fa’aiuga o le fa’amasinoga maualuga e uiga i totogi, ia ma o lea tulaga o lea ua mae’a ona fa’atino e le tatou malo ae fa’apea fo’i le fono aoao ia ma ua uma fo’i ona tu’uina atu iai.
Vanaga lava nai alauni o komiti sa auai ai nei sui, ia o lo’o fa’agasolo i le taimi nei. I le mae’a ai ona iloilo fa’amaumauga a le palemene, ia lea lava na maua ai e le tatou ofisa, ia e iai fa’atinoga o nei fa’aiuga sa faia e nisi o tatou palemene ua tuana’i atu, e pei ona iai le fa’amalolo lē tumau ai o le fa’aauauina o galuega o se tasi o nusipepa mo le tolu masina i le tausaga e 1986. Ia, sa fa’apena fo’i ona fa’amalolo lē tumau ia nisi o sui usufono o le palemene na fa’amaonia uiga le mīgao i le tausaga e 1990. Ia, e fa’apea fo’i ma le tausaga e 2004 ia ma le tausaga e 2020 i lalo lava o nei malosiaga o tulafono tumau o le palemene ia fa’apea fo’i le pule ma tulaga aloaia o le fono aoao.
Ia e manino lava ma malamalama le fa’aiuga a le fa’amasinoga toe iloilo, mai i le maea iloiloina ai o le fa’avae. Ia o tatou tulafono autu lea ia fa’atasi ai ma nisi o tulafono na pasia e le palemene. Ia ma o lea ua finagalo ai e fa’apea o le lape lava o a tatou tulafono e mafua mai talu ona tatou tuto’atasi, ia ma aua’i mai ai pulega fa’atonu ma faigamālo, ia lea lava sa latou fa’aogaina lava le fa’atinoina o galuega i lalo o tatou tulafono tumau, ia nai lo le fa’aogaina o se tulafono e pasia e le palemene. E pei o le fai ai o ni aiaiga fa’apitoa i totonu o le tulafono pule ma tulaga aloaia a le fono aoao fa’aletulafono 1960. Ia ma onei tulaga, ia ua lē atoatoa ai ona fai pe afai e talafeagai ai, e mana’omia lava le vave fō’ia.
A’o talia ai lea tulaga, ua fa’ailoa mai fo’i e le fa’amasinoga, ia, e iai lava i le fono aoao fa’aletulafono le malosiaga, e faia ai se fa’aiuga, ia e tusa ai ma tulaga ua fa’alavelaveina ai ana fa’aiuga fai i totonu o le palemene.
Ia, ina ua mafai ona tagofia e le palemene, ia ni suiga i tulafono e pei ona iai i le taimi nei. A’o tagofia e le palemene i le 40 tausaga taluai, ia mataupu lava e fitoitonu i mataupu tau i le solia o uiga tauoloa. Ia ma mulimulita’i lava i le fa’agasologa o le iloiloga o uiga o le lē migao mai i se sui usufono ma malosiaga sa fa’aaogaina lava e le palemene a Samoa le iai o tu’uaiga o le faia oni uiga lē migao a sui usufono, ia ma o lea ua finagalo ma fa’amautu mai e le fa’amasinoga o talosaga toe iloilo, ina ia aiaia loa le fa’aogaina o ia malosiaga e ala i se tulafono a le palemene, ia, aua lava le manuia ma le lelei o le palemene, ma o lea ua iai le fa’amoemoe, e tatau lava ona ave iai le fa’amuamua i lenei mataupu, ia ma tagofia loa i se taimi vave. Ia ma o le tulaga lena o lea ua fa’agasolo ai ia nei fuafuaaga uma a le tatou malo, ae maise fo’i le ofisa o le fono aoao ina ia fa’atino ia suiga.
Ia ma e oute fa’afetaia ai ma talia fo’i le fa’atonutonu folau ua tu’uina mai e ala fo’i i fa’aiuga a le fa’amasinoga e lua, i nei matā’upu ia ma ua manatu fo’i o lea ua ma’ea fo’i fa’aiuga o se tasi o mataupu fa’aletulafono, ia ma o le a mātua fesoasoani malosi fo’i lea i le fa’agasologa lelei o mataupu fa’apalemene, ia, i totonu o le tatou atunu’u, ia e lē gata mo lenei vaitaimi, ia ae o le fa’asolo atu mo a taeao, ia ma le aga’i i le lumana’i.
Ia, o le mea lea e fa’amafanafana atu fo’i i le tatou atunu’u, ia atonu ua aogā fo’i lenei fa’aiuga ua tu’uina mai, e fa’atonu folau ai le tatou palemene, mo le aga’i i le lumana’i, ia aua lava se manuia o le tatou atunu’u.”
