With all due respect, let me say this to all those former Manu Samoa players and coaches who have campaigned against Lakapi Samoa, with the support of Prime Minister La‘auli Leuatea Schmidt.
No one gives a toss about you or your opinions anymore. You are no longer relevant.
You made us proud when you had the privilege of representing Samoa. Lakapi Samoa gave you the opportunity to perform on the international stage. That is how you became famous.
We, the supporters, kept your legacies alive by continuing to mention your names in our conversations. We cheered you all the way. Representing Manu Samoa opened many doors for you, and we were proud of your contributions.
The marketing value your achievements provided for our little paradise was immeasurable, and we acknowledge all of that.
But now you are biting the hand that fed you!… Lakapi Samoa.
The conversation will change. The new narrative will be that you played a role in destroying Lakapi Samoa. You may now be remembered negatively rather than for the contributions you once made.
That is sad.
It appears that many of those campaigning against Lakapi Samoa now reside overseas. My humble request is that you focus on supporting the local rugby clubs where you currently live.
Your contribution to Samoan rugby will always be valued, but publicly attacking our rugby union is not helpful. You enjoy a good lifestyle overseas, and the realities you experience there are very different from those facing people here in Samoa.
People such as Faleomavaega Titimaea Tafua did not only play for and coach Manu Samoa to great heights. He continues to live in Samoa and remains heavily involved with his Vaiala rugby club.
Papali‘i Namulau‘ulu Sami Leota also made significant contributions to the administration of Lakapi Samoa and now represents Samoa on the World Rugby Board.
Those achievements were the hard-earned results of work undertaken by the previous board and its efforts to ensure Samoa’s voice was heard at the international level.
Tuila‘epa Sa‘ilele Malielegaoi was the central figure in many of the controversies surrounding Lakapi Samoa, including allegations of the misuse of funds.
I was very vocal in my protests because I was dissatisfied with the explanations Tuila‘epa provided. However, I have been constrained by the fact that I do not possess evidence capable of proving my suspicions.
Successful legal action requires solid and irrefutable evidence that money was stolen or that corruption occurred.
For that reason, I had to bite my tongue. The audited reports were ratified and accepted by World Rugby. Allowing Samoa to hold a seat on the World Rugby Board also suggests that World Rugby recognised the union’s governance and believed it had fulfilled its constitutional obligations.
I still have my suspicions. Perhaps somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, I will find credible evidence. When that happens, I will decide my next move.
Tuila‘epa is gone. Some people say he may have left it too late and that the cancer affecting Lakapi Samoa is now terminal.
However, many believed a new chapter had begun. The new chairman, Papali‘i Namulau‘ulu Sami Leota, and his board should have been given a fair opportunity to lead Lakapi Samoa into the future.
Since the FAST Government delivered its first Budget, it has slashed a significant amount of funding previously provided to Lakapi Samoa.
Over five years, these reductions amount to millions of tala. By withholding this money, the Government left Lakapi Samoa hanging.
The union’s usual programme of overseas tours, which provided valuable international experience for local players, was cancelled for two consecutive years.
Why?
No money, honey!
La‘auli and his fellow critics then had the audacity to claim that Lakapi Samoa had failed because of board incompetence, political influence and unresolved internal problems.
How hypocritical is that?
By publicly declaring his support for the newly established Samoa Rugby Football Union, La‘auli is engaging in political interference.
In my view, this represents an abuse of power intended to intimidate and forcibly remove the democratically elected Lakapi Samoa board.
World Rugby representatives who visited Samoa last week were reportedly blindsided by the Government’s announcement that it would no longer recognise Lakapi Samoa and would withdraw all financial support.
The seismic changes our little paradise has experienced have created deep divisions across almost every part of society.
Now this division has reached Lakapi Samoa and our national sport.
It is beyond belief.
Prime Minister La‘auli has more important issues requiring his attention. He is wasting valuable time on a dispute that will not stop the constant power outages, maintain adequate supplies of toilet paper in our hospitals or ensure that essential medications remain fully stocked.
These are the matters the Government should be concentrating on.
