13 Iuni 2024, Tanoa Hotel
(Launch of Samoa’s first National Anti-Corruption Policy)
Lau Susuga i le Taitai o le Sauniga– Reverend Latu Latai
Lau Afioga i le Fofoga Fetalai ma Sui mamalu o le Palemene
Sui o le Faamasinoga
Resident Representative UNDP Aliona Niculita
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Lau Afioga i le Taitaifono ma Sui o le Komisi o Galuega a le Malo
Afifio Taitaifono o Komiti Faatonu o Faalapotopotoga a le Malo
Susu sui o le Fono a Ekalesia Soofaatasi
Afifio Ofisa Sili o Pulega o Matagaluega ma Faalapotopotoga a le Malo
Afio le Peresitene ma le Faauluuluga o Pulega o Faalapotopotoga ma Pisinisi Tumaoti
Afio le Peresitene ma le Faauluuluga o le Faamalu mo Faalapotopotoga Tumaoti
Afifio sui o Nuu ma Afioaga
Le Paia ma le Mamalu ua tatou Faatasi i lenei Faamoemoe
Faatalofa atu ma le laufofoga Fiafia!
O lea ua to’a i lagī la tatou faafetai ma le viiga i lo tatou Atua, e ala i la tatou taulaga osi i lenei taeao, e pei ona avea ai lau Susuga Latu Latai, ma o tatou ositaulaga.
E ma’eu foi fa’asinoga a le Alii i lo outou soifua ma sō tatou ola, pei ona iai lenei taeao ua momoli mai i le gagana tuusao le iuga o le agasala ae o lea ua otatou potopoto ona o le tatou mataupu o le tatou foia lea o ala fa’aalatua. O le ala fa’aalatua o le agasala. Faafetai i lau susuga i le fa’afeagaiga i le momoli mai o lenei feau taua i lenei taeao.
O se taeao ua tumāti’e ma tumauāluga lenei taeao aua ua mafai ona potopoto mai lo outou paia ma le mamalu tatou te patipatia se tasi lenei o matati’a ausia i le atinae o fuafuaga ma galuega faatino a le tatou Malo.
O le faalauiloa aloaia o lenei faiga faavae, o se faamoemoe taua tele i le tala faasolopito o le tatou Atunuu ma le Malo. O le mautu o pulega lelei ma pulega manino e fesoasoani tele lea i le atinae o soo se atunuu ma le soifua manuia o ona tagata. O soo se Atunuu fa’atemokarasi e faavae lona atinae i le talitonuina o le Faavae o ana Faaiuga Fai ma le Faasoasoaina tatau o lona Tamaoaiga ina ia agavaa tutusa ai ona tagatanuu.
Ina ua sainia e Samoa le maliega Faa-va-o-malo e tineia ai faiga fa’aalatua i le tausaga e 2018, sa avea lea ma molimau o le faataua e Samoa o faiga ma pulega lelei ma manino i le atinae o le Atunuu. O nei taumafaiga uma ua saga faamautu ai le sao o Samoa i faiga faava-o-malo mo le unaia o Pulega Lelei e aofia ai ma le tuliloaina o Sini autu o le Fuafuaga a Malo Aufaatasi mo le tausaga 2030 (2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals) faapea le Fuafuaga Autasi a le tatou Itulagi 2050 (2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent) le SAMOA Pathway, faatasi ai ma le Vaai Mamao a le Itulagi le Teieniwa Vision sa sainia e Taitai o Malo o le Pasefika i le tausaga 2020. Aemaise o se tasi foi lenei o vaega autu o loo faamamafa i le Taiala mo le Lumanai Manuia o Samoa (Pathway for the Development of Samoa) 2022/2026.
O le Faiga Faavae muamua lenei mo Faiga Fa’aalatua ua fausia mo lo tatou Atunuu. O se galuega sa faatautaia e le Komisi o Galuega a le malo ma le Komiti Faafoe e aofia ai Itutino eseese o le Malo, faatasi ai ma le fesoasoani mai a Ofisa o Malo Aufaatasi e aofia ai le UNODC ma le UNDP, ma le fesoasoani a le Malo o Ausetalia e ala i le polokalame a le Tautai. Sa iai foi le sao o Itutino eseese mai Faalapototoga Tumaoti ma Pisinisi faapea Sui o le Atunuu e ala i finagalo sa tuuina mai sa fesoasoani tele i le tapenaina o lenei Faiga Faavae ma le Taiala.
O lenei Faiga Faavae o le a avea ma Taiala e limataitaina ai taumafaiga a le Malo mo le u’unaia o Pulega Lelei ma Pulega manino aemaise o faiga ma auala e faaitiitia ai faiga fa’aalatua i totonu o si o tatou Atunuu. I totonu o le Maliega a malo Aufaatasi, e le o faamaoti mai ai se fa’auigaina o le upu corruption poo faiga fa’aalatua, peitai o loo taatia mai lava i Malo ma Atunuu taitasi le faauigaina e fua i le talafeagai ma tu ma aganuu aemaise o faigamalo ma le faavae o talitonuga a Atunuu taitasi. O Samoa ua mautu lana Agunuu faapea ana Talitonuga faa Kerisiano aemise o le faavae o ana Pulega e amata mai i totonu o Nuu ma Afioaga faasolo mai i le Faavae o lo tatou Malo tutoatasi o loo limataitaina ai Galuega a le Fono Faitulafono faapea Auaunaga a le Malo i ona Itutino Eseese. Peitai e maualuga le faamoemoe o lo tatou Malo, o le iai o seisi Itutino tutoatasi e tuliloa faatinoga uma a Itutino eseese o le atinae o le Atunuu, o le a saga faamausali ai le talitonuina e tagata lautele o auaunaga aupito sili ona lelei aemaise o faaiuga fai e lelei ma lē faaituau mo le manuia tutusa o tagata uma o Samoa.
I le aloaia ai o lenei faiga faavae o le a avea ma auala e saga faamautinoa ai le lelei o a tatou Tulafono ma Taiala ma o le a fesoasoani tele i le siitia ma le faamalosia o Pulega Lelei aemaise Faiga ma Faaiuga le faaituau mo le manuia lautele o lo tatou Atunuu. O lenei matafaioi o le a le faapito i se Itutino se tasi, peitai e aofia uma ai le galulue faatasi o Taitai o le Atunuu mai lava i le Palemene, Le Pulega o Auaunaga Lautele a le Malo, le pitolaau a le Faamasinoga, Le Fono aoao a Ekalesia soo Faatasi faapea Pisinisi ma Faalapotopotoga tumaoti aemaise le Pulega a Alii ma Faipulea i Itumalo ma Afioaga.
O le Faatinoina o lenei Matafaioi i totonu o le Malo sa faapea ona amata faatautaia i lalo o le Ofisa o le Komisi o Galuega a le Malo, ma sa faavae ai se Komiti Faafoe e aofia ai le Ofisa o le Sue Tusi, Ofisa o Leoleo, Ofisa o Sulufaiga, Ofisa o le Loia Sili ma isi Matagaluega talafeagai a le Malo. Sa auai fatasi ai foi ma Sui mai le Faalapotopotoga o Pisinisi Tumaoti ma le Faamalu o Faalapotopotoga Tumaoti a le Atunuu. I le faamaonia ai o lenei Faiga Faavae e le Kapeneta, ua faamaonia ai foi ma le faavae o se Vaega autu i totonu o le Ofisa o le Komisi o Galuega e faatautaia le faagasologa o lenei faiga faavae aemaise o le Tapenaina o le Tulafono mo le Faatuina o se Itutino Tutoatasi e tauaveina lenei Matafaioi i totonu o lo tatou Atunuu i le agai atu i le lumanai.
O le tuualalo a le Malo ina ia galulue faatasi uma Itutino talafeagai o le Atunuu i lenei Faamoemoe, i le sini autu ina ia siitia le talitonuina e tagata lautele o a tatou Pulega, faaiuga fai ma le tuuina atu o auaunaga e le faaituau, mo le manuia o le atinae o le atunuu ma tagata lautele. E taua foi le maitau mai o a tatou Paaga Galulue ma Atunuu mai Fafo o loo ave le faataua a Samoa i Pulega Lelei ma Pulega Manino e tetee atu ai i faiga fa’aalatua.
Ou te fiafia foi e faailoa atu o loo tulaga maualuga le faagasologa o le faatinoina e Samoa o aiaiga o le Maliega a malo Aufaatasi poo le “UN Convention for Anti-Corruption”. Ua mae’a le iloiloga muamua sa faatinoina mo Samoa ma o loo tālia le ripoti o le iloiloga lona lua sa faatinoina i le Masina o Mati o le tausaga nei sa auai mai ai Sui o le Ofisa o Malo aufaatasi le UNODC ma le UNCAC, faatasi ai ma Sui mai le Malo o Papua Niu Kini ma Mongolia. Ua faamautu mai foi le fesoasoani a Malo Aufaatasi ma le Pacific Island Forum mo le toe iloiloina o le Tatou Tulafono mo Soligatulafono 2013 (Crimes Act 2013) ina ia aofia ai ma suiga talafeagai ina ia o gatasi ma aiaiga o le Maliega a Malo Aufaatasi.
E toe fia faamauina le agaga Faafetai i le lagolagosua a Ofisa o Malo Aufaatasi e auala ma i le UNODC ma le UNDP, faatasi ai ma le Malo o Ausetalia ma isi paaga tau atinae a lo tatou Malo sa fesoasoani i lenei faamoemoe. E momoli le Faafetai a le Malo i le paia ma le mamalu o Tofiga maualuluga ma Itutino uma o le Malo ma le Atunuu sa mafai ona tuuina mai lo outou sao i le tapenaina ma le fausia o lenei Faiga Faavae.
Ia avea lenei Faiga Faavae o se amataga fou i leisi laasaga mo le siitia pea o le atinae ma le soifua manuia o si o tatou Atunuu ma ona Tagata.
Soifua ma ia Manuia.
Prime Minister’s Address at the Launching of Samoa’s First Anti-Corruption Policy. (13 June 2024, Tanoa Hotel)
I am delighted to address you all this morning on this momentous occasion, the launch of Samoa’s first anticorruption policy and I would like to greet you with the PSC greeting “Talofa with a Smile!”. Samoa’s accession to the United Nation’s Convention Against Corruption in 2018, was in recognition of the long-standing issue of corruption that is present in all countries irrespective of wealth or location on the world. In the Pacific region and even in Samoa, we know and understand the threat corruption poses to the development of our small island economies and the cohesiveness and stability of our communities.
Often, we see corruption as a technical problem with unclear parameters, particularly when viewed in light of our culture and local context. Given the insidious nature of corruption, the costs of inaction are high. The UN Secretary General in his remarks on International Anticorruption Day in 2018 said that corruption “robs societies of schools, hospitals, and other vital services, drives away foreign investment and strips nations of their natural resources”. Samoa continues to make notable strides in its commitment to fully realize the global, regional and national agendas for sustainable development. The Anti-corruption policy reflects the steps taken to strengthen governance/accountability mechanisms, and build institutional and agencies capacities to combat corruption through enhanced prevention and deterrence measures.
If implemented right, this Policy will ensure our systems work, and provide a roadmap to further strengthen good governance, leadership, and integrity in Samoa. The vision is simple – a corrupt free Samoa. We must strive to be known as a nation with integrity. It’s hard, but not impossible. At the heart of it all are accountable, citizen-focused, institutions at all three levels of government; the Executive level, the Judiciary, and Parliament; the latter being at the very peak of our democratic system. Independent integrity institutions, free of political interference, is an important layer of any anti-corruption institutional framework. That is why the Government has directed existing integrity organizations such as the Public Service Commission, the Samoa Audit Office, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Office of the Attorney General, Police, and others, to start laying the foundation for the establishment of an Integrity Commission in the near future.
The important role of Parliament in ensuring the achievement of a corrupt-free Samoa, must be underscored. It has the constitutional mandate to both oversee government and to hold government to account. It is where laws are passed; permission to spend public funds on government policies is given; all the while remaining accountable to the public through Members of Parliament.
The commitment to revisiting areas such as the development of a Leadership Code for the political level and finding solutions to the issue of culture and corruption in elections is acknowledgement that technical solutions are not enough, to address corruption. Most essential of all is having Political Leadership that must observe the standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability required of good governance practices. Without this political will at the highest level, anti-corruption efforts would always struggle to succeed and produce desired outcomes. We are also aware of the
consequences of the absence of trust and confidence of people in their political leadership and governments, or for that matter, the diminished credibility of a country when engaging with partners who are trying to help
Colleagues, the success of this Policy rests on all of us. Parliament, the Judiciary, Executive Government, private sector, civil society, our communities, and our development partners. We are also mindful and grateful for the important role of the media in holding government accountable for their actions, and inactions. Hence the continuing pursuit for easier public access to official information through the development of the ‘right to information’ framework.
Now that the Policy is done the next step is to ensure early implementation and adequately resourcing the implementers so that they can effectively operate independently and without fear of reprisals or intimidation in the course of their roles and responsibilities
Internationally, Samoa has had 2 reviews done by selected country teams supported by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the UN Convention against Corruption team with resultant outcomes recommending further legislative review of our Crimes Act to strengthen anticorruption measures.
To conclude, let me express our appreciation to the UNDP and UNODC, the Government of Australia and all our development partners, for the technical support towards this work. I also thank our valued stakeholders, particularly our Sui o Nuu and Sui Tamaitai, Council of Churches, Private Sector, Regional partners, and all Government agencies who contributed to Samoa’s Anticorruption Policy.
Soifua ma ia manuia.
Ata Pu’eina – Malo o Samoa (Leaosā Faaifo Faaifo)
