O lea ua faatili foe mo le a’e, ina ua ite fanuā lalo, ma lolo’u ifo toega o malama o le 2024. Ae totogo a’e malama o pupula o le fetu ao ta’i folau, i tafa’ilagi ma matā mauga o Samoa, e faafeiloai le ulua’i taeao o le 2025. Ieova e, ua fai oe ma mea matou nonofo ai i tupulaga uma, a’o le’i fanau mai mauga, ma faia foi le atu laulau, o le Atua oe mai le vavau e o’o i le faavavau. Faafetai i lau pule alofa, ma lou agalelei, ua o matou aulia manuia ai lenei tausaga fou.
Ou te faatulou atu i le afio o lau Afioga i le Ao Mamalu o le Malo ma lau Masiofo, Afifio Sui o le Fono a Sui Tofia, Afio le Sui Palemia ma Minisita o le Kapeneta, faapea Minisita Lagolago. Afio lau Afioga i le Faamasino Sili ma Alii ma Tamaitai Faamasino, Afio lau Afioga i le Fofoga Fetalai ma Sui Mamalu o le Palemene. Sui o Malo ma Faalapotopotoga mai fafo (Members of the Diplomatic Corps). Faauluuluga o Matagaluega ma Faalapotopotoga Tumaoti.
Le paia o Taitai o Ekalesia aemaise le aufaigaluega totofi a le Atua i le nofo a Ekalesia Kerisiano i Samoa.
Aeā le paia maualuga o Samoa. O paia auā Aiga ma a latou Tama, O Tama ma o latou Aiga, Tumua ma Pule, Ituau ma Ālataua, Aiga i le Tai ma le Vaa o Fonoti.
Ou te faatulou atu foi i le tapuaiga a le Faigamalo a Tutuila ma Manu’a. I le afio o le Kovana ma le Pulega Faatonu, le Faamasinoga, ma Maota e lua o le Fono Faitulafono a Tutuila ma Manu’a.
O le paia lea aua le Faleagafulu ma le Nofo-a-Maopu, Sua ma le Vaifanua, Fofo ma Aitulagi, Ituau ma Alataua, Saole, ma le Launiu na Saelua. Le afifio o Faatuiolemotu, Alalatai To’oto’o o le Faleula, ma Upu i le Manuatele.
Ua faafofoga le atunuu i le Malelega a lana afioga i le Ao Mamalu o le Malo mo le Kerisimasi. O lo tatou loto faafetai i le Atua, i lona afio mai e mau faatasi ma ona tagata, e ala i a Iesu Keriso.
O lenei ua api le uli i faiva eseese sa feagai ma si o tatou atunuu i lenei tausaga atoa. E laualuga pea le vaaiga aoao tetele a le tatou Malo, ‘ina ia o tatou galulue ma limalima faatasi, e siitia le atina’e mo le manuia auiluma o le atunuu.
E naunau foi e faasafua avanoa mo o tatou tagata e fuafua, ma faatino atina’e mo Itumalo, o Nu’u ma Alalafaga i le manatu autu, ‘ia puipui lo tatou tofi, si o tatou atunuu ma punaoa uma ua aumai e le Atua,’ e o tatou lava tagata, mo nei, atoa ai ma le lumanai.
Ua loaloa tausaga o lo tatou Malo tutoatasi. I lenei savaliga umi, e lē aunoa ma lu’itau e feagai pea ma Samoa o se atunuu laititi ma maaleale lona tamaoaiga, ona o to’atugā e tutupu i fafo atu o lo tatou siosiomaga, atoa ai ma faalavelave faalenatura e pei o afa fulifaō, o lologa, mafui’e ma lāmala, e alia’e mai pea i vaitau o lo tatou soifuaga.
Ae niuali pea i le loto, ma faamaite le naunauta’i e sufi lo tatou faasinomaga, i le fesili, ‘pe tatou te mananao i se Samoa e fia nonofo ai o tatou tagata? A o ai e ao ona amatamea? O le tali, e faamaugagana i le mau a Samoa ‘o le tagata ma lona ‘aiga, o le tagata foi ma lona faasinomaga’. Tatou te loto tetele ai, e apo lo tatou tofi, ma lalago faatasi e galulue ma vanivani taumafaiga uma o le atina’e mo Samoa ma o tatou tagata.
Tatou te moomia ai ona taunapo ma aputiputi punaoa ua o tatou maua. Tatou te soifua e tusa ma le faasoa a le Atua i aso taitasi, ma ia maopopo itutino uma e faisao i le tamaoaiga ma le atina’e o si o tatou atunuu.
Ou te talitonu o lo tatou malosiaga lea, e lautua i a tatou taumafaiga uma lava o le atina’e. O le talaave lea o la tatou taligamalo i le fonotaga a Taitai o Malo o le Taupulega. O le maopopoga o le Malo ma le atunuu atoa, na vaavaalua ma o tatou paaga uma, o Faalapotopotoga Tumaoti ma Pisinisi, sa taunuu ai i matagofie lo tatou faamoemoe.
Ou talitonu foi, o le faasafua o avanoa mo le atunuu atoa e fuafua ma atina’e itumalo ma nu’u, e galulue faatasi ai ma le Malo, o lo tatou ala lea i malo mo le ‘fausia o se lotoifale mausalī, ma faapogai i le faamaiteina o le soifua atina’e. O le anava lea a le tatou Malo, ae faamoemoe i le tofa tatala ma le utaga o’o, o loo malu ai Nu’u ma Afioaga.
E masani tatou i le mau e faapea ‘e o e saili lumanai’. Ma e tele ina saili i fafo atu o Samoa. E i ai foi se vaaiga a nisi, o tatou fanua faaleaganu’u e itiiti lava se taua e faatino ai ni atina’e tau pisinisi e tua iai le aiga po o le Nu’u. Peitai, o le tele o tatou fanua faaleaganu’u, o loo faaaoga e aiga e atina’e ai. Ma e mafai ona sili atu nisi atina’e e faatino ai, ma atili faatupu ai le talitonuga, e faaaoga tatau o tatou fanua. A o le lumanai o Samoa, e faamoemoe i ona tagata, ma o le upu moni, o tatou lava e fuafua, faatino, ma fausia lo tatou atunuu ina ia siitia, ma aua nei vale tuulima le lumanai.
O loo laualuga pea i le tatou Malo, le faamuamua o le atinae o le soifua maloloina ma aoaoga. E itiiti si o tatou atunuu, ma o so’o se tatou taumafaiga e siitia ai le atinae o le tamaoaiga ma le soifua laulelei o le atunuu, e faamoemoe i le soifua maloloina, ma le aoaoina o tatou tagata. E faataua ai foi le sao o matua, aemaise o le pulega a alii ma faipule, e soa faatasi le galuega ma le Matagaluega o Aoga, e uunaia fanau ia faaauau aoga, ma tausiniō i mea sili i o latou olaga aoaoina.
E faapea foi i le uunaia o le soifua maloloina. Ua o tatou i ai i le ogaoga o aafiaga o faamai le pipisi i le atunuu. Ma ua faasolo ina laiti i latou ua aafia ai. O le laasaga taua e mapo ai la tatou galuega, o loo saga faamalosia o le galulue faatasi o le Soifua Maloloina ma le atunuu atoa e tulei polokalame faalesoifua maloloina, ma le saogalemu o aiga.
O auaunaga eseese i tulaga tau fefaatauaiga, faatoaga ma faiga faiva, atinae o tagata tafafao maimoa mai, fesootaiga, puipuiga o le siosiomaga ma punaoa faanatura, galuega tetele ma le saogalemu, o loo faaauau pea ona tulituliloa galuega ma matatia faatulaga.
E faamoemoe nei vaega uma i le faafoeina lelei o lo tatou tamaoaiga, aemaise le fuafua tatau o a tatou atina’e faamuamua. Ma e tusa ai ma faamaumauga a le Faletupe Tutotonu o Samoa, ua siitia lo tatou tamaoaiga i le 6.5% i le tausaga faaletupe lenei, ma o loo malosi a tatou vaegatupe faaleoleo i fafo, e sili atu i le $1.4 piliona, pe tusa o le 13.8 masina e mafai ai ona faaauau a tatou fefaatauaiga, e tusa pe iai ni to’atuga ogaoga e aafia ai si o tatou atunuu.
O le sa o Samoa, e fautele. O le tele o sulu e maua ai figota. Ma e le mafai e le Malo o tauave pitotasi le galuega mo lo tatou atinae ma le manuia lautele o o tatou tagata. E faamoemoe i lo tatou oloolo pitova’a, ma lalafo i le Atua a tatou fuafuaga uma, o ia na te faatonufolau a tatou galuega.
O le mea lea, e le tuua ai le agaga faafetai o lo tatou Malo i si o tatou atunuu. E afua mai le Pule mamalu o Alii ma Faipule ma itutino uma o faiganuu. Faafetai atu i lo outou fatuaiga tausi, ma la outou taitaiga e ala i galuega uma sa vaavaalua ai ma lo tatou Malo mo le atinae manuia o Samoa. Ou te toe momoli atu le faafetai tele i galuega uma sa gapatia ai Nuu ma Afioaga uma i le tatou taligamalo. Faafetai tele le lotonu’u, faafetai le faitaulaga.
E faapea foi i le paia o le atunuu o loo afifio ma pāpā aao i atunuu i fafo. Faafetai tele i le alolofa mai i o tatou aiga o talimau atu i Samoa. Ia tumau pea lo tatou fetausia’i ma le feoeoea’i.
E le faagaloina le sao o tatou paaga mai fafo. Talu mai lava lo tatou tutoatasi o loo folau faatasi pea Samoa ma ana paaga mai fafo. Faafetai mo lo latou sao taua i le tamaoaiga o si o tatou atunuu.
Ou te faafetai atu i le aufaigaluega a le Malo i ona itutino eseese, faapea Kamupani ma Faalapotopotoga Tumaoti uma i le atunuu. Malo le galulue, faafetai le faatoatoa. O le tatalo, ia apo pea lo tatou faiva o le tautua, ma faamoemoe i le Atua e faatonufolau mo i tatou.
Le paia o Taitai o Ekalesia, ma le aufaigaluega totofi a le Atua i Samoa nei ma atunuu e mamao, e le mavae le agaga faafetai i lo outou faiva o le tatalo mo si o tatou atunuu. E iai aso taugalemū ma aso e sausou ai la tatou savaliga, peitai, o lo tatou malu, ma lo tatou talita, o le Atua.
O le ala lea o le faaauau pea ona faataua e le Malo le vaiaso o tatalo ma anapogi i le atunuu atoa, e galulue faatasi ai ma le Fono a Ekalesia Soofaatasi. Tatou te aufaatasi ai e momoli talosaga ma anapogi i luma o le Atua, ina ia puipui mai ma apepele le atunuu i ona aao alofa. Ua atofaina ai le Aso Sa, 5 o Ianuari e faamauina ai le vaiaso o tatalo ma anapogi i le atunuu, seia o’o atu i le Aso Faraile, 10 o Ianuari 2025.
Samoa e, ia ta’ita’i pea e le Atua lo outou soifua laulelei ma so matou ola i lenei Tausaga Fou, e ala i lona alofa ma lona filemu. Ia manuia le Tausaga Fou.
SOIFUA.
NEW YEAR STATEMENT BY THE HON. PRIME MINISTER FIAME NAOMI MATAAFA
It is again the time of year when our globetrotting aiga, friends and tourists opting for Samoa as a new year destination are in town; thronging our wholesale stores for weddings, the title bestows and other celebrations, contributing to community responsibilities and growth in our GDP. Happy New Year Samoa.
And, it is a time for reflection of the year that has come to pass, a time of remembrance of God’s grace on us and a time to look at the new year ahead with hope and positive thinking that better days are ahead of us knowing now the mysteries of the past year.
On reflection, our challenges in the last 12 months were numerous and seemingly insurmountable, but with God’s help we faced them with determination and willed our way to find the appropriate solutions.
• We continued to pursue our priorities as articulated in the Pathway for the Development of Samoa. We welcomed and encouraged the creativity of our people, and promoted innovative ideas and solutions to bolster economic growth and to build our resilience.
• The government firmly believes in the empowerment of communities inclusive of groupings considered vulnerable, through the provision of equal access to affordable social services, economic opportunities, security and trusted governance, and sustainable economic use of our natural resources. Durable partnerships and trusted collaboration at all levels are imperative requisites for the successful implementation of our development priorities.
• There is no doubt that we have benefited from the various avenues of labour mobility. There is no doubt, migration flows will continue in search of a better life. The question remains as to how we can make Samoa the place of choice for Samoans and our children, and all future generations to live in and build their future?
• The answer lies in our values and essence of our heritage, culture and beliefs, and in our people where our history, traditions, identity, livelihoods and everyday lives are intimately connected to our precious island ecosystem underpinned by the faaSamoa. Unity and nationalism enabled our massive community preparations for hosting the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October. Our consciousness of the importance of the continuity of our culture and values will always be a reminder to us of the prudent use of our natural environment and how we can respond to climate change.
• Climate change is more than an environmental issue and continues to challenge our resolve and development as a people and nation. It is a health, food security, economic, social, cultural, human rights and security concern. As large ocean states it fundamentally affects our ability to draw sustenance from the pristine ocean and seas that surround us.
• The reality of climate change and increased severity of disasters mean many communities are at risk of losing traditional homelands as rising sea levels, king tides and storm surges wash away the shoreline. Inland communities experience landslides leaving communities devoid of safer and more disaster resilient land. Regrettably, continuous inaction of the world around us, means detrimental effects on all aspects of Samoan life. We continue to pay the heavy price for a crisis we did not create. Even with our most ambitious nationally determined contributions, the impact is minimal.
• In 2024, Samoa played an important advocacy role on the global front for small islands states as Chair of the Alliance for small Islands states at the 4th International Conference for SIDS in Antigua/Barbuda, CHOGM 2024, COP 29 in Azerbaijan as well as joined a record number of countries to make submissions to the International Court of Justice, the Hague, seeking an advisory opinion on the impacts of climate change.
• We will continue to invest in our people through public health and education. These are fundamental to the successful implementation of our development priorities. Equally important is our emphasis on a strong, diversified, and sustainable economy focussing on agriculture, fisheries, tourism, business innovation, information technology, labour mobility and community development. Central to these developments, is investment in capacity building and professional development for our people through education and training.
• I am pleased to note the most recent financial update from the Central Bank of Samoa which projects our economy to grow by 6.5% in real terms, by the end of this financial year. Our foreign reserves remain very strong and is projected to exceed $1.4 billion, an equivalent of 13.8 months of the import of goods. This is highly sufficient to cover our international commitments. Our financial system remains sound and stable in support of our economic growth.
• We happily hosted 56 countries and over 3000 participants for CHOGM 2024 as well as the state visit for their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
For the great collaboration and partnerships throughout 2024, I wish to acknowledge and thank:
• the continuing support of village councils, women, and youth in working with government to implement and monitor district projects. Your role is pivotal to ensuring success and shared benefits of these projects.
• the ready support of all our development partners who have stood by us to address our priority development needs; most of whom are resident in country; Australia, China, European Union, Japan, Republic of .Korea. New Zealand, United Kingdom, United Nations, United States of America, Asian Development Bank and World Bank. For the significant contributions to the successful hosting of CHOGM we thank in particular Australia, New Zealand, UK and the Republic of Korea.
• all efforts and support of the Heads of Government Ministries, Corporations, private sector and non-governmental organisations and their staff. The challenges of rendering public service can be complex at times, but your patience and highest regard of your service to our people, defines your purpose and commitment to public service.
The Head of State’s Christmas message calls for unity in faith. As a nation founded on God, there shall be no other way but through our unity in prayer, to seek divine guidance in our daily walk through life and what the future holds for us. I am happy to announce that our week of prayer and fasting will begin on Sunday, 5nd January until the 10th of January, 2025.
I wish you all a peaceful, safe and prosperous New Year.
SOIFUA
