Part II POLITICAL ADVANCEMENT

Te Ao Hou, December 1957, Page 15

Part II POLITICAL ADVANCEMENT During the past ten years the people of Western Samoa have made rapid strides towards self-government. If present plans are carried out—as they almost certainly will be—the Samoans will in 1960 obtain full control of their government, except in relation to a few matters such as external affairs which they have agreed should be left with New Zealand. The present period of political development began in 1947, when, after discussions with Samoan leaders and with a mission from the United Nations, the New Zealand Government announced a comprehensive plan. Its basic aims were as follows: to ensure that the Samoans should feel that the new government was their government, representing their own ideas and interests; to give as much power as seemed possible at the time to Samoan representatives; and to lay the foundations for a gradual transfer of authority from New Zealand as the Samoans gained experience of the new system. A Council of State was set up consisting of a High Commissioner, as head of the Government, and two Fautua representing the Samoan people. Its members jointly represent the Samoan Government on all formal occasions; they symbolise, in other words, the dignity and the unity of Western Samoa. The Fau-

Left and right are the highest Samoan leaders, the Hon. Tamasese and the Hon. Malietoa, the two Fautua, Centre: His Excellency Mr G. R. Powles, C.M.G., High Commissioner. tua, the Hon. Tupua Tamasese and the Hon. Malietoa Tanumafili, are the heads of the traditional princely families of Tupa and Malietoa. A new Legislative Assembly was established, with full powers (including control of finance), in which the Samoan representatives had a majority. And a much older advisory body, the Fono of Faipule, was left in existence for the time being—both to give advice on the problems which were worrying the people of the villages and to choose the Samoan members of the Legislative Assembly. (The Faipule themselves were directly elected by the matai of the different districts.) As soon as the new political “set-up” (as it was commonly called) was working, steps were taken to give the people's representatives a closer knowledge of the work of government. Permanent committees of the Legislative Assembly were established to assist the heads of the larger departments in the planning of policy; and special committees were formed, from time to time, to study problems of particlular importance. By 1953 it was felt that the should meet in Samoa to work out a solution to those problems. After much preliminary work had been done, this Convention, which contained representatives of all sections of the people of Samoa, met at the end of 1954. Developments since that time have been based upon its decisions. In 1956 the elected members of the legislature who were on the Executive Council took responsibility for the administration of certain departments—a half-way step towards full cabinet government. In the present year, the existing Legislative Assembly and Fono of Faipule are both being replaced by a much larger Legislative Assembly, nearly all of whose members will be directly elected. The new legislature will contain from 41 to 45 Samoan members, five European members, and “not more than three” official members. The High Commissioner and the Fautua will no longer sit in the legislature. Instead, the members will elect a Speaker to control debates, s in New Zealand. Of course, to be successful the new self-governing Samoa must achieve much more than a satisfactory constitution. It must work out policies for economic development that will enable it to maintain a high standard of living for its people; it must have an adequate system of education; it must bring the traditional forms of village and district councils into conformity with the needs of modern life. But, at least, the co-operation of the New Zealand authorities and Samoan representatives over the past ten years had laid a firm political foundation for these developments. From now on the roads to success will be controlled by the Samoans themselves.