Transcript
FIAME NAOMI MATA'AFA: The Pacific region, not just Samoa, has the lowest levels of representation.
In the early days of women in politics it was said that the linkages between the economic status of a country and women's representation was a keen indicator, I suppose, of social progress. If that's still an indicator of the economies of the Pacific, it would be a fairly fair reflection. And what that really says is that people are still placed within traditional social structures, social roles and social functions because it's just that level of societal development.
DOMINIC GODFREY: But within that you've got traditional Fa'a Samoa institutions for women, the women's committees and so on, that are very well organised within society, and it would seem in some ways a natural progression from there to further push upwards.
FNM: Yeah but it's like that expression 'keeping within your lane', so I think it's a very fair comment what you're saying about how women are very well organised in Samoa, but they're very well organised within a specific set of scenarios. Whereas breaking into national public life and public office - and Samoa's no different from any other country where the perception has been that that is a male domain - so I think for women, coming back to your question, first of all you don't get more women coming into office until more women put up their hands.
And if you look at the profiles of those who have been able to get into politics, most of them have had a platform from which to build a public profile. Most of them have been professional women and through that professional platform have been able to gain profile and recognition.
But Samoa, like every other country, there is a political context which if you're interested to get into politics you have to understand that context and operate within it, and I would have to say it's a pretty tough political context. CEDAW (the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) have taken Samoa to task over its particular political constructs with the Matai suffrage and so forth.
We've had a few changes since the early 90's but it's still predominantly premised on the Matai system; can we still use that as a strong building block?
DG: What are your thoughts on that?
FNM: Well I think we still do need it but at the same time too, with 50-years as a sovereign country, the world is much bigger than Samoa and we have to operating as a country in the context of the international environments around us. So of course we all have to be mindful of our national constructs and so forth but in terms of aspirations: what do we learn on our journeys and what do we pick up along the way to be able to make that move forward?
DG: Samoa's prime minister, Tuilaepa, he's led the country since 1998. The HRPP (Human Rights Protection Party) has been in power for…
FNM: Thirty years.
DG: Thirty years, which is incredible. Three prime ministers in that time. But Tuilaepa, he's in his mid-70's now, he must be starting to look towards retirement at some point. What succession planning has been taking place? Have you any interest in that role?
FMN: I don't think there's been succession planning per se in any intentional way. As a leader myself, I'm always as a believer that wherever you're working one of the key things that you need to be doing as leaders is to enable people to do whatever their jobs are and to build leadership capacities, competencies and so forth. That's always been my practice since I've been in politics.
One of the problems that we have in Samoa is that we have a very high turnover in parliaments throughout the years. We have a minimum of 50- percent turnover so it's quite difficult to build a body or cadre of experienced people in governance and so forth. So you can only hope that there are sufficient people of experience because, one thing is for sure, there will be a time when Tuilaepa is not the prime minister any more - perhaps not even the HRPP will be in - but you still have the hope that there is a sufficient body of people within the political sphere that can pick up the mantle and carry forward.
I think we're at a critical stage now too, for women especially. If there's a change coming in, the women need to be able to pick that time - it's almost like catching a wave to get through a channel - as a woman leader and observer of politics, those are one of the waves that is building that women really should be trying to read and catch the wave at the right time to push through.
