11:18 AM |
Samoan justice minister deserves a bouquet for his talkback case stand
Posted By Rua On February 26, 2010 @ 2:01 am In Articles, Samoa | No Comments
[1] Justice Minister Unasa Mesi Galo: From talkback to fightback. Photo: Samoan government
Pacific Scoop:
Opinion – By Tupuola Terry Tavita in Apia
Justice Minister Unasa Mesi Galo should be applauded for taking a stance on untruths said and circulated about him on a popular talkback radio show last year.
One Alofa Tautai went on FM98's Uaea Mosooi on 19 October 2009 and accused the minister of drunk-driving, driving on the wrong side of the road and nearly causing an accident.
Since, the accusations had been making the rounds in town and the minister's constituency where the woman is from. Especially in light of a similar incident involving another cabinet minister.
Those who are familiar with the justice minister found it difficult to believe as apart from the odd spot of celebratory wine, Unasa does not indulge in the bottle sort of speak.
The minister then took it upon himself to clear his name and referred the matter to the courts, as is the case with anybody who feels his name has been tarnished by untruths told about him.
This week, Chief Justice Tiavaasue Falefatu Sapolu, who presided over the case, handed down his decision in favour of Unasa.
We assume that the court could not find any truth in the woman's claims.
Twisted matter
But as the independent media often does, it has since twisted the matter to make it look like big-bad Unasa taking on Little Red-Riding Alofa.
"Cabinet ministers sue annoying members of the public to shut them up!" screams the town daily's editor.
His message to the public [2] – it's ok to go to the media and tell untruths about your member of Parliament.
Accuse him of drunk driving, negligent driving and other law-breaking evils. After all they're paid well therefore deserving of every lie you tell of them.
And this is supposed to be the shining light of responsible media/journalism in this country?
Now, to make it clear, this column is not in the business of defending cabinet ministers. If the concerns are legitimate and the criticisms valid, then why not? They're after all the voting man's, and woman's, representatives in office.
But if they're blatant lies prompted by sinister political motives, then we should all take exception.
Little truth
Especially as we move into election mode when little truth and plenty of untruths are thrown around.
Let Unasa be judged by his constituency for the truths he's done for them during his term in office, not untruths told about him through the media.
We also have to take our hats off to Unasa for sticking to his principles and taking the matter to the revealing end. Some 12 months from general elections, not many MPs – least cabinet ministers – would be brave enough to isolate part of his constituency, least take them to court.
In fact, what our colleague editor is advocating would've been the easy way to do it. Become the political animal we expect you to be, turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to whatever untruths said about you and go about the business of getting re-elected.
It's cheap, without class and unprincipled. Insulting to a man like Unasa who hasn't a mean bone in his stature.
But we all know too well what the town daily's angle is. It has nothing to do with Unasa, nothing to do with Alofa Tautai and a lot to do with abrogating the state's defamation laws.
Laws that, ironically, are designed to protect the interests of Unasa as that of Alofa Tautai as well as the loftier goal of maintaining media standards and responsibility in this country.
In fact, this whole episode is a further reason why we should still retain those defamation laws.
Tupuola Terry Tavita is editor of the Samoan government newspaper Savali.
Article printed from Pacific.scoop.co.nz: http://pacific.scoop.co.nz
URL to article: http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/02/samoan-justice-minister-deserves-a-bouquet-for-his-talkback-case-stand/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/samoa_unasa_mesi_galo-e1267101942447.jpg
[2] message to the public: http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=51&Itemid=103
Click here to print.
Copyright © 2009 pacific. All rights reserved.
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