Tupuola Efi

Mana (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 9, 27 October 1977, Page 4

Tupuola Efi

Western Samoa has reinforced its opposition to colonisalism, repression and nuclear testing in the South Pacific. The message was clear when the Prime Minister, Hon. Tupuola Efi, addressed the United Nations for the first time. He noted that although the Solomon

Islands, the Gilbert Islands and Tuvalu would soon get independence the problems of colonialism in the South Pacific and elsewhere still lingered on. He said Samoa was watching with particular interest the political development in the New

Hebrides. “Our sympathies are with the people of the New Hebrides in their struggle for freedom, and we look forward to the day . . . when that country achieves full and .independent nationhood. “Samoa is sad, however, that the political process towards independence in other parts of the South Pacific is not moving at the same pace.” The Prime Minister added that the rule of a minority over a majority could not be tolerated and for this reason Samoa regarded apartheid in South Africa as abhorrent and the people of Namibia and Zimbabwe had the support of Samoa. Hon. Tupuola Efi said when Samoa talked about colonialism it was not just rhetoric, as Samoa’s

opposition to colonialism was fundamental due to its own experience. “Samoa achieved independence because the Samoan people fought for it." Samoa is not opposing colonialism because it’s fashionable added the Prime Minister. And the same went for the opposition to nuclear testing in the South Pacific he said. “The concept behind the acquisition, testing and proliferation of nuclear weapons is wrong and cannot be justified if we all have as our basic objective the attainment of world peace." In his speech the Prime Minister congratulated the people of Vietnam and Djibouti for their newly acquired membership of the United Nations. He noted that Western Samoa was the first Polynesian state to become a member of the U.N.

Hon. Tupuola Efi said Samoa was a non-committed nation, having no defence treaties with anyone, and identified strongly with non aligned countries and the Third World. He said Samoa would work for a consensus within the U.N. and help prevent one party dominating another. “Dominance of one country by another is evil . . . Similarly, great power rivalry and great power dominance, is to be deplored. The South Pacific has in the recent past been free from such rivalries — but indications are that this is changing. It was the first time an independent head of state from Western Samoa had addressed the U.N. since Hon. Tupuola Efi's father travelled to the UN to put Western Samoa’s case for independence in 1958.