The recent death of the Samoan Head of State, Malietoa Tanumafili II, has elicited public and private comment noting his good leadership and unique status in Samoa’s political history. His death has also thrown into sharp relief some of the ambiguities and tensions between Samoa’s traditional and modern political structures. It has been a time for some Samoans to question the identification of the former leader of this predominantly Christian nation with a non-Christian faith.
Malietoa Tanumafili II’s passing and subsequent state funeral provided Samoa with a rare mention in the international news pages. The bandwidth shared by Pacific news, like that of much global news, is swollen with coups, instability, public violence and natural disaster. For Samoa, the plaudits for the former Head of State suggest an irony in reportage on this tiny nation. The strong moral guidance provided by the man credited as the father of the first independent Pacific nation has enabled the stability that has kept his country off the radar. It is only his death that has caused it, briefly, to reappear.
The oldest Head of State in the world at the time of his death, and the third-longest serving, Malietoa Tanumafili II was not only the holder of the top constitutional office but also a Tama-a-Aiga, or head of clan, of one of Samoa’s two so-called royal families; more than occasionally, the people of Samoa alternate between calling Malietoa Tanumafili II the Head of State and King. Under the constitution, the next Head of State will be elected by parliament to an initial five year term. Any person in Samoa entitled to stand for election as a member of parliament is entitled is to stand for election as Head of State, although under the Electoral Act this franchise is limited to Matai, or chiefs of extended families. However, the media and the local people both appear to assume that his successor will be the current head of the other royal family, the Tupua.
There has been little initial evidence of agitation about the assumed succession path. The current Speaker of the Legislative Assembly was recently reported as saying that "although the constitution is silent about it, we must all respect the Tama-a-Aiga and put them in such paramount positions as Head of State". One person I spoke to, a public servant, indicated some doubt as to whether this will become a long-term convention. He believed that