By Cindy Trinh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

APIA, Samoa – The Samoa Umberalla Group for NGOs says that the Samoan government has been discriminative with it’s choice of who will be part of the Commission of Inquiry into the freedom of religion.

On March 14, 2010, the Samoa government approved the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to review freedom of religion in Samoa. The freedom of religion is a fundamental human right safeguarded under an International Convention that is ratified by Samoa as well as in the country’s constitution.

The Commission’s primary responsibilities are: “to inquire into and report in detail on the working of Article 11 of the Constitution in relation to churches and other religious organizations in Samoa and to examine and report whether there is any necessity or expediency for further specific legislation related to this right.”

A U.S. State Department Human Rights report in 2009 points out that the government of Samoa generally respects the people’s freedom of religion and the Samoa constitution acknowledges an “independent state based on Christian principles and Samoan custom and tradition.” However, there is no official or state denomination.

The report went on to state: “The law grants each person the right to change religion or belief and to worship or teach religion alone or with others, but in practice the matai [villagers of Samoa] often choose the religious denomination of the extended family.”

According to the State Department’s International Religion Freedom Report of 2009, villages traditionally tend to have one primary Christian church, but now many larger villages have multiple churches serving different denominations. These newer, non-traditional groups face resistance when attempting to establish itself in a village.

The general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Samoa, Rev. Maauga Motu, says that “the Commission of Inquiry is a good move to stop more religions from coming to the country, as there are enough already…the church is already fed up with this many religious beliefs coming into the country and disturbing or moving people around…from one religion to another.”

Motu says that he does not have a problem with different religions already established in Samoa, like Bahai and Muslim faiths, but he does not want any more allowed in.

However, the government is concerned that the other religions, yet to arrive in Samoa, which strongly advocate beliefs that are contrary to Christianity, should be allowed since the freedom of religion gives the right to practice whatever religion a person wants to practice.

In a statement, the government says that freedom of religion has “posed a direct challenge to the autonomy of the village council.”

Because of the huge controversy over the matter, a Commission of Inquiry was established to give advice to the Cabinet in handling this.

The first inquiry that the Commission is responsible for handling is whether freedom of religion is being exercised too widely and whether there is a need to institute corresponding laws or regulations.

The head of the Samoa Umberalla Group for NGOs, Vaasiliifiti Moelagi Jackson, says that to take away the freedom of religion is against human rights. She criticizes the government for being discriminative in its choices of who will be a part of the Commission.

She commented: “We are very very disappointed that [in] the commission that [the government] has selected there has been an absence of women…they are very discriminative, other churches are not included and they should all be there and voice their own values and why they are here and why there is a need of a new church.”

Jackson says that only the major churches, like the Christian Congregational and Catholic Church, are part of the Commission.

She further stated that the Commission should look at having guidelines where the churches must be registered and their books audited.

For more information, please see:
Radio New Zealand International – Samoa NGO criticises govt’s commission of inquiry choice – 23 March 2010

Samoa News – Samoa gov establishes commission to investigate freedom of religion and matai titles – 21 March 2010

Islands Business – Samoa reviews freedom of religion – 17 March 2010

Samoa Observer – Commission reviews freedom of religion – 16 March 2010

Radio New Zealand International – Commission of Inquiry in Samoa to review Freedom of Religion – 14 March 2010