Samoa found itself in a constitutional crisis this week when the caretaker Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) government locked the doors to Parliament in an attempt to stop prime minister-elect Fiame Naomi Mata’afa being sworn in to office following her FAST party’s one-seat election win.

Samoa now finds itself in the position of having “two governments” claiming a mandate to rule, and the United Nations is urging the party leaders to find a solution through discussion.

Saturday Morning host Julian Willcox (Ngāpuhi, Te Arawa), broadcaster and Te Reo orator deputising for RNZ presenter Kim Hill, talks to Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson (pictured). She is the Apia-based editor of Pacific Environment Weekly and has been covering events surrounding Samoa’s election.

Jackson also talks about the abuse faced on line by her and other Pacific journalists when reporting unwelcome facts and says it is part of the territory of being a journalist.

Cherelle Jackson on Twitter

‼️I do not condone offensive name-calling, purposeful embarrassment, threats of physical violence, online harassment and insinuations of sexual harassment on my Tweets through comments and/or in the sharing of content on Samoa election.
‼️They are still Chiefs
‼️Keep to topic!

— Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson (@lagipoiva) May 28, 2021

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz