Samoa's PM declines Fiji invite

Samoa's Prime Minister did not mince words in a letter written to the Interim Prime Minister of Fiji rejecting an invitation to participate in a Melanesian Spearhead Groups (MSG) meeting in Fiji.

Tuilaepa Sailele Lupesoliai Malielegaoi firmly rejected the invitation made to him by Commodore Frank Bainimarama on May 24 and did not fail to add a paragraph devoted to encouraging an end to the regime in Fiji.

"I want to take this opportunity to again continue to plead and encourage you to quickly return Fiji to Parliamentary democracy and allow the people of Fiji their freedoms and rights," Tuilaepa wrote.

This is not the first time the Samoan PM has been vocal about his disapproval of Bainimarama's role in Fiji.

In the past year Tuilaepa has made no secret of his discontent with Fiji's disrespect of democratic governance.

In his not-so-secret displeasure at Bainimarama's planned MSG meeting in Fiji, Tuilaepa told Radio Australia earlier in the week that he had no intention of attending the meeting.

The letter today further affirmed that notion.

He wrote: "I wish to let you know that as one of the long serving and senior members of the Pacific Islands Forum, I am afraid that I do not, in all sincerity, feel that it would be right for me to accept your invitation."

Tuilaepa's vocal disapproval of Bainimarama has met with some criticisms at home.

Accused of calling the kettle black, Tuilaepa's continuous reference to Bainimarama as a dictator has come back to haunt him.

Savea Sano Malifa, Editor in Chief of the Samoa Observer said in an editorial: "Whatever bait Tuilaepa is throwing Bainimarama's way the latter is not biting.So far, judging from the silence coming from across the ocean, the Fijian military strongman is taking no notice of Tuilaepa's little trick."

Savea went on to say: "What Bainimarama is probably thinking though is that the former is barking up a foreign tree which he has no right doing, or that Tuilaepa is trying to steal the limelight from him which is politically unheard of, so he's not taking any of Tuilaepa's blabbering seriously."

Letters to the editor in the past month have also seen readers call Tuilaepa a dictator, citing several controversial laws recently including the switch to right hand drive.