Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga held a luncheon Monday at the Territorial Correctional Facility with inmates housed there, and his visit was to not only celebrate Christmas with the inmates, but also to assure them that their human rights are protected.

Earlier on Monday, the governor’s wife Cynthia Moliga, who accompanied the governor to TCF, visited Hope House with gift baskets from the governor’s office staff and a monetary donation to help with the operation of the facility.

TCF VISIT

At the luncheon, which concluded with a fa’afiafiaga by the inmates, the governor stressed to the inmates the importance of turning their lives around and becoming contributing members of society once they have served their time in prison.

“The sentiments behind the governor’s visit with the inmates were humanitarian in nature, manifesting the governor's concern for the welfare of individuals incarcerated at the Tafuna Correctional Facility and affirming his commitment to ensuring that the human rights of these individuals are not abused or they are not dehumanized,” the governor’s executive assistant Iulogologo told Samoa News yesterday.

Iulogologo pointed out that the governor is ultimately responsible for the welfare of all the inmates at TCF “and the visit sends the message that in spite of their current state of incarceration, they do matter, as they are all God's children.”

Additionally, the TCF visit also gave the governor the opportunity to review the progress of the construction of the new correctional facility, he said.

Iulogologo recalled that the governor’s site visit in December last year — accompanied by some of his cabinet directors — “uncovered grossly unacceptable living conditions at the prison” and prompted the decision to accelerate the implementation of the construction of the new prison which is looking to be completed before the close of 2015.

As previously reported by Samoa News, the governor described TCF during his site visit as a "dumping ground by police". The governor saw first hand how 47 male inmates were all housed in one small building, with 4-5 inmates in one cell and only 13 cellblocks. While TCF is built to house up to 100 inmates, it had just over 200 during the governor’s visit.

HOPE HOUSE VISIT

Prior to the TCF event, Mrs. Moliga around 9a.m. Monday morning, visited Hope House  to deliver gift baskets as well as a $10,000 donation from the governor’s office. The First Lady was accompanied by Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga’s wife, Pohakalani Mauga, and staff from the governor’s office.

Hope House board chairman David Robinson said Bishop Peter Brown accepted the donation, which will go towards running the facility that houses the elderly and children with severe disabilities, and is the only one of its kind on the island. Mrs. Moliga is a member of the board for Hope House.

“This very a important donation and its very timely that it comes before Christmas. It compliments the $25,000 donation made last week by the Leala Reid Charitable Foundation,” Robinson told Samoa News yesterday. “And the monetary donations are very help to operation of the facility, as well as making it a Merry Christmas for residents of Hope House.”

Government agencies also donate to the facility, such as the Department of Human and Social Services, whose staff and director Taeaoafua Dr. Meki Solomona, performed Christmas carols and a Christmas play depicting the birth of Christ for the residents of Hope House.