Tanumafili II.

Malietoa Tanumafili II. GCMG , DCNZM , CBE (born January 4, 1913 in Samoa , † May 11, 2007 in Apia , Samoa) was one of the most important heads and heads of state ( O le Ao o le Malo ) Samoa. He came from Samoa's four princely families (Aiga Tupu) and held one of the most important titles: Malietoa.

Life

Tanumafili II was born as the third child of Malietoa Tanumafili I and his wife Momoe Lupeuluiva Meleisea. In 1933 he became an honorary member of the Prussia Berlin fraternity . After his father's death in 1939, he became chief ( Matai ) of Samoa in 1940 , which at that time still belonged to New Zealand .

After Samoa's independence on January 1, 1962, he was head of state together with Tupua Tamasese Mea'ole . When the latter died on April 5, 1963, he became the sole head of state. As of August 2005 Tanumafili II was the third longest reigning monarch on earth, after Rama IX. and Elizabeth II and until his death he was the oldest head of state on earth.

Tanumafili II was a follower of the Baha'i faith and thus the second monarch after Queen Maria of Romania to belong to this religion. The House of Worship in Samoa, eight kilometers from the state capital Apia , designed by Hossein Amanat , was inaugurated by him in 1984.

He died on May 11, 2007 at the age of 94 in a hospital in the capital Apia and after his death left two sons and two daughters; his wife Lili Tunu died in 1986. The New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark wrote in her condolence that Malietoa Tanumafili had "ruled with wisdom and humor".

Tanumafili II was a constant on the international stage. No excesses or scandals about him are about Tonga's King George Tupou V. known. Not least thanks to the prudent policies of Tanumafili II, which combined the democratic form of government with traditional elements of rule, Samoa is now considered a guarantor of stability in the Pacific.

After a month-long vacancy as head of state, Tupuola Taisi Tufuga Efi was elected as his successor by parliament and took office on June 20, 2007. In contrast to Tanumafili II, the heads of state are now re-elected every five years.

Awards

• Knight Grand Cross des Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG)
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
• Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM)

literature

• Helge Dvorak: Biographical Lexicon of the German Burschenschaft. Volume I: Politicians. Volume 8: Supplement L – Z. Winter, Heidelberg 2014, ISBN 978-3-8253-6051-1 , pp. 61-62.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Malietoa Tanumafili II (Obituary). The Economist , May 24, 2007, accessed February 23, 2010 . 
2. ↑ Photos: Samoans farewell their king and 'father'. The New Zealand Herald , May 20, 2007, accessed June 9, 2010 . 
3. ↑ Western Samoa Products and English, Samoan Languages (English)
4. ^ Royal welcome at jubilee gathering in Samoa. Bahá'í World News Service, November 30, 2004, accessed February 13, 2010 . 
5. ↑ Cherelle Jackson: Samoa's Head of State Malietoa dies aged 95. The New Zealand Herald , May 13, 2007, accessed May 23, 2010 . 
6. ↑ South Africa's condolences on Samoa king's death. (No longer available online.) South African Broadcasting Corporation , May 14, 2007, archived from the original on September 29, 2007 ; accessed on February 23, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ^ New head of state for Samoa. The New Zealand Herald , June 16, 2007, accessed June 9, 2010 . 
8. ↑ Samoa King Dies. The Herald Sun , May 13, 2007, accessed February 23, 2010 . 
9. ↑ About DPMC. (No longer available online.) Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet , archived from the original on June 5, 2010 ; accessed on June 9, 2010 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.