Tuilaepa Should Concede Defeat, says Fiamē

FAST Leader, Fiame Naomi Mataafa.

By Lagi Keresoma

APIA, SAMOA – 03 MAY 2021: The caretaker Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi should accept the result of the general elections and concede defeat.

This is according to the leader of the Fa’atuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi – FAST party, Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa who has reiterated the result of the general elections that gave her party the lead with 26 seats against to the Human Rights Protection Party’s 25.

“He (Tuilaepa) has been defeated, and that is the truth,” Fiamē told a weekend press conference.

Fiamē emphasized that the country’s decision voted FAST to form a new government “but this decision was usurped by an unelected government official’s unilateral decision that has created the current political stalemate.”

The stalemate has been caused by the Head of State, under the advice of the Electoral Commissioner to appoint former Member of Parliament Ali’imalemanu Alofa Tu’u’au who came second in her constituency’s election result, as the 6^th woman MP and forcing a tie of 26 seats each to HRPP and FAST.

Since then, FAST took legal action and the matter will be heard in the Supreme Court on Wednesday this week.

Fiamē is also questioning why the Electoral Commissioner is not answering her direct enquiry on why he kept on shifting his official public announcements on the election results.

Last week, the Electoral Commissioner issued a press release saying his integrity is intact but did not respond to the question on why he kept changing his official announcements on the final election results.

As an HRPP member for more than 30 years and worked alongside Tuilaepa, Fiamē was asked about Tuilaepa’s growing impudence “whether he was always like that.”

Fiamē said being in power for too long has taken a toll on him.

“He thinks there are no limits to his authority and he can to do whatever he likes,” said Fiamē.

“With all that power, he has forgotten that even a Prime Minister, a Judge or an MP’s authority is confined to policies and guidelines and the law all must follow,” she said.

No common sense

One of Tuilaepa’s favourite lines towards the public servants is to use their “common sense.”

He often talked about situations where senior officials referred matters to him which he thought could simply be handled if they used their common sense.

With the current political situation, Fiamē was asked if she had any ideas why Tuilaepa has not followed his own advice to use common sense.

“If there was any left, he would use it, but the situation is such that there is no sense left at all,” said Fiamē.