Faleata 4 MP Claims Fiame Lacks Leadership Skills

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, Samoa – 23 January 2025 – A vocal critic of Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa is at it again – this time asserting the Prime Minister lacks leadership skills.

The Member of Parliament for Faleata 4, Ale Vena Ale publicly made the statement during the FAST Party press conference at the party’s headquarters at Tuana’imato n Monday this week.

Ale is one of the 13 Associate Ministers terminated by the Prime Minister last Friday having signed a caucus letter that expressed loss of confidence in the PM’s leadership. Ale then criticized the Prime Minister’s “silence” over a number on issues of national interest.

Asked to elaborate on his claim at the press conference, Ale’s claim centered around to the unresolved hit and run incident in April 2021 that claimed the life of a university student.

Four years later, no one has been charged directly with the incident, however, people have been charged and accused of matters relating to the incident.

“It has been four years an no charge has been made, police have failed and that is also the failure of the Government,” Ale stated.

“There was also a request to recruit a police team from overseas to handle the investigation given the conflict of interest of so many people in the matter,” Ale said.

It was around that time that the Minister of Police, Faualo Harry Schuster announced his conflict of interest being related to one of the suspects – Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi and the Deputy Prime Minister Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio stepped in to assume Faualo’s duties on this particular matter.

However, when Fiame returned from an overseas trip, she overturned the decision and told Parliament that there was no need to recruit overseas police as Samoa has their own police to handle the investigation.

Also of major concern to the FAST caucus is the fast growing problem of illicit drugs especially ‘ice’ that according to a sensitive report already given the Prime Minister and Cabinet, that is targeting young people and students and the allegations of police involvement.

“This is one matter and many others of national interest that the people need answers to, but the PM is silent and it is a concern to the FAST party as the countdown to next year’s general election draws near,” said the Faleata 4 MP.