‘Patience is the key’: Samoa’s elected prime minister before he can govern hopefully | Politics News

He is one of the most experienced politicians in the Pacific Islands, but Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is the leader of the FAST (Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi) Party, which won 26 of the 51 parliamentary seats in Samoa’s elections last month. victory is facing the biggest struggle in 36 years in politics.

A national island of about 199,000 people in Polynesia has been in an unprecedented political blockade since the April 9 vote.

Many analysts saw the rise of FAST as Mata’afa, the former deputy prime minister, was a serious electoral challenge for decades to the first Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), led by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi. office for 22 years.

Few have since predicted the drama and intrigue of a roller coaster ride that has captured the nation and the region.

Despite the uncertainty, the 64-year-old man remains significantly out.

“If the interim government continues to throw these things at us, we just have to overcome that and of course the courts will take over and do the appropriate process. So I think patience is the key,” Mata’afak told Al Jazeera. in an interview.

Last week’s election blockade, with the two main parties gaining 26 seats, seemed to be broken after the victory.

Mata’afa, who resigned in September 2020 before joining the FAST party, was sworn in as the new prime minister on May 24 when the Supreme Court claimed HRPP to claim a state seat in parliament to meet the rules on women’s representation, as a result of the FAST Party taking the lead.

But, in a desperate attempt to prevent the transition of power, Malielegaoi locked the doors of the Samoan parliament.

Fearlessly, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa took the oath of office at an unofficial ceremony held in the nearby tent, an initiative described by the HRPP as a “betrayal”.

Mata’afa dismisses these claims.

“All the time, we’ve followed the election law … and I tell you, our courts have really risen, and that’s very critical because we don’t have a parliament at the moment and the interim government is a provisional agreement,” he explained. he said. “So that’s the body that works and, thankfully, that works.”

Veteran leader

A clear long-term view of the current crisis is not unexpected, given the experience he has had in public life.

Fiame Naomi Mata’afa is the daughter of Samoa’s independent prime minister, Fiame Mata’afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II, and began her political career in 1985 as a member of the Lotofaga district of the main island of Upolu.

She held various portfolio of ministries for education, women, community and social development, justice, environment and natural resources until 2016, when she was the Deputy Prime Minister of the HRPP government.

Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi resigns from power after close ties with Beijing [File: Lintao Zhang/Pool via Reuters]

Under his leadership, the FAST party campaigned in the elections, including tackling corruption, strengthening the rule of law, tackling unemployment, and reviewing the country’s foreign debt and development trajectory as well.

Although the Samoans believe that the standstill needs to be fixed by themselves, and that they have the capacity to do so, Mata’afa welcomes the offers of support from international agencies and bilateral partners.

The United Nations has already offered its support to find a solution, and the Federated States of Micronesia has publicly supported the new government.

“They gave me the message that Palau will continue on the same path,” he said. “Also, the Secretary General of the Commonwealth has arrived, spoken to the Prime Minister and also called me,” he said.

Kerryn Baker, a Pacific policy student in the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University, added: “The Pacific Islands Forum has offered to act on this. [mediator] if necessary, provides a framework for responding to regional security challenges that could be called for through the new Secretary-General Henry Puna and the Biketawa Declaration. But I think a lot of people in Samoa hope that this can be fixed in the country without resorting to international interventions. “

The next obstacle for the FAST party is May 31, when the court will hear an appeal against the decision of the Supreme Court of Malielegaoi to remove the extra seat in the HRPP parliament.

“So if he doesn’t succeed in that issue, will he leave the post, because that’s the last handle he’s really hanging on to,” Mata’afa asked.

Although he said the kidnapping of the incumbent prime minister in parliament was a “bloodless coup”, there is no way the island nation will be brought down to unrest.

“Certainly, the situation in Samoa is very tense and divisive, but I do not anticipate an end to the violence,” Baker told Al Jazeera. There are all indications that this will be resolved, not necessarily quickly or easily, but certainly through peaceful means. “

Mata’afa agreed: “Samoa is not a place like this. People are very measured; they are very aware of Samoa’s communal life, it is very important to be calm and move the process forward.”

Investment in focus

As long as the pro-power stance continues, the elected prime minister remains clear about his priorities once in power.

“We would really like to get the government infrastructure back in place in terms of development goals,” he said. “Our indicators for education and health are very poor. With our current government, I think the priority in terms of economic recovery has been around infrastructure projects. We would like to involve the wider population base in the economy, so we would like to invest in a bigger way for small and medium-sized businesses to grow. ”

It is also eager to create a more rigorous view of development and infrastructure in the country, including the controversial port project in Vaiusu Bay, which was publicly proposed in 2012 by the Government of Samoa, under Malielegaoi.

The project, which China was supposed to fund with a $ 100 million subsidy, has been highly controversial with the Samoans, who believe the Pacific island state owes an increase in its debt to the East Asian country. It is estimated that 40% of Samoa’s foreign debt is owed to China.

Samoa’s Chief Justice Satiu Simativa Perese will arrive in parliament in Apiara on May 24, 2021, as she and Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Samoa’s elected prime minister, were locked up in the Pacific nation’s parliament. [Keni Lesa/AFP]

“They asked me a lot of questions about Chinese projects, including the pier,” he said. “We don’t prioritize that. Samoa is a small country and I believe that our current entry points are more than enough to meet our needs. The Chinese have approached and said they will look into it [the wharf project], but nothing has been signed “.

Although Samoa’s average per capita GDP is around $ 4,324, according to the World Bank, 20.3% of the population lives below the national poverty line and unemployment is around 14.5%. Youth unemployment is almost 32 percent.

“We’ve had a lot of projects with the Chinese and I think this is an opportunity to review,” he said.

“What was the model? Is this the most effective way to work with a bilateral partner? But not only China, but also other partners in our development, ”Mata’af said. “I think China, as a development partner and donor, needs to come to the party and understand some of the rules about how to work with us. It’s always good to do it in an open and consultative way.”

Strengthening the rule of law is another key goal.

“We had three very controversial bills, which were passed through parliament very quickly [last year] and it was one of the main reasons for leaving, ”he said.

The new Land and Titles Courts, Amendments to the Constitution, and the Bills of Justice aroused widespread opposition, as they were seen as giving too much to the executive, as well as weakening the Supreme Court’s ability to deal with abuses of power, creating a new Territorial and Titles Court. -usability.

Mata’af said the legislation led to the “complete destruction of the judiciary and the judiciary” and that it created a “very dangerous precedent” for creating an independent and autonomous Court of Land and Titles that did not have a very clear legal framework.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t have a strong Territorial and Title Court, but when it comes to national jurisdiction, it’s very important to state who the top authority is,” he said. “That’s always been the Supreme Court, but that’s questionable.”

Beyond these longer-term goals, Mata’af saw the need to provide a more coordinated response to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although Samoa has registered only 235 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, it has sometimes imposed internal blocking measures, as well as making restrictions on international travel and banning sea voyages.

“I understand that no one in election situations wants to talk about the immediate impacts that COVID-19 will have on the economy, but I think that’s one of the things we need to control very quickly,” he said. .