Cover up alleged

“As far as I’m concern, he is just an ordinary M.P. He was not sworn in. We want to know the validity of him signing the grant and yet he is not a legal Associate Minister. He has yet to be sworn in”

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (M.N.R.E), Fa’amoetauloa Dr. Faale Tumaali’i, has come under fire from within the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P) for speaking up to defend former Minister of Finance, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga.

On Friday, Fa’amoetauloa rejected claims that his Associate, Faumuina, violated Cabinet protocol when he signed a $28.2million project with the United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P).

The Minister said Faumuina signed the project on his behalf because he had a plane to catch.

But the explanation has been booted to touch and described as “absolutely ridiculous.” The description comes from the Associate Minister of Public

Enterprises, Papali’i Niko Lee Hang, and the Associate Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, Tu'u’u Anasi’i Leota.

The Associate Minister of Public Enterprises went further, claiming that Fa’amoetauloa’s actions is part of a “cover up” by a certain group within the

H.R.P.P to protect the embattled former Minister of Finance.

“In his interview he mentioned he was here but had to catch a flight, this is just ridiculous,” said Papali’i. “It is all a cover up."

“How can he not know days before his flight that the signing was hours before his flight? He should’ve informed the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister to sign it.”

Fa’amoetauloa’s insistence that he gave the authorisation to Faumuina to sign the deal was rubbished by Papali’i.

“What is usually done if the Minister is to leave, the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister performs the signing."

“In my belief, it was not right for Faumuina to sign the grant.”

Papali’i also questioned the legitimacy of Faumuina’s associate Minister portfolio.

“As far as I’m concern, he is just an ordinary M.P,” he said. “He was not sworn in. We want to know the validity of him signing the grant and yet he is not a legal Associate Minister. He has yet to be sworn in.”

Papali’i pointed out that all Associate Ministers are sworn in. He used as an example M.P Lafaitele Patrick Lei’ataualesa, who was suspended over a kava incident recently. He lost his Associate Minister’s benefits.

When he was reinstated, Papali’i said he was sworn in before all other Members of Parliament.

“If Faumui was sworn in, then why wasn’t it done in a transparent way where everyone can see it done?”

Lafaitele was reinstated in April this year, the same day the new Minister for Public Enterprises, Lautafi Selafi Purcell, was sworn in as a Minister.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (M.N.R.E), Fa’amoetauloa Dr. Faale Tumaali’i, has come under fire from within the ruling Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P) for speaking up to defend former Minister of Finance, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga.

On Friday, Fa’amoetauloa rejected claims that his Associate, Faumuina, violated Cabinet protocol when he signed a $28.2million project with the United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P).

The Minister said Faumuina signed the project on his behalf because he had a plane to catch.

But the explanation has been booted to touch and described as “absolutely ridiculous.” The description comes from the Associate Minister of Public Enterprises, Papali’i Niko Lee Hang, and the Associate Minister of Education, Sports and Culture, Tu'u’u Anasi’i Leota.

The Associate Minister of Public Enterprises went further, claiming that Fa’amoetauloa’s actions is part of a “cover up” by a certain group within the H.R.P.P to protect the embattled former Minister of Finance.

“In his interview he mentioned he was here but had to catch a flight, this is just ridiculous,” said Papali’i. “It is all a cover up."

“How can he not know days before his flight that the signing was hours before his flight? He should’ve informed the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister to sign it.”

Fa’amoetauloa’s insistence that he gave the authorisation to Faumuina to sign the deal was rubbished by Papali’i.

“What is usually done if the Minister is to leave, the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister performs the signing."

“In my belief, it was not right for Faumuina to sign the grant.”

Papali’i also questioned the legitimacy of Faumuina’s associate Minister portfolio.

“As far as I’m concern, he is just an ordinary M.P,” he said. “He was not sworn in. We want to know the validity of him signing the grant and yet he is not a legal Associate Minister. He has yet to be sworn in.”

Papali’i pointed out that all Associate Ministers are sworn in. He used as an example M.P Lafaitele Patrick Lei’ataualesa, who was suspended over a kava incident recently. He lost his Associate Minister’s benefits.

When he was reinstated, Papali’i said he was sworn in before all other Members of Parliament.

“If Faumui was sworn in, then why wasn’t it done in a transparent way where everyone can see it done?”

Lafaitele was reinstated in April this year, the same day the new Minister for Public Enterprises, Lautafi Selafi Purcell, was sworn in as a Minister.

Lautafi was appointed after Faumuina resigned from the Finance portfolio amidst numerous allegations questioning his conduct.

A few months later, Faumuina re-emerged as the Associate Minister of M.N.R.E. What’s more, he has also been made a member of Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee as well as the Ethics and Privileges Committee.

According to Tu’u’u, Faumuina has yet to be sworn in and because of that, he is not an Associate Minister.

“So I don’t know why he is given so much attention to sign on behalf of the Minister when he isn’t an Associate Minister.”

The leader of the H.R.P.P and Prime Minister, Tuilaepa, could not be reached for a comment as he is outside of the country.

When he was asked about Faumuina’s swearing in as Associate Minister earlier this year, he was defensive.

Tuilaepa said the only reason why other M.Ps wanted to have the Associate Minister sworn in during a ceremony was because they want to make things difficult.

“I think they want to be given traditional presentation (taiga sua),” Tuilaepa said.

“There is an easy way to do things and the hard way. But why the hard way when we have an easy way to do it?”

Several attempts to get a comment from Faumuina have not been successful.

Last week, both Papali’i and Tu'u’u claimed that Prime Minister Tuilaepa’s treatment of Faumuina is widening the rift within the ruling party.

“It is a slap in the face,” Papali’i said.

“As Associate Ministers ourselves, we know that this has never happened. I am not saying this because I am jealous or whatever but it is how we judge things."

“And to me it is not right for someone who is implicated in corrupt practices and yet appear in public signing off on millions of dollars worth of funds on behalf of government.”

“I mean how do you feel as an ordinary person?”

Tu’u’u echoed Papali’i’s anger saying the Associate Ministers were being treated like second class Members of Parliament (M.P.s).

“He (Tuilaepa) is not walking the talk,” said Tu’u’u.

“We feel that he is trying to push us away. He is not doing something to ease the tension within the Party, he is putting in things that will create more bad feelings within the Party. That is how we feel at the moment.”

Tu’u’u said it is favouritism in its truest sense.

Papali’i agreed with his colleague’s favouritism call on Faumuina – calling on those H.R.R.P. members who were unhappy with the situation to speak out.

“To us is not right as Party members,” he said. “Some other members are not satisfied with this and yet they cannot speak out.”

“But we heard them complaining about this issue – Faumuina signing these things – so speak out, we have a Caucus so speak out. Hopefully we will have a Caucus meeting so we can speak out on these issues.”