Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi is not concerned about members of the Officers of Parliament Committee (O.P.C.) taking allegations of corruption to court.
In an interview with the media this week, Tuilaepa said there is no higher power than of that from parliament.
“Parliament makes its own decision,” he made it clear.
“No member of parliament is more powerful than the parliament…it’s been done according to parliament protocols.”
This week, the chairman of the Public Finance Committee, M.P. Papali’itele Niko Lee Hang vowed to make sure public servants he claims have “defrauded” taxpayers through collusion are held accountable for their actions.
Papali’itele was referring to a Controller and Chief Auditors report into Samoa Land Corporation that raised allegations of “corrupt practices”.
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“Well, if justice is not only seen but being done, it has to go to Court,” said Papali’itele.
But this is not worrying Tuilaepa.
“Some of the MPs are new and don’t understand the way things are (done in parliament),” he said.
“The new ones should ask those that were before them…the courts have no say in what is done in parliament.
“Parliament makes its own decision.”
The Prime Minister explained that on the night the report was tabled in parliament last month, there were a lot of unhappy MP’s.
“Many MP’s were not happy about the Minister giving his Ministerial speech,” he recalled.
“I understand the MP’s were especially not happy with the fact that they cannot ask questions and interfere with a Minister once they give a Ministerial speech.
“But if you remember the Minister gave his Ministerial speech so that he can answer to the report and once he was done I moved a motion to set aside (parliament) protocol to allow the M.P.’s to talk about the speech, but no one objected to it.”
Tuilaepa reiterated that he gave the MP’s in the chamber the opportunity to speak about the Minister’s answer but “all I heard was they accept it”.
“I moved that motion to avoid people saying that the Minister gave the speech so that no MP can interfere but as you see all they say was they accept it.
“It was done according to parliament protocols and no MP is greater than the authority of the parliament.”
Former Minister of Finance, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga gave his ministerial speech late at night, reading 25 pages over two hours, ending at about 1.30am in the morning.
There were originally objections to the motion to allow him to start the speech, and objections during, but they were overruled by the Speaker of the House, La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao.
After reading his 25 pages speech that lasted for nearly three hours, Faumuina shocked parliament and the country when he announced his resignation.
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