The $600,000 office of the former Minister of Finance, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga, located at the third floor of the Samoa National Provident Fund (S.N.P.F.) Plaza on Beach Road, is closed and unused.
But, when the Samoa Observer visited, the air-conditioning and lights were still on even though nobody was there.
A security guard said the office has been closed for “quite some time.”
“It been closed for two weeks now,” he said. “It was not long after his resignation when the office was closed.”
Furniture has been removed from the office. Where they have been taken to, it could not be ascertained.
All that was left was scrap paper, files, folders, binders, a couple of hole punchers, a wine basket still festooned with party ribbons, and an elaborate wood wall carving, about two metres tall.
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On the door to the former Minister’s personal office was a sign that read, “Great People Talk About Ideas, Average People Talk About Things, Small People Talk About other People.”
The door was also closed. Who will use the $600,000 office is not known at this stage.
The Minister made headlines when the office was “redesigned” and toilets and a bathroom were pushed back to make room for more office space, with a price tag of $600,000 for the renovations.
During a previous interview, Faumuina claimed the office was financed by the Ministry of Finance and “corporations and authorities under my portfolio also contributed”. The portfolios include the National Provident Fund, Samoa Housing Corporation, Samoa Life Assurance Corporation, Development Bank of Samoa, Accident Compensation Corporation, Unit Trust of Samoa and Samoa International Finance Authority.
When Faumuina resigned in Parliament, he argued that the amount of $600,000 included tax, “which is confusing many people, as it was an asset improvement by some 29,000 active members of the Fund.” “Now if there are 6 members of a family of one contributor, it means that some 174,000 people will benefit from this investment,” he said.
“The cost of the Office of the Minister was $28 per sqft, inclusive of the Office of the Associate Minister and other offices of the staff.
“The Office of Special Assistant to the Minister, 2 Secretaries, Driver and Office Cleaner/Tea Lady.
“The Associate Ministers, who are shadow Ministers for the future should be exposed to their ministerial duties so by the time they are appointed as ministers, their work performance as leaders has become natural and practical.”
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