By Staff Writer
The roof of the brand new Office of the Electoral Commission at Mulinu’u may crash to the floor or the building walls caved in, but it will not ruffle in any way the composure of the Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio.
The man is at peace with himself and his new career choice as Deputy President of the Lands and Titles Court.
Faimalomatumua is serving out this week his mandatory two weeks resignation notice in office as Commissioner.
He handed in his resignation last week to officially end a service that spanned two general elections, 2016 and 2021.
His calm demeanor is rooted in his strong religious faith and beliefs in divine destiny.
“I always believe that our paths have already been written by God,” he confided in an exclusive interview with Newsline Samoa about his resignation.
“That’s why I am always at peace with the decisions I made about career pathways – they’ve already been written.”
Still it is not an easy career chapter for Faimalomatumua to shut off completely.
He takes with him the memories of many memorable moments of his service that will remain for a long time to come.
His many years as Commissioner have undoubtedly shaped his character as a person with leadership responsibilities and more.
The bonds of standing together with his staff through ‘high and low’, working alongside each other for many years and the rewarding changes they made for themselves, are lifetime achievements in this union.
Faimalomatumua reflected on “seeing the staff getting opportunities to grow in self belief” as a lasting memory he takes with him.
“When I first got there, words such as “find a way to get rid of them…they’re not qualified… and… “they’re retards”, were often thrown at them,” he recalled.
“But as leaders, you are tasked to build people. They are the most important resource in any organisation.
“I will never forget the reaction of some of the staff when they were given the opportunity to travel overseas on trainings and meetings for the very first time.
“I will never forget how proud I felt when a staff member came up to me and said; “Matt I’m going back to school, I need you to consider flexi time for me”.
“I’ll also never forget how proud I felt when a staff member comes up to me and said they’re resigning because they got a job with a higher pay grade at another workplace or going overseas under the quota or the RSE.
“To me that is growth. Those will be the lasting memories that I will take with me after my time at OEC. “
Faimalomatumua still has until 2024 to serve out his contract as Commissioner.
His career transition as Deputy President of the Lands and Titles Court was on the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) recommendation of the Judicial Services Commission.
The Commissioner was one of several applicants reviewed by the Judicial Commission.
The Head of State makes the final appointment based on the recommendation.
Faimalomatumua expanded on his decision to open up a new career path in an exclusive interview featured in the Newline Samoa Sunday 5 December 2021 issue.
i feel sorry for those kids. They walk long all day just to earn so little to feed their families. Samoa hasnt been like that those old days . but u see now the poor kids has to help out too. Their parents should educate themself suffiently to make a life long contributions but not them.