It’s hard not to notice a motherly sense of protection by the PM towards her Cabinet members since taking office.
Defense of her Minister of Finance is a clear example. The woman is under heavy fire from being thrown into the deep end where she is seen as out of depth and is drowning in her portfolio.
When Fiame tried to deflect the flak by admitting that she made the please help us budget call to New Zealand, the intention was obvious.
She was extending her motherly wings to cuddle in her minister.
She even tried to laugh off as nonsense the conflict of interest her Minister blurted publicly at shutting out the CEO of Finance from working on the budget because his dad is the leader of the opposition.
While all this maternal bubble of armor is endearing, the question is will the soft touch stand up to the rough and tumble of leading a Government?
Her predecessor and former boss put Samoa on a very high success pedestal she will have to either match or better.
Tuilaepa is a no nonsense fatherly type. His critics trashed him as a hard man who puts his Cabinet Ministers in their place at a snap and would chew up advice and spit them out.
But look at where Samoa is at now.
Fiame will need to fight like mad to wiggle out of Stui’s shadow.
Ok…so she has only been in office for 3 weeks. Fair enough. Lets wait and see.
“….with Stui looking over her shoulders, good luck, dear.