By Martha Taumata Faavae/Staff Writer
New political party FAST claimed more national prime time attention at the start of last week when its leader, made a beeline for his car as Parliament broke for morning tea on Tuesday.
MP La’auli Leuatea Schmidt, bolted out of the House in a huff, after a shouting match with the Prime Minister that echoed loudly inside the building.
Before the MP shot off for home he told Newsline Samoa that it remains to be seen if it is worth his time returning for the few remaining sessions of Parliament before it is dissolved in about two months time.
The last time he walked out while the House was in session was when he resigned in the middle of a verbal lashing by members for making false declarations to a Select Committee.
MP La’auli went into a shouting match with the Prime Minister when he tried to win sympathies for the two MPs who were dismissed from Parliament for violation of Standing Orders.
The Prime Minister objected to the loud MP slyly addressing the dismissals when he took the floor, supposedly to speak on the Meteorology, Geoscience and Ozone Services bill 2020.
Speaker Toleafoa Fa’afisi announced at the start of the Tuesday session that MPs Olo Fiti Vaai and Faumuina Wayne Fong violated Standing Orders.
He said they had already met and were officially informed they are no longer MPs.
Both admitted to the Speaker that the decision to join the new political party was the wish of their respective Electoral Constituencies.
“The loss of these ‘brothers’ weigh heavily on myself and all I wanted was to offer my sympathies,” MP La’auli tried to plead with the Speaker when the PM objected.
The exchange escalated into a screaming match the PM later complained almost burst his eardrums and others in the House at the time.
Tempers teetered on boiling point for other MPs who threatened to cause more chaos inside the House before the Speaker adjourned the debate for morning tea.
Veteran MP Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi was one of the MPs concerned by the disrespect the FAST leader showed with his angry outburst.
Lealailepule who sat across the aisle from MP La’auli exchange words with the FAST leader as the House was moving off for the tea break.
Caught up between the two looming MPs was the diminutive size of the House Sergeant in Arms who may have prevented the verbal exchange from deterioration.
Lealailepule told Newsline Samoa afterwards that MP La’auli went over the boundary and disrespected both the Speaker and the Prime Minister.
“ There are boundaries of respect in any debate especially when it comes to the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House, La’auli overstepped that,” he said.
“He is very lucky that the Speaker was in a soft, tolerant mood or he would have been marched out of the House.”
Lealailepule was clearly heard over the voice of the Speaker, calling on La’auli to give his outburst a rest.
La’auli responded by dismissing Lealailepule as not within his political league.
There were other MPs who tried to interject on a point of order against MP La’auli but were not allowed to.
“The decision to return to Parliament is mine to make but if I don’t return then it is for the sake of keeping the peace because I can easily tell the Government MPs are ganging up on me,” MP La’auli added.
The FAST leader added a new twist to his offer of condolences to the dismissed MPs as victims who he felt were unfairly signaled out.
He made a comparison to legal violations by two associate ministers who were not addressed by the Speaker.
The Speaker soundly rejected the claims as inaccurate while casting at the same time ridicule at claims that the dismissed MPs was a matter he as Speaker and others in the House did not take lightly.
“ So are you saying that we are not serious about the violation of Standing Orders that these MPs held little regard for.” Speaker Toleafoa remarked pointedly to the protesting MP La’auli.
The PM made it clear also that the dismissed MPs are guilty of the same violations that forced the FAST leader to lose his electoral seat and had to contest a by-election before he could return.
Parliament has adjourned to the 15th December 2020 after the one-day session on Tuesday.
The upcoming session is more likely to be the last to close out the year 2020. The next session largely expected in January 2021 is anticipated to be the final meeting of Parliament before it is dissolved in preparations for the general elections next April.