By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
So who really had the last laugh when the No Confidence Motion by the Opposition party was trounced in the House by a two-thirds majority vote?
Certainly not the shambolic leadership of the FAST party. Probably relief but no laughing.
If laughing WITH is good and laughing AT is not, then the ruling party ended up with the AT laugh.
Just wondering if because they were caught with their leadership pants down the ankles or around the ears. Which is worse?
Politics corrupt. Political power corrupts absolutely.
Samoa’s politics right now is at the extreme end of absolutely.
A Speaker who unashamedly perverted the noble role of independence and neutrality he is supposed to honour and uphold is a glaring example. Absolutely.
When he signed up as a petitioner to remove the leadership from PM Fiame was that honourable or not?
What about being made to join up again with PM Fiame to reject the HRPP motion of no confidence?
Why did he signed up to make the two-thirds majority needed for electoral changes in the Constitution?
Is it not the standard requirement for his vote to cast only when it is a draw?
If he knew that already why did he still signed? Is the lack of integrity struggling in there somewhere?
What if some kind of law was broken, perhaps legal, moral or both?
The man is a lawyer would the Law Society agree to what he did? Maybe their professional opinion should be taken as a measure if they do give one.
While the guilty finger is pointed at the Speaker, he is basically a supporting act.
PM Fiame is the real star of the whole show. She is no saint though.
The woman has a bulldog grip on leadership whether she is entitled to or not.
According to the Constitution she is not. The miraculous unity vote last week by the FAST Party says she does.
Unfortunately for the PM the show of unity comes with a nasty twist that now threatens to once again topple her leadership.
Looming behind the threat is her FAST party Chairman and the man she sacked as Minister of Agriculture, Laauli Leuatea Schmidt.
He has already claimed a majority following of caucus MPs and is openly planning a take over.
Laauli is threatening a ‘No Confidence Vote’ on the PM’s leadership.
The timing is unclear and also whether it will happen or not the next time Parliament meets.
Laauli has been basking in being regarded as a kingmaker who purportedly put PM Fiame in office.
So what now? It is not looking as if he is happy to stay on as kingmaker.
How does King Laauli sounds?
Maybe worth noting that his dad had such an endearing character he was lovingly hailed as King Pola.
Laauli camp supporters have been trying to recruit from the HRPP Opposition MPs the needed numbers for his coup d’état on PM Fiame.
HRPP leader, Tuilaepa, has been watching with interest the ‘poaching’ moves.
Interestingly enough, it comes at a time when cracks are starting to show in the opposition camp’s once seemingly tight camaraderie.
MP Maulolo Tavita crossed the floor last week to vote in support of the Government’s Electoral Amendment bill.
His floor crossing act in Parliament and the frictions it created appear to be putting an unexpected strain on party harmony.
With the FAST breakup beyond repair and the cracks starting to show in the HRPP opposition, ‘what the hell’ kind of Government are we in?
Why are we not calling for general elections? We cannot continue like this.
Why are we being forced as a people to endure an unstable Government in chaos and disarray?
While we continue to stumble around in political torture, how are we likely to be seen by our regional neighbours and more importantly world donor partners?
Have we become a Mickey Mouse democracy?
If the image of stability in Samoa has become a global mockery, how are we being looked at as a people?
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon movie character alongside Donald Duck, for those of us who follow the fantasy world of Disneyland.
If that is so, is it likely we will be looked at through global eyes as ducks in our Mickey Mouse Government?
Not sitting ducks please.
’Sitting ducks’ in the slang is about people vulnerable to ‘easy attack, cheat, or being taken advantage of.’
Is it any different if we become sitting Donald ducks?
Lets just say we won’t need a No Confidence Motion for that.