By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
If PM Fiame resigns this week as largely anticipated, it would be a Day of Shame for Samoa.
The proud moment of being the first woman PM becomes scandalous if or when she does step down.
Her fall from grace has nothing to do with any shameful act unbecoming a leader, to warrant doing so.
There is of course an alleged criminal act behind all the political furore, but it is on the FAST party Chairman Laauli Leuatea Schmidt.
Police filed criminal charges of conspiracy against him over the unsolved road death of a young male at Vaitele-uta a while back.
Laauli, was Minister of Agriculture when the legal charges came up and PM Fiame terminated his ministerial portfolio.
He cannot continue to remain in Cabinet with criminal charges pending against him.
Unfortunately, the subsequent political fallout since then has brought us all the way to the chaos of the present we are in.
What we are up against is being described a Constitutional Crisis.
PM Fiame does not have the majority of MPs to rule and that is what the crisis is all about.
Imagine that!
In what world of sanity is a PM forced to step down because of a loyalty split in the party membership, sparked by criminal charges as the root cause?
Why is PM Fiame the victim for taking the high moral ground as any responsible leader would do to ensure justice is carried out?
The FAST party governing mandate is supposed to be the Rule Of Law.
Is that NOT what the PM did when she ejected Laauli from Cabinet to await a court ruling?
Laauli is the one faced with the criminal charges.
Why is he the hero? There is a signed letter by 29 FAST party MPs claiming he is.
Is PM Fiame the villain? Why?
Is her standing up for the Rule of Law a show of bad leadership that the majority of FAST MPs decided to favour Laauli?
Why are the FAST party MPs overlooking the higher calling of justice and the Rule of Law they so loudly proclaim?
Is it because they want to hold on to the comforts of power by staying on in Government as the ruling party rather than returning to early general elections?
Shameful.
Has our dragged out political leadership bedlam turned dirty enough to throw the innocent PM under the bus?
Would that be an uncaring act of FAST party MPs blinded by ambition and power?
Is it possible they would go to any length to vote Laauli in as new PM for simply that?
Dear Lord Almighty.
Forgive our sins and trespasses and lead us in Samoa back to general elections.