By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
Laauli should do the noble deed and resign from Cabinet.
Going on social media to publicly declare he is not resigning is unbecoming of any quality leader worth the respect.
All that does is widen up the opened can for more worms to crawl out.
The wider the can opening the bigger the worms.
Does he want that? Why?
He has basically defied the PM’s leadership by jumping to the conclusion he is getting the Cabinet boot.
All PM Fiame has said is to let the law take its course.
Yes of course it is vague but that is par for the course in the normal double talk of politics.
If that means giving Laauli the drop kick then we will just have to wait and see if that is true.
The Minister’s open defiance, however, is unwanted stress for PM Fiame who is being forced to go through a massive juggling act to maintain unity in Government.
One has to feel for the leadership burden sitting on her tender shoulders right now.
What makes it worse, is the irony of Fiame trying to clean up the mess Laauli himself created.
He is facing police criminal charges of conspiracy linked to the unsolved road death at Vaitele of a young man the opposition MP Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi is being blamed for.
Laauli has already tapped into the global reach of the social media to plead his innocence by denying the unlawful acts alleged.
What needs closer attention, despite the Minister’s not guilty pleas, is the police role in taking the matter to court.
Of course they are fully aware the person involved is a Cabinet Minister.
Would they wilfully lodge criminal complaints with the crystal clear understanding the person involved is a Minister of State?
Should they be wary of the powers the man is capable of wielding by making him out to be an alleged criminal?
Surely they know he sits in Cabinet where the real power of running the country lies!
Still the police persisted.
Question?
Will the integrity of the Cabinet decision making powers be seriously doubted if Laauli is allowed to continue to sit in with criminal charges pending?
This is the key concern feeding the raging fires of political turmoil by a defiant Cabinet Minister with an ultimatum to give PM Fiame more gray in her short styled hair.
Could the pressure become a real threat to one’s sanity?
At least we now have some sense of appreciation at the burden of challenge the Americans love to throw at their Presidents…“THE BUCK STOPS WITH YOU.”
Tuilaepa agrees!
“The final decision is with the Prime Minister and she must have the strength to make it,” the former Prime Minister sympathised.
Indeed she must. Granted it is not an envious job when faced with hard decisions but someone has to make it.
Fiame as Prime Minister is the one who has the faith and the elected trust of Samoa as a people to make the decision as their appointed leader.
Lets all spare a kind thought for our PM. Wish her the strength to make the hard choices.
To Keep Or Not To Keep Laauli in Cabinet is the question.
Thank you Madam PM.
Them are your lungs.