By Staff Writer
Years of wandering all over Apia from one office location to another ended on Tuesday for the Office of the Electoral Commission, OEC, when they moved into their own office building at Mulinu’u.
The Commission has been on the exodus without any permanent office abode since 2005 when it broke away to be independent from the Legislative Assembly.
The brand new single storey building at Mulinu’u cost close to $4m tala to design and build on the same spot the Lands and Titles Court used to be.
The structure appears deceptively small from the outside but there is open space inside to comfortably fit a crowd of at least 200 people.
The open front porch could house more in the shade from the hot Mulinu’u sun or keep dry from the rain.
On the town side at Mulinu’u, is the old rundown wooden Lands and Titles Court administration office where the Commission organized and co-ordinated the 2011 general elections.
The wooden front porch of the building collapsed when it was unable to hold up the large crowd waiting to register to vote in the national election polls of that year.
“Luckily there were no injuries but it was then that Cabinet decided seriously to look into an office for the Commission,” Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi recalled at the Tuesday opening of the new building.
The days of organising and co-ordinating a national general elections from inside where they can set up, including a sports gymnasium as it was last April at Tuanaimato, is history to reflect on as the Prime Minister did
The Electoral Commissioner, Faimalomatumua Mathew Lemisio and his staff are the ones with much to celebrate and be thankful for.
Their new and permanent working environment is more than just a healthy blessing of fresh sea breeze every day and high drama of the Tiafau Malae as in recent events of political intrigue.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to witness the first ever permanent home of OEC officially opened today,” Commissioner Faimalomatumua celebrated in relief as he welcomed the guests into the building.
“It’s a long time coming but we’ve got here despite a lot of challenges that we had to go through to realize this important project in the existence of OEC.”
The Commissioner looked back at when the go ahead to build was finalised in 2013.
Faimalomatumua and his staff are proud to tick the Commission Office off the dream list during their time in the service.
“Staff will come and go through OEC’s doors but the thought that this will be the Office’s permanent home is satisfying.
“It’s definitely an achievement ticked off for our current team.”
PM Tuilaepa defended the need for having the new Commission Office against political critics who has condemned budget spending on new building ‘people don’t eat.’
He said new buildings are all part of the development process to show progress in any growing country as Samoa has been doing with its economic growth over the years.
“We also have to make sure the public is treated to better facilities for their benefit, comfort and safety,” PM Tuilaepa defended strongly with the collapse of the old Court House Office building in mind.
The Commission staff used most of the week to get organised inside the building with plans to move in this week to start working from their new office.
