By Mataeliga Pio Sioa
The unanticipated Cabinet Shuffle by the PM is the surprise of the week, obviously, for everyone.
But now that we have time to analyse the likely impacts, is this a stand alone shuffle or one of many in our distant political horizon?
Shifting out the Finance Minister, Mulipola Anarosa Molio’o is the main attention catcher.
Her ‘fall from grace’ as it seems to be the general reaction, is mitigated by staying on to lead the women in development.
The general talk is that she fits in well there from the deep end of the pool she was thrown into at the start.
What will be watched closely by public opinion is her close ties with the Minister of Agriculture, Laauli Leuatea Schmidt.
Both were alleged to be closely linked to the highly controversial Samoa Stock Market In Hong Kong and the chartered direct flights from China to Samoa.
The same Chinese investor they were linked to was supposedly involved in both commercial ventures.
The new Cabinet changes included re-assigning STEC away from Laauli to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster.
The looming question that will be closely monitored in the coming days is whether this re-arrangement of Ministerial portfolios will have any bearings on the unity of the PM’s governing leadership.
Mulipola and Laauli are senior members of Cabinet and regarded also as carrying a lot of weight in the party – Laauli especially.
PM Fiame has appointed two newcomers into politics to make up the full 15 members she is legally allowed to have in her Cabinet.
New Finance Minister Lautimuia Vaai Uelese comes across as a popular choice.
His long service experience with the Ministry of Finance and previous executive contractual placements, stand him high in the public approval list.
Laumatiamanu Ringo Purcell as Minister of Sports do raise eyebrows as well but more out of public curiosity as an unknown personality, injected overnight into the limelight of national politics.
Most do of course know of him as an ex-policeman.
What must stand out for these two is the express route they took to overtake the others in their entry into Cabinet.
In doing so did they step on some veteran toes or brushed any hard noses out of joint?
Watch the far horizon.
If or not anything appears, there is a murmuring undercurrent of noted opinions that PM Fiame has served notice that she is no pushover.
She had already offered a glimpse of her true mettle with recent threats to opposition MPs of having them yanked from the roots in Parliament – it left quite a buzz.
Even the respected opposition leader was not spared her biting rhetoric, when she compared him to a girl who lost her virginity, for his criticisms of their merged electoral constituencies.
What will remain of nagging interest, however, is the thought of whether her Cabinet shuffle will truly be her first real test of true leadership!
Will the party’s political stalwarts really put her under the challenge for any oversight or neglect in moving her Cabinet Ministers around?
Opposition leader, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, is obviously keeping his distance.
His admission that the PM knows more than anyone else of what is going on must have a lot to do with his own personal experience when he was in power.
Whatever the reasons whether political or not, it does in some ways show a mark of respect for the PM’s unilateral move.
The naysayers are of course likely to snort at any claims of respect.
What they would rather believe is more on the opposition leader leading out enough rope for the current leadership to dangle on from their own doing.
Keep a shuffling eye on the horizon. All will be revealed or better still shuffled into view.