By Martha Taumata Faavae
Saturday morning came as a shock to a lot of people at the sudden passing of the Bureau of Statistics CEO Ali’imuamua Mrs. Malaefono Ta’aloga at her Moata’a-uta home in the early hours of the morning.
Among those shaken by the unexpected death is the MP for Vaimauga I Electoral Constituency, Lenata’i Victor Tamapua.
Ali’imuamua and her family were among his strong political supporters and key members of the Moata’a of the EFKS Church where both she and her husband are deacons.
“She is well respected for her leadership and unwavering support for the role of mothers in the village, her passing is a big loss for all of us but she was called by God,” MP Lenata’i mourned.
“Her advice, commitment and dedication to responsibilities in the church and the village were reflected in her duties as CEO and as MP I feel her loss deeply as one of my leading political supporters.”
Ali’imuamua was serving her second term as CEO for the Bureau at the time of her sudden death.
She was one of the longest serving staff of the Bureau where she started in 1987 after graduating from the University of the South Pacific with a Bachelor in Economics and Administration.
She went on to graduate from the Australian National University with a Masters in Demography.
She did spend 5 years as a research officer for the school of social and economic development with the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, before returning home where she was joined up again with the Bureau of Statistics.
For the next 20 years she continued in the service until her CEO appointment in 2018.
At the time of her untimely passing she and her staff were already working on the national population census.