The Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa reassured public servants that their jobs were safe and secure at the outset of taking office as the new Government leader. Nothing to worry about!
But it rang hollow and cut throat when her Government axe started to drop on jobs everywhere in the service seemingly from the top down.
“Public servants remain while government changes….”, PM Fiame had assured at the start.
‘You are appointed for your skills and Government needs your expertise, our role as Government is in making policies based on your recommendations and support.”
Shortly afterwards she suspended the Attorney General Savalenoa Mareva Betham-Annandale and eventually terminated her services.
Her crime was cited by the PM as the lack of confidence in her service.
The Ministry of Women and Social Development Chief Executive Officer Afamasaga Mrs Fa’aiuga Mulitalo, was chucked out by the new Cabinet after she was supposed to have her service contract renewed.
Her unspoken crime was to co-ordinate a march on women’s rights to the Tiafau Malae in protest at shameful, insulting remarks by the FAST party Chairman about lining up the women at the Tiafau Malae for men to do as they please.
The Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Tiatia Graeme Tualaulelei, received marching orders from the new Speaker Papali’i Taeau Masepa’u just a few weeks after he took over.
Tiatia stepped on the new Government toes for following instructions from his superiors at the time to keep the doors of Parliament House locked.
The FAST elected leadership including the Speaker tried to enter the locked building, after they were sworn-in under a tent infront of Parliament House by the party’s hired lawyers who took over the constitutional role of the Head of State.
When the FAST axe dropped on the Ministry of Finance CEO, Leasiosio Oscar Malielegaoi, his crime was his father was the former Prime Minister and leader of the HRPP opposition party.
Leasiosio was told to either resign or have his contract terminated. He resigned.
“To be honest my choice to leave is on my own personal principles….” Leasiosio said at the time.
“To me personally when I enter the doors of the Ministry I am a public servant and that is the hat I wear in the service I do.
“Whatever Government is in place the advice I give is to the best of what I am capable of.
“When it is time to go home after work I leave my public servant hat in the office and take on my role in the family as a father or son.
“I love my father and that remains in my family relationship.
““I’m happy to have contributed to the development of Samoa in the many years I have served as a public servant since I first started in 2003 as an accounts officer for the Ministry.
“It’s a good feeling also to know that I tossed a stone in the building of our country with my many years of service.”
In the case of Attorney General Savalenoa her regret as her marching orders were being processed was the unprofessional manner the PM suspended and terminated her services.
““The professional way is to call me in and inform me officially of the concerns before handing me the letter,” she first reacted in disappointment at her suspension.
As CEOs chopped off the service started to litter the public sector it stirred a largely dormant Public Service Association (PSA) workers union back to life.
While the PSA was still trying to clear out the cobwebs of being away from the public limelight since the debilitating workers strike of 1981, the FAST Government swishing axe became strangely quiet.
As the PSA grinded slowly into gear by calling a members meeting, the swell of angry calls for another all out workers strike were becoming louder.
The Public Service International with its global membership of several million workers had already promised the local workers union their support.
The former Prime Minister and HRPP leader Tuilaepa Sailele began calling PM Fiame and her FAST administration hypocrites after making promises in a prayer meeting of working together with the public sector.
““But now they are following through with their campaign promises of sacking senior officials….that is hypocritical and not becoming of a new government.”
Tuilaepa’s broadside fell into the same void of silence from the Prime Minister as the PSA call for a tripartite sit down talks over the ‘heaving’ FAST Government axe on public servant jobs.
As the CEOs were being forced out of the service the new Government leadership contracted at the same time their own senior policy advisors to guide them along.
There were also reports of party supporters being slipped into the casual workforce.
PM Fiame has since demonstrated a natural knack to deflect to the Public Service Commission to handle the repeated attempts by the PSA for talks.
The point was reached where the year ended on a quiet but still uncertain note of what the future holds for public servants with the New Year starting up.