06 February 2019, Apia Samoa. Members of Parliament who do not hold Ministerial or Associate Minister positions in the Human Rights Protection Party should take up the role of the opposition.
This is according to former Speaker and Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao during his press conference on Monday afternoon.
Laauli was responding to senior reporter Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia who had put to the Gagaifomauga MP that the right of an MP to voice objections towards any laws brought before Parliament seem to be impacted by party rules.
Laauli said that if they are being called the opposition then that is how it is done.
“The Government have already appointed Ministers as well as Associate Ministers and not all MPs for HRPP are Ministers – so we have moved on the other side and therefore that is our duty and we were just doing our duty,” he said.
Laauli explained that these times are not like the past where there was an opposition to provide healthy debate of the issues adding that his priority as an MP is to stand for those who voted him in.
“Mai lena vaitaimi sa iai vaega fa’aupufai i le maota, sa iai ā le tulaga o le aputiputi o le malo i le lua vae tolu, latou te pasiaina le tulafono.”
“Lea lā ua matou se’e uma mai i le pito lenã, ia, o lo’u tiute lenā sa faatino.”
“A ou vaai atu la i le mea e a’afia ai lo;’u itumalo o le aiā tatau ma le saogalemu ae a’afia ou te le nofonofo ou te tu muamua i tagata na aumaia au.
“O le matua alofa e tatau ona fautua atu ma avatu le fautuaga e sili ona talafeagai, ae o le matua e nofonofo ma le matua e lē ona le mea, e tatau a ona fasioti e le popole a alu atu a le Malo ua masofa ua masofa.”
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