Last week, FAST’s fundraisers were on ice. I have no doubt that they enjoyed the experience. For some it’s probably their first. Others may now be considering not coming back. (If you’re a legislator facing criminal charges but was granted permission by the court to leave the country to seek medical treatment in New Zealand only, but instead travelled to the United States with members of your Party, this is your chance to avoid becoming a felon when the Supreme Court brings down its decision.)

Yep, last week, they were in Alaska and that state’s weather forecast was heavy snowfall for at least 10 days with temperatures ranging between -16ºC and -9ºC. Piled up snow can turn into ice very quickly turning the landscape into a white-out. Alaska is in the most northern part of the northern hemisphere that does not see daylight for six months during winter. That suits politicians who make illegal, costly and unconstitutional decisions or squander away millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money while keeping them in the dark.

Right now, our country is leaderless. As the Leader of the Opposition said, how could we run a country with just four ministers left behind while most of the Cabinet are frolicking around overseas purportedly fund-raising for their Party? Moreover, how much of the costs is shouldered by taxpayers?

New Zealand, Australia and other donor countries’ taxpayers should also start questioning their governments about how much of their hard-earned tax given to Samoa as development aid is being used by the FAST Government ministers to frolic around the world.   

During the CHOGM meeting, the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Ms Patricia Scotland called on our people to keep Prime Minister Fiamē: “Hold on to her! Because everyone wants to steal her. I would check their [CHOGM Delegates] luggage while they leave because you might find she’s been secreted in someone’s trunk.” (Sunday Observer 27/10/2024).

Well, most people who are struggling with our high cost of living, power outages that is destroying equipment and disrupting businesses as well as health services will probably say: “Please do take her. We will even give you a couple of extra-large suitcases to put some of her ministers in there with her as well.”

Honestly, even if we wanted our Prime Minister to be with us here most of the time, we can’t. Her senior ministers are pushing her to travel as much as she can so they can make decisions without first going through Cabinet lá the Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, ‘Olo Fiti Va’ai flying in an empty Fijian Airways Boeing 737 Max 8 to sit at the new $25m the regional terminal at Faleolo Airport during CHOGM. Now, with heavy rain, that place looks more like a birdbath.

As taxpayers, there is little we can do to change things right now. Except to quietly pray perhaps.

During the Tupuola Efi (now Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese) government in the early nineteen-eighties, when our people were facing a similar struggle and the public servants went on strike, I had this little prayer in the Observer titled ‘A Prayer for the Nation’:

“Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name

Help this country from this government

Our people are crying rage

Suffer they are from economic pain

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Corruption is rife; crimes are rising

To our people’s cry of destitute

Our leaders are deafened

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses

No more pain please; rain down some sense

On our leaders to think, not of votes but

The welfare of the masses

As we forgive those who trespass against us

We do believe forgiveness is divine

But when leaders squander our country’s wealth

We ask that forgiveness be withheld

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

Governments lead by those full of pride

Will soon fall because

Their behaviour is no longer civil

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory

From history, we know what callous, heartless leaders

Did to their countries with little worry

Like Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Idi

Amin