Minister of Works, Transport, and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Va’ai, always wanted the public to know that he is a leader, not a follower. That’s why he doesn’t seek approval from the Cabinet or the Prime Minister before making decisions.

A couple of weeks ago, he found another issue that only our Prime Minister should have commented on because they affected international relations, and she is the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs. Thanks to our ‘untruthful Speaker of Parliament and Minister of Justice’ for bypassing security screening when travelling to New Zealand for the FAST Political Party fundraising. When ‘detained’ at Auckland’s International Airport on arrival, they told the New Zealand authorities they had undergone everything.

Two honest International Monetary Fund staff who were with them at the Air New Zealand VIP Lounge told a different story. THEY TOLD THE TRUTH!

Now, Minister ‘Olo Va’ai has latched on to their untruthfulness and swung it around like a Samurai sword at those who exposed it particularly, Air New Zealand’s local General Manager, for commenting to this newspaper about the incident. He has even threatened the airline about what action he might take if they are not careful. Furthermore, he has called on Air New Zealand to apologise to the Speaker and the Minister of Justice. What for? For not stopping the Samoa Observer and the public from knowing about it?

As someone who worked for Samoa’s Airport Authority in the past, the Minister should understand why airline passengers are compelled to undergo security screening that started even before the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Up to then, world airlines were becoming worried about the increase in the number of hijackings and suicide bombings on flights, and something had to be done to protect passengers. Nowadays. drug smuggling has been added to the risks list and that’s why all passengers must undergo security screening before they board their flights.

So, why should Air New Zealand exempt our Speaker and Minister of Justice who were travelling from outside of their country? They do not exempt their ministers from travelling domestically as happened in July 2015 to Gerry Brownlee, their Minister for Transport.  He was issued with a fine of $2000 for bypassing security screening on a flight from Christchurch to Wellington.

‘Olo should know that in New Zealand, no one is above the law. No one! Simply put, regardless of one’s social or political status, when travelling to New Zealand or any other country for that matter, one must abide not only by our laws but the security laws of the country we’re travelling to. If our oversight of aviation laws is lapsing, those countries have the right to decline our entry.

Threatening Air New Zealand by banning them from landing in Samoa will not hurt them financially. Their most profitable routes are Auckland to Rarotonga, Papeete, LA, London, Canada and some Asian countries as well as the Trans-Tasman despite the competition in the latter being pretty tough. The only people he will hurt will be our people who patronise Air New Zealand, and our tourist industry.

On the other hand, it may be a good thing if ‘Olo goes ahead with his threat and ban Air New Zealand from Samoa. We will then have a government for the first time because our ministers will stop travelling and our Prime Minister will return to reside in Samoa and not on Air New Zealand. That is apart from saving our country millions of tālā.

Nevertheless, to make sure that everyone knows he’s serious, he is now saying that our international airport is his. “It’s my Airport”. It is Fale-o-Olo International Airport, and he has the authority to decide which airline can land there, legally or otherwise as he did with the Pago Wings flight from Pago Pago to Samoa last June.

Interestingly, his airport management is also starting to flex their fat muscles by banning staff of the Samoa Observer from entering and taking photographs at the terminal saying it’s for the security and safety of passengers. Why the Samoa Observer only and not all other media and members of the public sounds rather simple-minded. People take photos at the airport terminal all the time and sometimes, they are a risk to the elderly and incapacitated travellers trying to get through.

Last week, the General Manager harangued the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by implication the Prime Minister who is also Minister of Foreign Affairs for doing their job by escorting a Japanese Diplomat and following Air New Zealand’s policy for the use of their VIP Lounge. According to the airline’s Head of the Pacific Islands, Brent Roxburgh, it can be used only by “people who have been approved in advance, on the condition they have been screened in the main terminal before departure.”  

The guy even blasted Air New Zealand’s local manager by email, warning her to “tread carefully” and ‘[w]atch out before someone gets burned”. Very macho, isn’t it? This guy should heed his own advice and tread carefully before he gets burned. Air New Zealand can easily put him on their ‘no-fly’ list and he will have difficulty travelling to New Zealand.