A Cabinet reshuffle in a parliamentary democracy such as ours is a powerful tool at the disposal of the Prime Minister. A reshuffle enables a sitting Prime Minister to not only appoint the most qualified MP to a ministerial portfolio, who can deliver for the administration and the nation but also keep Cabinet Ministers in check for non-performance, or conduct that brings the office and the government into disrepute.

In summary, a Cabinet reshuffle is like a public office accountability mechanism, which gives a sitting Prime Minister the power to ensure his or her Cabinet Ministers get to deliver on the administration’s policies while conducting themselves professionally in manners befitting of their public offices at all times.

Against that backdrop, let us discuss the big picture issues connected to the Cabinet reshuffle that Prime Minister, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa announced on Wednesday afternoon, in a hastily called press conference. The announcement of the addition of two new Cabinet Ministers, Lautimuia Uelese Va'ai (Finance) and Laumatiamanu Ringo Purcell (Sports and Recreation) came out of the blue.

An article (Cabinet appoints two new ministers) reported on the decision by the Cabinet – not the Prime Minister – to elevate Lautimuia and Laumatiamanu to ministerial positions.

Fiamē said the decision to increase the size of the Cabinet from 13 to 15 was made after the Cabinet met and discussed new priorities and developments that they were keen on putting in place as the Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) administration entered the second half of their five-years in office.

"A reshuffling of the Cabinet was determined at the Cabinet meeting today of the Cabinet members that are currently present of which there are 13 of us,” said Fiamē. “I also wish to advise that we have two additional members to the Cabinet.

"The Constitution provides for a Cabinet of 15, so the addition of two ministers as determined today (Wednesday) will fulfil that provision."

Following the Cabinet reshuffle, the Prime Minister now takes over the tourism portfolio while Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster remains the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, but also takes on government land holdings (which include the Land Board, Samoa Land Corporation, and Samoa Trust Estate Corporation). Leota Laki Lamositele, who was previously the Minister for Women, Community and Social Development is now the Minister for Commerce, Industry and Labour and former finance minister, Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molio'o is the new Minister of Women, Community and Social Development. Leatinu'u Wayne So'oialo will continue as the Minister for Public Enterprise, though the Seasonal Employment Unit which was previously under him at MCIL has now been moved to the new Minister for Finance, Lautimuia.

Fiamē justified the need for a Cabinet reshuffle and pointed to her administration’s new priorities and developments. As the sitting Prime Minister, it is great that she finally invoked those powers after over two years in office, and should have confidence going forward in terms of her ability to keep her Cabinet Ministers’ performance in check.

Her and the Cabinet’s decision to move Mulipola out of finance into the women, community and social development portfolio is an interesting one. Looking at data coming out from financial institutions like the Central Bank of Samoa (CBS), the rebuilding of Samoa’s economy is on track with consistently high visitor numbers and an increasing inflow of remittances. So you have to ask whether the controversy over her presence at the launching of three Hong Kong-based companies in April this year had anything to do with her removal as the Minister for Finance.

The shifting of responsibility for Samoa’s economically important Labour Mobility Unit, the Government secretariat responsible for Samoa’s seasonal worker schemes, to the new Minister for Finance at such a crucial time is also a concern. This is the third time the Seasonal Employment Unit was moved after it came previously under the remit of the Minister for Commerce, Industry and Labour and prior to that the Ministry of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Leadership stability is vital for such an economically important Government secretariat, which is also responsible for the welfare of thousands of Samoan seasonal workers currently working abroad, whose remittances to families back home are also keeping the Samoan local economy afloat.

Now that the Prime Minister has signed off on her first Cabinet reshuffle, we believe she has unfinished business pertaining to two other Ministers within her Cabinet, whose offices and staff were entangled in the Kite Runner saga this year. They too need to be taken to task, but after the Legislative Assembly debates the ministerial statement that Fiamē delivered in June this year. At that time, she expressed disappointment at how the local authorities handled the unauthorised entry of an American Samoa vessel.

Or the Cabinet Minister, whose children had exclusive tour guide rights for a visiting Chinese delegation, with its Hong Kong-based tour organiser later revealing it had a long-standing relationship with the Minister going back to 2012.  The delay of a ferry in Savai'i in June this year by the same Chinese delegation and local MPs, which kept paying members of the public waiting for over three hours, to this day also remains a blemish on the record of this administration. 

With Fiamē making her first Cabinet reshuffle, there is a public expectation for her to continue to exercise that discretion as Prime Minister. At the end of the day, with power comes responsibility, and if the integrity of public officials and the offices they represent is at stake, it is incumbent on the head of Government to act accordingly. The people expect it.