The Steering Committee took a step towards a more transparent and accountable handling of the $1 million grant.

They accepted the legal opinion from Attorney General Su'a Hellene Wallwork on the advanced lease payment for the district of Lepa. According to the district council, they have done what was requested of them regarding amendments to their lease for the district council office.

But they had not received their money. It would seem that this amount would be given to the district in the new year given that the government offices will not open until 6 January. But it is good to see a step taken to resolve this long pending issue.

Lepa’s case is different. The lease payment for the period of 2021 - 2026 was advanced and did not comply with the conditions under the $200,000 establishment fund agreement. The establishment fund includes $130,000 to build a new office within the district, and the other $30,000 is allocated for operation costs, including lease costs. Instead, Lepa paid $96,000 in advance to cover this.

The remainder of the $96,000 will be released but further funding will be withheld until defects in the lease are fixed. The Ministry of Finance will write to the district council of Lepa about the next steps forward.

While one of the many issues has been ‘fixed’, other pending matters require the same approach. The missing $175,000 from Faʻasaleleaga No.2 is a big one. The AG has said there was misappropriation of funds meaning that the money was unlawfully taken. Where and who has the money remains a mystery.

The Steering Committee must make this issue public and involve the Samoa Police so people who have misappropriated the funds can be taken to task. An example needs to be set to send a message to those who abuse public funds and are corrupt.

There is no other way of doing it. Let us not hope it would come to a situation where the AG’s recommendation is interpreted differently and the people allegedly abused public funds are let off with a slap on the wrist.

The Steering Committee also needs to make the audited financials of the district council public and accessible. This is something we should learn from Australia which has recently created a portal to track all aid money given by them.

Let us go back to the calculation. $1 million per year for 51 constituencies amounts to $51 million in a financial year and over five years, it comes to $265 million or a little over a quarter of a billion. That is not a small sum of money.

What have some constituencies done with this money? In Faleata No.3 and a few other constituencies, they gave out vouchers to voters and it is up to them what they purchase. It could be a TV, a blender or some timber. If there is more than one voter in the household, multiply that number with the voucher amount.

If anyone thinks this was the best use of the funds, they are more than mistaken. Some district councils went out of their way and purchased hundreds of wheelbarrows, forks, spades, axes and some even grasscutters.

An audit should be done on how much of this equipment is still with the people and how this equipment changed their lives for the better. The reports from each of these district councils on how they used the public funds would give everyone an idea of how the money can be used for better things.

Just food for thought towards more transparency and accountability. Have a great weekend.