Abraham Lincoln said: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”. Power was given and we are witnessing the true character of people.

The nation is in a predicament and sad state of affairs. Our ruling political party is divided, which means the government is divided. The last two years have seen the focus move from what the people need to host a major international event

Now, when it is time to focus on the people, the government is divided. People enter politics to serve the country's people, not themselves. Sadly, the case seems to be the latter.

This was the year when the focus should have been on improving infrastructure, the hospitals, getting more doctors, nurses and teachers, and ensuring proper laws are in place such as the Land Titles Court Act, the Child Protection Act, the Information Act, Anti Corruption Act and the amendments to the Electoral Act.

But we have a situation where the ruling political party is at loggerheads among themselves. There is a cabinet minister who has been charged with serious crimes but is adamant about not stepping down, even in defiance of the party leader’s decision.

Minister for Agriculture La’auli Leuatea Schmidt has deliberately chosen a path where he will continue to hang on to power. He commands a lot of respect and is very popular among voters.

This showed when the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party held its caucus meeting on Tuesday night. A majority of the members of parliament threw their support behind La’auli and proposed a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa. How can a party that is not united lead a nation to prosperity?

It can also be gathered from the meeting that there is misinformation about the charges against Laauli. He is not charged for causing the death of the teenager in Vaitele-uta. His charges are to do with Sam Sua and making defamatory and false remarks against two police officers. These are charges and he is still innocent until the court says otherwise.

It is best to let the law take its course. Laauli can help the nation achieve this. This is the way how the FAST party came into power, through the rule of law. As a leader, Laauli can assure his supporters that he will follow the rule of law. The first thing he needs to do is step down from his ministerial position, he can remain a member of parliament. This is just good governance.

The court will decide on his guilt. Facebook and social media will not. As a responsible leader, Laauli must ensure that everyone including himself follows the law. Political instability will hamper the economy and impact the lives of people.

The FAST party needs to get its act together. PM Fiame needs to be a leader and do the right thing. The constitution backs her taking action against her ministers, and she should do so. It is her duty to do the right thing not because it is popular but because it is the right thing for the people of the country and the law.

Veteran journalist Mika Kelekolio in his predictions for 2025 said that public works like road maintenance will deteriorate, the cost of living will worsen, PM Fiame will resign before the end of the year and call a snap election and the FAST Government will disintegrate before the year is over.

Let us see which leader works for the good of the nation.