The constant instability has done nothing for progress and we keep falling into a bigger mess. Each time the nation thinks progress is made, someone comes along with his or her agenda and pulls everyone back into the whirlpool of political murkiness.

Most people are still scratching their heads about what happened in parliament on Tuesday. The parliament was suspended twice. Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) and the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) retired to discuss a few things, returned and then more time was given. This time all members return to the House on Thursday with something concrete in writing.

The thought in everyone’s head is will Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and La’auli Leuatea Schmidt get back to being buddies? There is no love lost between the two. Will Tuilaepa side with La’auli and allow him to become the prime minister of Samoa? Or will La’auli agree to vote Fiame out and have a general election?

Both men are trying to grab power. Tuilaepa, the Pacific’s longest-serving prime minister knows the true value of being in power and La’auli believes he is the true leader of Samoa. And while they are doing that, they have forgotten about Fiame Naomi Mataafa who is still the leader.

The parliament seems messy, and it's been messy for a while, at least from the outside looking in. But what's happening now is next-level political chaos. It seems that no-confidence votes are being thrown at the wall just to see what sticks.

At some point you have to ask, when is enough, enough? After the budget was announced last year, nothing significant was discussed in the House except the much-needed constitutional amendment allowing the Land and Titles Court cases to move forward. In the last year, all infrastructure development was about the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. There was so much focus on CHOGM that the needs of the people had been forgotten.

The elected officials have forgotten why they are there in the first place. Most are serving their needs and looking after their growth. Even with the district grants at their disposal to improve the lives of people, no differences are seen that suggest that the quality of life has improved. These are the people we have voted into power and power is what they crave.

They may say that they want the good of this nation but they forget that actions speak louder than words. And action is something the people have not seen from their elected leaders. As a letter writer said this could be an effect of having only matai contest the election who forget what serving people is about because as a matai, one expects to be served by those ranked below them and that is how voters are seen.

To stop this chaos we are seeing, the wisest thing would be to return to elections. All development will be stayed up until the election is over and the nation will be pushed further back rather than progressing forward. But it is what may be needed.

Watching parliament is like watching a reality TV game show just like Survivor which is filmed in the country. The politicians are the players constantly changing sides and waiting to vote someone out because they are seen as a threat.

As an elected official, MPs made promises of health, education, better quality of life, roads, water, electricity, and employment, among other things. The only promise we are seeing is the promise not to stop filing motions of no-confidence and being as disruptive as possible so the common people do not progress.

The vote of no confidence has been weaponised and used to great effect. As a vote of no confidence is about having, or not having, the majority of numbers in a governing body, it has become an increasingly disruptive tool.

It is very simple. If you cannot work together for the good of the nation and if your action keeps on creating chaos, have an election and let the people decide again. In the coming days, we may see Fiame heading straight to the Head of State and asking for a dissolution. There is a need to end this circus.