In a move aimed at enhancing the stature and responsibilities of the Speaker of the House, the Cabinet is considering the establishment of an official residence for the Speaker, akin to the accommodations provided for the Heads of the Executive and the Judiciary. 

The proposal, which reflects a commitment to equality among the three arms of government, was disclosed by La'auli Leuatea Schmidt, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and former Speaker of the House.

Calls made to La'auli on Saturday remained unanswered, however, he revealed the plans during an interview aired on his official Facebook page on Friday night. 

According to La'auli, the rationale behind the proposal emphasises the need for parity in the treatment of the three arms of government; parliament, judiciary, and executive. 

"The position of the Speaker of the House is of paramount importance and deserves to be accorded the same level of respect and recognition," La'auli emphasised. 

"$400,000 tala was given to renovate the official residence for the Chief Justice that was recently opened. You also need to look at the salaries for the heads of the three branches of government to know that they are not getting the same amount."

The 2023-2024 Budget shows that the Head of State Tuimaleali'ifano Va'aletoa Sualauvi II is the highest-paid official on the land with a base salary of $193,158 tala and allowances of $20,000 amounting to $213,158 per annum. 

The Head of the Executive branch who is also the Prime Minister is the second highest-paid official with a base salary of $187,639 tala and allowances of $15,000 which sums up to $202,639 tala per annum. 

The estimates show that $331,128 has been set aside for three members of the Council of Deputies, it does not say how much each of them receives but if the amount is to be divided equally, and currently, there's only one CoD, Le Mamea Ropati Mualia. Therefore, if divided by three, he is to receive a cash-based package of $110,376. 

The estimates show that Chief Justice Satiu Simativa Perese is paid more than Cabinet Ministers and the Deputy Prime Minister, making him the third highest-paid official. 

 With a base salary of $168,575 and allowances of $15,000, his total salary package is $183,575 per annum. 

The Deputy Prime Minister has a total salary package of $161,008, while a total of $1,649,670 is allocated for Cabinet Ministers. 

This newspaper understands that the estimates were approved before the reshuffling of the Cabinet and the addition of two Cabinet Ministers, which means if it was divided among eleven Cabinet Ministers, each would get a package of $149,970 tala. 

This means that the Speaker of the House gets the same salary as the Ministers of Cabinet. 

La'auli made the revelation in response to concerns raised by the Opposition Leader, Tuilaepa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi in questioning why the Speaker, Papali'i Li'o Ta'eu Masipau engaged an overseas counsel for his legal case instead of utilising the services of the Attorney General's Office. 

According to La'auli, there needs to be a legal consultant made available for the Speaker of the House as the Attorney General is an appointment made under the executive arm of government. 

"From experience during my time as the Speaker, I know there is a need for the Speaker to have his legal advisor or a lawyer that would act on his behalf and to offer legal opinions on different legislations and standing orders of parliament. 

"The three branches of government need to be separate from one another and the heads of each branch should be entitled to equal opportunities and resources for them to execute their duties."