Opposition Leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi described Thursday's intense parliamentary session as "very exciting" and "educational" for the younger generation. 

In a candid discussion following a day filled with political exchanges, the leader of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) and former Prime Minister, Tuilaepa emphasised that the events unfolding in Samoa's political landscape should serve as a valuable learning experience for future politicians.

"These are interesting times for Samoa's politics. What is happening now should be a lesson for the politicians of tomorrow," Tuilaepa said. "It must never be repeated."

The session saw heated confrontations between members of the Fā'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party, the same party that elected Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa. 

Tuilaepa expressed regret over the events revealing that he "felt sorry" for the Prime Minister as she was verbally attacked from multiple sides by members of her party.

"Who wouldn't feel sorry for her?" Tuilaepa remarked. 

"She just sat there while members of the FAST party and her former cabinet ministers turned on her. As I mentioned in parliament today, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa is not just the Prime Minister for the FAST party; she is the Prime Minister of Samoa. We must all respect her. Despite her flaws, we are all human and make mistakes."

Tuilaepa claimed he had previously advised Fiame to rein in her cabinet ministers, warning her about the potential consequences of allowing her team to go unchecked.

"We saw what happened today. These former cabinet ministers pointed fingers at her and blamed her for everything," he said.

Despite his disappointment over the events in parliament, Tuilaepa stressed the importance of transparency in the proceedings, saying that the country needed to witness these developments firsthand.

"It’s important for the country to see and hear what has been happening. Everything that's unfolding now should be documented, so that we can learn from it and ensure that such actions never happen again," he said.

When asked by the Samoa Observer to summarise Thursday's session in one word, Tuilaepa responded, "Very exciting and educational for people like you."

He added that the day’s exchanges reaffirmed concerns he had raised earlier regarding former cabinet ministers’ involvement in some controversial decisions made under the previous administration. 

Tuilaepa pointed out that some of the members who spoke in parliament against Fiame had been part of the cabinet when the controversial deals were made but had only raised issues after being dismissed from their positions.

"The content of their speeches today confirmed many of the issues reported by the Samoa Observer newspaper," Tuilaepa said. 

"These former cabinet ministers who now blame the Prime Minister were sitting in the same cabinet with her. Why didn't they speak out when they were in power? Does that mean they were just sitting there, not doing anything or raising the concerns they are now voicing?"

He further criticised the former ministers for raising issues they had kept silent about while in office. He pointed to specific allegations against the Prime Minister, including accusations that she had hidden critical matters from the public.

"Some members spoke about issues the Prime Minister supposedly remained silent on, suggesting she concealed these matters. But the truth is, Fiame was not involved in some of these controversial actions," Tuilaepa clarified. 

"For instance, Fiame wasn't in Hong Kong signing the deals with the three stock exchange companies. She didn’t promise land for agricultural development to American Samoa and in fact, she was kept in the dark about those deals. Fiame also had no involvement with the private boat from American Samoa that unlawfully entered Samoa."

Tuilaepa added that many of these claims had been previously dismissed as "fake news" by the FAST party.

As for his role in the ongoing motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister, Tuilaepa explained that he refrained from intervening during the debate, believing it was vital for the public to hear the truth about what had been transpiring behind closed doors in the cabinet.

"These issues were revealed by the members themselves. I just let them speak."

"It was sad to witness the verbal onslaught against the Prime Minister. She just sat there while it all unfolded. But I had warned Fiame about this kind of behaviour and that's my advice to her — not to let her cabinet ministers run free without discipline."