Samoa's new cabinet is revealed, with a notable name missing

Transcript

Samoa's first time MPs and re-elected politicians for the 16th Parliament have been sworn in, following the recent general election.

Our Samoa correspondent, Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia,  spoke with Leilani Momoisea about some of the notable inclusions and omissions of Samoa's new cabinet,

AUTAGAVAIA TIPI AUTAGAVAIA: Of course the outgoing minister of justice, and the newly elected deputy leader of the ruling HRPP party, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, is now the new minister of environment, and she is also the new Deputy Prime Minister. One other woman MP now in cabinet is the former director of broadcasting and journalist, Faimalotoa Kika Stowers, she is now the new minister for the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs. Also we a newly elected MPs in the new cabinet, a very young person, the son in law of the former Minister of Finance, who resigned in the last parliament. He is Afamasaga Rico Tupa'i, he is now the new Minister of Communications and Technology.

LEILANI MOMOISEA: Were there any MPs that looked like they'd been demoted following the elections?

ATA: One of the new cabinet ministers, is the former speaker of parliament, Laauli Polataivao Leuatea Schmidt, he is now the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. He's also responsible for the Samoa Scientific Research Centre, the SROS. But the former deputy leader of the ruling party and also the Deputy Prime Minister, Fonotoe Nuafesili Pierre Lauofo, is no longer in cabinet. And this proves a lot of speculations and rumours in the past parliament, and the outgoing government, that he was involved in a lot of disputes amongst several members of the ruling party.

LM: Just three MPs from the Opposition Tautua party. Has there been any mention of whether they will be allowed to be recognised as an official party?

ATA: Well in the speech by the Prime Minister elect, he said that next week he will announce the new 13 associate ministers. So this time the Prime Minister elect, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, will have one associate minister each, for each cabinet minister, including the Prime Minister himself. The other 19 MPs of the ruling party including the three opposition MPs that are members of the Tautua party, are going to play the role of opposing the government. He announced that in parliament. That means to me that the eight MPs for a political party to be recognised in parliament and also to be the opposition - the government is not considering to do that. The government is considering the three MPs of the Tautua to be independents  in parliament, and plus 19 other HRPP MPs, who will not be appointed as associate ministers, to play the role of opposing the government.