As predicted in this column at the beginning of the year, road, power, and other infrastructure would deteriorate; the cost of living would continue to skyrocket; the FAST Government would disintegrate, and Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi would resign before the year ended and call a snap election.

These have all happened now, except for the snap election. (Yet, we are only halfway through the year!)

What I experienced weeks later, after those predictions, was a lot of abuse, some from people I don’t even know. Others were from simpleton-minded people who asked: “Who does he think he is, God? Nostradamus? Is he an intern at the Samoa Observer?” As I always do when faced with a threat, I responded by saying nothing by simply smiling and walking away. Many journalist friends in New Zealand and Australia do the same.

Predicting the collapse of the Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) was not difficult. The behaviour of the FAST leader and then Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and other ministers in ignoring Cabinet procedures by making decisions that affected all Samoans and our country’s assets by themselves without Cabinet approval showed how little respect they had for Prime Minister Fiamē. I’ve also been informed that he occasionally stormed out of Cabinet meetings when the Prime Minister did not assent to any of his proposals or views. It must have been intimidating for her. That she put up with it for 4 years surprised this and many overseas political observers.

Prime Minister Fiame herself was also to blame for not immediately taking decisive action against ministers who showed defiant, bullying behaviour towards her. She should have also followed her own advice of adhering to the Rule of Law, by requiring major decisions made by some of her ministers, such as the sale of 400 acres of Togitogina Farmland to the Government of American Samoa, the cryptocurrency agreement with Chinese investors, and the establishment of direct flights from China to be submitted to Cabinet for approval. Regarding these, section 37(4) of the Constitution is quite clear: “It shall be the duty of the Prime Minister, if the Head of State so requires, to submit for the consideration of Cabinet any matter on which a decision has been taken by a Minister (including the Prime Minister) but which has not been considered by Cabinet.” She didn’t have to wait to be requested by the Head of State to do it.

It was apparent, hence, that the dysfunctional situation the government and Prime Minister Fiamē Cabinet were in would not make her government last.

For the rest of the predictions, we know what happened to the power, the condition of many of our roads is poor, and the unaffordable cost of basic groceries affects many of our struggling families, including locally produced agricultural and fishery products. This trend has been ongoing since the FAST government took office.

What will happen now that parliament has been dissolved? We will likely have elections in September. And if the FAST Party does not get back into power, the next government will have a lot of cleaning up to do. Like what you might ask?

To start with, the country is in a severe financial crisis. The first thing the government should do is open the books and show the country what has been happening with their finance in the last four years, how it was spent, and by which ministers. Were they spent on legitimate government business or the ministers’ personal affairs?

Secondly, conduct an official or forensic audit of how much of the money allocated to districts for the $1 million Project was spent appropriately, and how much was wasted through embezzlement by the constituents’ Members of Parliament and other committee members. This should include group trips paid for by the government, like the one that went to Australia to learn how to make and operate wild boar traps. (Interestingly, many Australian as well as some New Zealand farmers use 1080 pellets to poison them, which saves a lot of money and time.)

Better still, request the New Zealand Government to second some of its Serious Fraud Office (SFO) staff - they’re lawyers and forensic accountants - to conduct investigations of possible fraud by some of our politicians. They will quickly unearth all those decisions made, motivated by personal financial gain, as they are doing in New Zealand, charging those involved. Our Audit Office has established and maintained a connection with the SFO since 2019, and they will work together. (The Leader of FAST asked for this to be carried out in the last four years against the previous government, so they should have nothing to fear.)

The novelty of the FAST Government $1m. for Districts Project has worn off for many struggling voters who did not benefit from it, as most of the money was siphoned into the pockets of greedy MPs, district leaders, businesses, and churches.

Lastly, the next government must have a feeling for the people. Not just a hunger for power. Remove the 15% Value Added Goods and Services Tax (VAGST) from basic grocery items as well as meats and dairy products, making them VAGST-free so our struggling families can afford them, but increase the tariff and VAGST on luxury items and motor vehicles. We have far too many cars congesting our roads, resulting in an excessive number of accidents, some of which are fatal.

Many of my generation do not want to remember what happened in the early 1980s when our people were poverty-stricken, while businesses and some politicians only cared about enriching themselves. In a few years, today's generation will feel the same way once our country, economy, and politics return to normal.