After days of silence, a response finally emerged regarding allegations of a security breach at Samoa’s newly constructed $11 million tala VIP terminal.  

Speaker of the House, Papali’i Lio Masipau, released a statement responding to allegations of bypassing security screening before boarding a flight alongside Minister of Justice Matamua Seumanu Pulufana and two other passengers.  

In his statement, he directs much of his attention toward the Samoa Observer, even heading his response with the title: "False Statement Published by the Samoa Observer."  

While the Speaker’s attempt is appreciated, we can’t help but notice the statement is more focused on defending the use of the word “detained” rather than addressing the heart of the matter—the alleged security breach itself.  

If that single word is the basis of the Speaker’s argument, one might wonder if the Legislative Assembly would be better served investing in a dictionary rather than sidestepping the core issue.  

After all, if "detained" feels too harsh for the Speaker's taste, perhaps "gently held up" or "politely asked a question or two" would be more to his liking.  

But since the Speaker generously offered the public some wisdom in his statement with the phrase “strike the iron while it’s hot,” it seems only fitting to take his advice and address what he conveniently left out:  

Mr. Speaker, did you undergo the required security screening before boarding flight NZ993 to Auckland on 28 November 2024?  

And since the authorities responsible for aviation have not answered our calls and emails either, we ask the Speaker to kindly relay these questions to Olo Fiti Vaai and Tumanuvao Evile Falefatu:  

Have you provided any evidence to confirm that the Speaker, the Minister of Justice, and the two other passengers followed the proper security screening procedures before boarding flight NZ993?  

Without answers to these questions, the Speaker’s statement falls woefully short, risking being seen as an empty exercise in deflection.  

Given this, and with his integrity and that of his office now under scrutiny, the Speaker has the perfect opportunity to prove otherwise by addressing the questions the public has been waiting for.  

The Speaker, along with the Samoa Airport Authority (SAA), the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure (MWTI), and all those involved, also owe an explanation to Air New Zealand for the apparent lack of respect shown during this ordeal.  

The Samoa Observer confirmed that an email from the airline requesting proof of security screening for the flight was never answered. With 247 lives onboard, not a single individual involved had the decency to respond.  

What’s more, correspondence verified by the Samoa Observer reveals that the Speaker and Minister were implicated by the two other passengers, who acknowledged the seriousness of the breach.  

“It would appear the Speaker of the House and the Minister of Justice were not truthful,” states the correspondence.  

And in an ironic twist, those passengers were two foreign representatives from the International Monetary Fund—here, no less, to work with the Samoa government.  

So, for the sake of not just the public’s right to know but also to spare us all from national embarrassment, please answer the question.