A much-needed step was taken by Aiono Dr Alec Ekeroma, who has tendered his resignation as a public servant contesting the elections, which comes into effect on 30 June 2025. Many other public servants are in the same boat but still holding on to their jobs. It is time to step down.

Like many other election hopefuls holding positions in public, Aiono also has political aspirations. He has chosen the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party to be a candidate for the A'ana Alofi No.2 constituency. However, unlike Aiono, the other public servants or people in state-owned enterprises have yet to resign. Hopefully, the step taken by Aiono will get the ball rolling, and all those in public office will start stepping down or set themselves up for exit before nominations are finalised.

The Office of the Electoral Commission has announced the official nomination days, which begin on 7 July and end on 12 July. The law requires public servants contesting elections to resign when nominations are finalised. There is no other law stating that candidates have to step down after declaring their intent to contest. However, the right thing to do is to resign from public office once the cat is out of the bag.

With Aiono resigning and contesting the election, there are several questions that remain about the state of public health. His taking up the position in 2022 was heralded as a possible new beginning for the public health system. It was expected that Aiono was bringing his expertise as a top medical practitioner and academic to the Ministry of Health. An audit has to be done to see how his leadership has changed the MOH for the better. Is the public health system better after Aiono was put in charge, or is it worse than when he took over?

Several key questions and issues remain, even with Aiono leaving, such as, the mammogram for the big hospital and other key equipment that needs to be brought in, the improvements to the ailing hospital building, a pay rise for nurses, the availability of cancer medication, the lack of specialists and the right number of staff to deliver an efficient health service. Maybe his intention to join politics is to make changes to the health system through political will, which he feels the previous government did not do. That is yet to be seen.

It is a democratic and constitutional right for a person to contest in an election, a little different in Samoa on who can contest, but it is a right. However, there is always a danger when public servants declare their intent to run and even choose the party they wish to stand for. This takes away the notion of neutrality from a public servant, which is a key requirement when serving the people of this land.

The Electoral Act states that once the nomination of a candidate who is a public servant or a government officer is accepted, he or she needs to resign immediately. The Office of the Electoral Commissioner has not made the call for nominations. It feels that by prematurely declaring candidacies, a year before general elections, there could be an abuse of public resources.

The Samoa Public Service Code of Conduct states, “The employees should act apolitically and serve the Government with impartiality, regardless of which party is in power and which party they personally support.”

Public servants serve the government of the day and successive governments, regardless of their political composition. Will public servants who declare their candidacy be able to do this? This means public servants must always act in a way that maintains the confidence of the current government and ensures the same relationship can be established with future governments. What if, after declaring your intent, your views do not align with the government’s?

It is never acceptable for a public servant acting in an official capacity to express their personal political views in a way that raises questions about their ability to perform their role in a politically neutral way. Expressing such views impacts the confidence of the public in the political neutrality of the public service. This also applies to those working for state-owned enterprises.

Some who have declared their intention to contest have already started visiting constituencies they intend to represent. The ‘service’ has already started. Some have started spending money as part of that service and the visits. It is hard to say that a public servant intending to contest may not use government resources to render this service.

Let us wait and see if any of the public servants who have declared their political aspirations do the morally correct thing and step down.