The general elections are now four days away. It started with the vote against the budget on 27 May, and here we are. Just days away from voting in a new government.

How did we get to this point? Many will argue that it was the defeat of the national budget; however, the wheels were set in motion on 3 January 2025, when a certain cabinet minister was charged with criminal offences, and he refused to step down. Had Laaulialemlaietoa Leuatea Schmidt stepped down after being charged, we would not be here. He was advised to do the right thing, but he refused to let go of power.

This is the key point that started the chain of events which resulted in the snap election. Laaulialemlaietoa’s refusal led to Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa sacking him from his cabinet post. A decision that he did not take lightly. He then influenced his people in ministerial positions to question Fiame, which led to more ministers being sacked and eventually a split in the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi Party.

Once the party split, a grab for power was made. The Human Rights Protection Party failed once with the vote of no confidence, and then the FAST majority led by Laaulialemalietoa. However, both waited for the budget announcement, and as if working in synchronisation, both voted against the 2025/2026 national budget.

This led to a snap election, and what people are forgetting is the strain that has been put on government ministries. The dissolution of parliament triggered by the budget failure resulted in the national budget not being passed. This meant that all government ministries have only 25 per cent of what was allocated in the previous financial year. In simple words, not enough money to carry out the operations of the government. This also means that the new government that will come into place will race against time to announce the national budget.

This may not be a simple task because the incoming government will have to take into account the election promises that they have made. The current budgetary allocations are up until the end of September. Even this is now slowly impacting government ministries. The Ministry of Health has announced that it cannot pay overtime to its medical staff. The Ministry of Education said it cannot hold certain exams. Soon, more ministries will follow, and more services to the public will be affected. This is the impact of the reaction to the events that started on 3 January.

Once the election results are out, the onus is on the winning party to form a government as soon as possible and deliver a national budget that will ensure the smooth operations of the government. Failure to do this will result in the people of this nation suffering through undelivered services. The education and health services are already facing the brunt of the decision by politicians to try and grab onto power, as opposed to waiting for the general elections scheduled for April next year.

Absolute power absolutely corrupts, and this is what we saw when politicians used different excuses when they decided to vote the budget out and head to the polls earlier than scheduled. Now the onus is on the voters to choose a government that will be able to get things moving at the earliest possible time. Voters also have the responsibility of ensuring that they vote in people capable of serving this country and not themselves.

Have a blessed Sunday.