It was a classically biting response.

But Finance Minister Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molioo’s remarks were more than just a  devastating comeback: they acknowledged an elephant in the room that says much about the challenges our incoming Government will face. 

The former Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, sought to belittle the current Government by suggesting it had sought help from New Zealand in drawing up its first budget.

Now to give the new opposition leader his due, his criticism, while venomous, did his job by identifying weak spots in the current Government and seeking to exploit them. Inexperience is an issue that hangs over the the Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) Government and its credibility on important affairs of state such as the preparation of the budget.

The party’s political experience is concentrated in the hands of one veteran M.P. The Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, is the only member of the F.A.S.T.’s Cabinet to have served a full-term in that decision making body before. 

That their M.P.s are drawn from outside of organised politics may or may not be a black mark against the Government’s name in the eyes of most voters, many of whom have grown cynical about the integrity of our governmental processes. 

But the fact remains that at a time such as the preparation of the nation’s budget, where the business of Government and knowledge of the system and its intricacies the Government is vulnerable to criticism about inexperience.

And in some ways it was refreshing to hear what amounted to a substantive line of attack from Tuilaepa rather than the rhetoric about the failed state and anti-judicial rhetoric coming out of the Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.) that is simply not landing punches.

But Tuilaepa, in his inimitable style, could not help but overreach. He accused the Government of having been humiliated and having had to rely upon the Government of New Zealand to prepare a national budget.

In fact Fiame had conversations with her New Zealand counterparts about finances in the context of achieving change through Government.

That he thought speaking to foreign Governments or experts in and of itself cast Tuilaepa’s psyche in a revealing light.

Finance Ministers around the world regularly meet in international forums to discuss issues relating to the global economy  and to share knowledge about common challenges affecting the global economy, such as COVID-19. 

That Tuilaepa considered such discussion as a form of humiliation was another reminder that he considers - or likes to nurture the image - as a man who is the repository of all knowledge. It’s prideful behaviour such as this that has prevented Tuilaepa from grooming a successor, in the belief that he and he alone can lead the party. In reality, there is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained from consulting with knowledgeable people from other backgrounds and perspectives. Everybody wins from the exchange of knowledge; to consider such a thing a “humiliation” reflects poorly on Tuilaepa’s character but also the limiting effect that arrogance can have on a person’s intellectual horizons.

Resenting the exaggerated mischaracterisation of the communication between the two Governments, Mulipola had the perfect comeback.

The Finance Minister said the only matter she would seek outside advice on would be about the potential conflict of interest that exists between the head of her Ministry, Leasiosiofa’asisina Oscar Malielegaoi, being Tuilaepa’s son. 

"The C.E.O. is preparing the budget and his father is the leader of the opposition who will be challenging the budget,” she said. 

“Where is the fine line in this father-son relationship? No disrespect to the C.E.O. who is currently my key advisor, but this is the reality we must all accept and find a solution to address this immediately.”

We make clear that we cast no aspersions over Leasiosio’s conduct or suggest anything about his loyalties other than that they are to the people of Samoa and no one else. To invert an old phrase, a son is not his father’s keeper nor should he be saddled with the reputation that comes with his birth.

But it is an unfortunate fact - and one seldom acknowledged during Tuilaepa’s time in power - that the blood relation carries with it certain implications for perceived conflicts of interest.

These must be managed just as well as any real conflicts in order to assure the Samoan people that the Ministry of Finance is discharging its duty without fear or favour.

The involvement of Tuilaepa’s family members in politics has up until now only been largely raised by international bodies.

The International Monetary Fund conducted a review of Samoa’s financial system in 2019 and found that the role of another of Tuilaepa’s relatives, son-in-law Fuimaono Afele Taimalelagi, as the nation’s Auditor General was problematic while also alluding to Leasiosio’s.

“The involvement of the Prime Minister in the appointment and removal process of the Controller and Auditor-General weakens [its] perceived independence," the report says.

At the time, Fuimaono noted that the report made no criticisms of him personally and had unfairly singled out Samoa. 

Again, we cast no aspersions about Fuimaono’s performance while in this essential job in which he has done good and necessary work. 

He is highly qualified for his position and in our dealings with him this newspaper has found him to be ramrod straight on all matters related to ethics in Government. 

But the simple fact remains that all decisions by these public servants are likely to be viewed through the lens of their connection to the current opposition leader.

Independence, both perceived and real, is essential to any management of public finances. And the uncomfortable truth is that Leasiosio’s family ties, however unfair it may be to single him out for them, do jeopardise this independence even if only on a perceived level.

This is especially so at a time when his father is acting not so much as an opposition leader but as a subversive voice, questioning the very legitimacy of the Government of the day and the entire judicial branch. On that point, Tuilaepa will face the judgement of the court on the very serious accusations of acting in contempt of court. 

But the case of Mulipola and Leasiosio is an extreme example of the difficulties of transition the incoming Government is facing across almost all Ministries. 

Ministers need to be able to rely on their public service departments to enact the vision which had them elected in the first place. They certainly do not need Ministry heads who can be accused of dragging their feet - or worse.

So far, Fiame’s Government has erred on the side of being trusting; they have assumed that Ministry heads will be virtuous and perform their duties to match the nation’s self-interest.

But by acknowledging an elephant in the room, Mulipola has foreshadowed that the apolitical business of Government has the potential to become anything but as it moves to implement its agenda.