Olo Fiti Vaai, has temporarily suspended all Boards of Directors for Government organisations in his portfolio from holding regular monthly meetings as part of the transition to a new Government. 

The Minister of Works Transport and Infrastructure across the board instruction was confirmed by Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa during a press conference this week. 

Fiame said the Minister of Works had made it known about his decision to put on hold all Board meetings of organisations for which he is responsible for temporarily. 

“The Minister disclosed this on the basis that with the new administration although there are Boards, their work is based on policies from the Government of the day from time to time,” she said. 

“The Minister feels that because there is a new administration he does not want [Boards] to make major decisions [on projects] that he is not aware of. Secondly it is to ensure that the programmes are appropriate with plans of the new Government.” 

Attempts to obtain a comment from the Minister of Works, Olo Fiti Vaai have been unsuccessful. 

But currently there are eight major Government entities that Olo is responsible for not including the Civil Aviation and Planning and Urban Management Agency.

Those entities include; Electric Power Corporation, M.W.T.I, Samoa Water Authority, Land Transport Authority, Samoa Ports Authority, Samoa Shipping Services, Samoa Shipping Corporation and Samoa Airport Authority.   

There are five members sitting on each Board of Directors not including the Chief Executive Officer from the ministries that also sits on the panel meetings. 

The Ministry of Works portfolio is one of the key sectors where multimillion tala infrastructural and development projects come under. 

In the Fa’atuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) party manifesto it outlined several main frameworks that the party promised to focus on. 

Part of that is to develop a 75 year long term plan to incorporate all long term infrastructure developments for Samoa. 

The new administration in that document promised to prepare a plan for development of Mulifanua as the western city of Upolu complimenting Apia. 

The party also promised to terminate the Vaiusu wharf project, upgrade Asau and Salelologa wharves and review the fate of Satitoa wharf.