The Samoa National Provident Fund management and Board is yet to make a recommendation to Cabinet on whether the State entity should hold annual general meetings.

The Chief Executive Officer of the S.N.P.F. Pauli Prince Suhren, in response to questions from the Samoa Observer on Monday, said the management and Board are still looking at various aspects of the proposal as well as undertaking a review of the S.N.P.F. Act before they can make a recommendation to the Cabinet. 

"This is because S.N.P.F. is not a company," Pauli said. "Therefore we need to consider all aspects and make sure that it is in line with the S.N.P.F. Act before we can make a recommendation to Cabinet. 

"We need to review the Act and look at all the other issues before that."

The Minister of Finance, Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molio'o, had suggested in April this year for the 50-year-old Fund to revisit its legislation to consider holding annual general meetings. 

According to Mulipola, this is the only way for the voices of the Fund's members to be heard. The Minister's comments coincided with revelations that she was kept in the dark on the decision to give a portion of the dividends to pensioners and charitable organisations.

She said she wrote to Pauli and copied all of the Fund’s Board of Directors and Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa after she was advised they were preparing a Cabinet paper which would include information "only on the S.N.P.F. plans for the 50th Jubilee celebrations”.

"I had made some comments in a letter addressed to the C.E.O. National Provident Fund and copied to all Board Directors and the Honourable Prime Minister, related to this Cabinet paper when I received it," Mulipola said. 

"I felt it was my role as the Minister to have a say in this decision, given the marking of 50 years was of national interest, our S.N.P.F. has come a long way and it made sense for the Minister and Cabinet to at least have this conversation."

However, the Cabinet paper was later presented to the Minister, who indicated that she was advised "it was the final version" and included the decision of the Board of Directors.

"This included the Board’s decision on the percentage of the dividend to be paid out, the additional $50 for pensioners and the assistance for charitable organisations."