When the roof

Politics

leaks ...

... fix it. But , some instances, that is easier said than done

By David North

Got a leak in the room? Hire someone to fix it. But a simple task like this can grow more complicated when: * The roof is over the Fono, American Samoa’s legislature; * The procurement process is, usually, handled by the Governor’s people; * The Speaker of the Fono’s House of Representatives and the Governor feud constantly; and * The leak in the roof provides an eco nomic opportunity (some would say a windfall) for one of the Speaker’s allies in the Fono.

The Fono has had a leaky roof for some time but, given the efficiency of the American Samoa Government, it continues to rain in on the legislators (faipules) and their multitudinous staff members. No one disputes the need to fix the roof, though there are those who suggest that maybe the leaky roofs of some schools should have priority because they have been leaking longer.

The problem comes down to the question of whose wooden shakes should be used to fix the roof those purchased through the normal procure ment channels (i.e. the Governor’s way) or those bought from a favoured vendor (the Speaker’s way).

It has also been pointed out the Governor’s set of shakes costs about $66,000 and an otherwise similar set of shakes bought by the Fono costs

$Bb,Ooo.

The principle players are: * Governor A.R Lutali, one of the griz zled veterans of ASG politics; * Speaker of the House, Savali Talavou Ale, a non-ally of Lutali; and * Member of the House of Representatives, Charlie Tautolo, an ally of the Speaker.

Tautolo was also a member of a fac tion of the House that pulled together a slim margin to elect Ale the Speaker.

Following the selection of the Speaker, Tautolo became Chairman of the House Ways and Means (i.e. Finance) Committee.

Further,Tautolo is a financial principal of Kent Samoa International, a firm that, among other things, imports building materials.

While the question of cause and effect is debatable, it is clear, following the November election of the members of the House, that; a) Tautolo helped Ale become Speaker; b) Tautolo became Ways and Means Chair; and c) the Fono used emergency measures to buy the

needed shakes from Kent.

Meanwhile, the procurement people in the Governor’s part of ASG went ahead and bought a shipment of shakes, too. So whose shakes should be used?

So far the score is this: the Governor is largely ahead on points for associating with the less expensive shakes and the regular procurement system.

The Speaker has been getting some bad press but his ally’s shakes are the ones being used in the repair job.

The taxpayers, of course, are losing because they now have two sets of shakes, each apparently large enough to finish the job. And local politicians, gen erally, have lost because, as a group, they have looked foolish throughout the

escapade.

Perhaps the only winner is the Samoa News which has been running dozens of inches of front-page copy on the bat tle for weeks.

Tempers flared on a number of relat ed issues, as well.

For instance, when a ranking senator, Tuana’itau Tuia, Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, wrote to the Speaker asking for information on the shakes, he got a long lecture from the Speaker on etiquette.

According to Ale, “a fundamental pro tocol of the Fono on a request such as yours requires that the request be made through the Office of the President of the Senate. This code of practice has been strictly adhered to, as far back as memory recalls. Accordingly, I am com pelled to first discuss the substance of the request with the President of the Senate and not establish a new prece dence.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works (part of the Governor’s domain) slapped a fine of $3OOO on the Fono (from which it secures its appropria tions) for failing to obtain a building per mit.

The utility of taking $5OOO from one segment of the near-bankrupt ASG and sending it to another was not immedi ately clear, though chances are excellent the fine will not be paid.

At still another point in the long drawn out proceedings, the Governor decided to use both sets of shakes on the grounds that he had been assured by the Speaker both sets would be needed to finish the job. When this turned out not to be the case one set of shakes apparently is sufficient the Governor rescinded his decision and announced to the press: “The Speaker lied to me.”

In the meantime, there is a large sup ply of roofing material which probably can be bought, FOB Pago Pago, for a rea sonable price. ■