Laʻauli Leuatea Polataivao

Susuga Laʻaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt[2][3] is a Samoan politician, businessman, Cabinet Minister, and former speaker and deputy speaker of the Samoan Parliament.[4] He is the Member of Parliament for the Gagaʻifomauga No. 3 constituency and is the founder and chairman of the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party.[5][6]

The Honourable Susuga
Laʻauli Leuatea Polataivao
La'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt in 2020
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Scientific Research
Assumed office
24 May 2021[lower-alpha 1]
Prime MinisterFiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
Preceded byLopao'o Natanielu Mua
In office
19 March 2016 – 22 August 2017
Prime MinisterTuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi
Preceded byLe Mamea Ropati[lower-alpha 2]
Succeeded byLopao'o Natanielu Mua
Deputy Leader of Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi
Assumed office
9 March 2021
LeaderFiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
Preceded byOlo Fiti Vaai
Other offices held
Leader of Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi
In office
30 July 2020 – 9 March 2021
DeputyOlo Fiti Vaai[1]
Preceded byPosition Established
Succeeded byFiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa
In office
18 March 2011 – 16 March 2016
Preceded byTolofuaivalelei Falemoe Lei’ataua
Succeeded byToleafoa Faafisi
Member of the Samoan Parliament
for Gagaʻifomauga No. 3
Assumed office
31 March 2006
Preceded byVagana Peleiʻupu Tamate
Personal details
Born
Leuatea Polataivao Fosi Schmidt
Political partyFaʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (since 2020)
Other political
affiliations		Human Rights Protection Party (until 2020)

Early life and political career

Schmidt is the son of former Government Minister and founding member of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) Polataivao Fosi Schmidt.[7] He was first elected to the Fono as a candidate for the HRPP in the March 2006 elections. From 2006 to 2011 he served as Deputy Speaker. He was re-elected at the 2011 election and served as Speaker from 2011 to 2016.[8] He was again re-elected at the 2016 election and appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Scientific Research.[9] He subsequently served as acting Prime Minister.

In August 2017, Schmidt resigned as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and remained Member of Parliament as he had a lengthy legal battle with HRPP MP Peseta Vaifou Tevaga.[10] He was subsequently charged with more than a hundred counts of forgery and theft.[11] He was acquitted of all charges in June 2020.[12]

Departure from HRPP and by-election

In May 2020 he was sacked from the HRPP by Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi after voting against proposed constitutional amendments.[13] He subsequently announced he had resigned from the HRPP and that he would be forming a new political party to contest the 2021 election.[14][15]

On 30 June 2020, the Parliamentary Privileges and Ethics Committee found that Schmidt had misled Parliament over the disputed price of a generator during a debate and recommended that he be suspended from Parliament for three months without pay.[16][17] Schmidt apologised to the House and verbally resigned his seat.[18] After some initial doubt, the verbal resignation was deemed to be effective, and a by-election was called.

On 30 July Schmidt registered the Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) Party to contest in the 2021 Elections.[19] He ran as a candidate for the party in the 2020 Gagaifomauga No. 3 byelection[20] and was successfully re-elected.[21][22][23]

Government

Schmidt was re-elected in the 2021 Samoan general election. On 24 May 2021 he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries in the elected cabinet of Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa.[24] The appointment was disputed by the caretaker government. On 23 July 2021 the Court of Appeal ruled that the swearing-in ceremony was constitutional and binding, and that FAST had been the government since 24 May.[25][26][27]

Notes
  1. Disputed: 24 May 2021 – 23 July 2021
  2. As Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries

References
  1. "Samoa's former deputy pm to join new political party". RNZ. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  2. Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi (22 September 2020). "Chiefs defend "La'aulialemalietoa" title". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  3. "LISI O SUI USUFONO O LE PALEMENE LONA XVII MA ITUMALO PALOTA 17 SETEMA 2021" (PDF). samoagovt.ws. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  4. Profile Archived 2007-08-24 at the Wayback Machine at the Samoan Fono
  5. "Our Aiga" – via fastparty.was.
  6. "Fiame to lead Samoa's FAST Party". RNZ. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  7. " Following in their fathers' foot steps into Samoa politics" Archived 2011-07-10 at the Wayback Machine, EventPolynesia.com, 8 April 2006.
  8. "IPU PARLINE database: SAMOA (Fono ), ELECTIONS IN 2011".
  9. "Samoa Tautua and HRPP MPs to play role of opposition". RNZ. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  10. "Charged Cabinet Minister Resigns in Samoa". Talani. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  11. Tina Mata'afa-Tufele (26 May 2020). "Acting CJ to deliver Laauli ruling in June". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  12. "Samoan MP found not guilty but media man guilty of forgery". RNZ. 27 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  13. "More ructions in Samoa's ruling HRPP". RNZ. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  14. Lanuola Tusani Tupufia – Ah Tong (1 June 2020). "Former Speaker La'auli resigns from H.R.P.P." Samoa Observer. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  15. "Former ruling HRPP MP to establish new political party in Samoa". RNZ. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  16. "La'auli, how dare you steal Tuilaepa's thunder?". Samoa Observer. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  17. Lanuola Tusani Tupufia – Ah Tong (30 June 2020). "Parliament Committee recommends for La'auli to be suspended". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  18. Lanuola Tusani Tupufia – Ah Tong (30 June 2020). "La'auli resigns from Parliament". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  19. Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi (30 July 2020). "F.A.S.T. political party officially registers". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  20. "Two candidates for Samoa by-election". RNZ. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  21. Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi (18 August 2020). "La'auli declared by-election winner". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  22. "Former Speaker tops prelim results in Samoan by-election". RNZ. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  23. Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi (28 August 2020). "La'auli opens new political chapter". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  24. Marieta H Ilalio (25 May 2021). "Fiame Sworn in as Prime Minister under Marquees on Parliament Grounds". Samoa Global News. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  25. Lanuola Tusani Tupufia - Ah Tong (23 July 2021). "F.A.S.T. declared new Government as appeal upheld". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  26. "First FAST Cabinet Down to Work – When the Impossible Happens". Talamua Online. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  27. "Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries". www.samoagovt.ws. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
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