Olo Fiti Afoa Vaai (formally known as Levaopolo Talatonu Vaai) is a

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

n politician and

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, � ...

who has served as the minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure since 2021.

Personal life

Vaai was educated at Avele and Samoa College before studying for a Bachelors degree in Telecommunications Engineering at

Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology (AUT) ( mi, Te Wānanga Aronui o Tāmaki Makau Rau) is a university in New Zealand, formed on 1 January 2000 when a former technical college (originally established in 1895) was granted university status. AUT ...

. He subsequently worked for the

Samoa Airports Authority Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); a ...

as a technical manager and then assistant chief executive. He is from a political family, and his uncle Leilua Manuao served as a Member of parliament for 40 years.

Political career

Vaai was first elected to the Samoan Parliament in the

2006 Samoan general election General elections were held in Samoa on 31 March 2006 to determine the composition of the 14th Parliament. The main contesting parties were that of incumbent Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi, of the Human Rights Protection Party (H ...

as MP for Gagaemauga No. 2, running as a candidate for the

Samoan Democratic United Party The Samoan Democratic United Party (SDUP) was the main opposition party of Samoa from 2003 to 2008. The SDUP was formed in 2003 from the Samoan National Development Party (SNDP) and the Samoan United Independent Party (SUIP). During the 2006 Samoan ...

(SDUP). Following the collapse of the SDUP in 2008 he joined the

Tautua Samoa Party ) , flag = , website tautuasamoaparty.com The Tautua Samoa Party ( sm, Vaega Faaupufai le Tautua Samoa) is a political party in Samoa. The party's policies include economic development, particularly in the agricultural sector, public service r ...

, resulting in his seat being declared vacant by the Speaker. The decision was overturned by the

Supreme Court of Samoa The Supreme Court of Samoa () is the superior court dealing with the administration of justice in Samoa. It was established by Part VI of the Constitution of Samoa. It consists of the Chief Justice of Samoa and other judges as appointed by the He ...

in July 2009, and Vaai retained his seat. He was re-elected as a Tautua candidate in the 2011 election. In 2015 Vaai decided to switch electorates and contest the seat of Salega East in the 2016 election following a decision by his village to reject a tourism project he had proposed. As a result, he was disqualified from Parliament as he was no longer eligible to represent his old seat. He subsequently announced plans to form a new political party and contested the election as an independent, but after winning re-election he re-joined Tautua. When he switched electorates, he adopted a new title, becoming Olo Fiti Vaai. In the 2016 term he was a vocal critic of the government, being called a "One man Opposition Party" by the media. In May 2019 he was removed from the Finance and Expenditure Committee after criticising government spending decisions. In December 2019 he called on the government to launch an inquiry into the

2019 Samoa measles outbreak The 2019 Samoa measles outbreak began in September 2019. As of 6 January 2020, there were over 5,700 cases of measles and 83 deaths, out of a Samoan population of 200,874. Over three percent of the population were infected. The cause of the o ...

, saying "we failed you, Samoa". In October 2020 Vaai registered to run as a candidate for the F.A.S.T. party in the 2021 election. As a result his seat was declared vacant under anti-party-hopping provisions. On 14 December 2020 the decision was declared unlawful and invalid by the

. On 24 May 2021 he was appointed Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure in the elected cabinet of

Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataafa (born 29 April 1957) () is a Samoan politician and High Chiefess ('' matai'') who has served as the seventh Prime Minister of Samoa and leader of the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party since 2021. Th ...

. 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. In June 2022, Olo announced that he would be suing opposition leader Tuila'epa Sa'ilele Malielegaoi for defamation. Tuila'epa had previously alleged that Olo registered a government automobile as his private property, which the opposition leader claimed was the equivalent of theft. Olo said that comment dishonoured his family and constituency. In addition, Olo also filed a lawsuit against Maota o Vi'iga, a Samoan radio station based in Australia, for echoing Tuila'epa's claims.

Notes

References

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaai, Olo Fiti Afoa Living people Members of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa Tautua Samoa Party politicians Samoan Democratic United Party politicians Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi politicians Public works ministers of Samoa Transport ministers of Samoa Year of birth missing (living people) Auckland University of Technology alumni 21st-century Samoan politicians