Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II
Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II Laulu Fetauimalemau Mataʻafa | |
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Constituency | Lotofaga |
Personal details | |
Born | 5 August 1921 Laulu Fetauimalemau Mata'afa |
Children | Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa |
Occupation | Paramount Chief 'Tamaʻaiga 1 |
Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II
Biography
Mata'afa was born in 1921, the son of Paramount Chief
After it was agreed in the 1954 Constitutional Convention that two of the four paramount chiefs, Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole and Malietoa Tanumafili II, should be made joint heads of state for life, he announced that he would withdraw from public life.[5] However, he later backed down and contested the 1957 elections to the Legislative Assembly, winning the Lotofaga seat.
Following the elections, Mata'afa was appointed to the Executive Council as Minister of Agriculture.
Mata'afa was re-elected Prime Minister following the 1961 elections, leading the country to independence in 1962.[8] He was re-elected again following elections in 1964 and 1967. However, after the 1970 elections, he was defeated by Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV by 25 votes to 20 in the third round of voting. It was reported that he would have probably won in the second round (which was tied at 23 votes each) if one of his supporters, To'omata Lilomaiava Tua, had not died the previous week.[9]
In February 1966, Mata'afa ordered that the sport of cricket be banned on every day except Wednesdays and Saturdays, because of the "lackadaisical approach" taken to the clean-up after a cyclone.[10]
Following the
References
- ^ Marc Membrere (5 August 2021). "Samoa's first P.M. would have turned 100 today". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ "Samoa weeps at the death of a great woman chief and leader", Luamanuvao Laban, 23 November 2007
- ^ Lauofo Meti (2002) Samoa: The Making of the Constitution, National University of Samoa, p322
- ^ a b Mata'afa, friend to all, who led Samoa 'long and loyally' Pacific Islands Monthly, July 1975, p7
- ^ W. Samoa Adopts Self-Government Plan for Submission to NZ Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1955, p23
- ^ New Assembly Sworn In Pacific Islands Monthly, January 1958, p99
- ^ "No. 42053". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 11 June 1960. p. 4016.
- ^ "Western Samoa SMOOTH PROGRESS TO INDEPENDENCE". The Press. 30 December 1961. p. 10. Retrieved 28 September 2021 – via Papers Past.
- ^ (1) It's a vital, young cabinet Pacific Islands Monthly, April 1970, pp50–51
- ^ "Just not cricket". The Canberra Times. 7 February 1966.
- ^ Stomachs, cars and liquor bars loomed large in Samoa election Pacific Islands Monthly, April 1973, p6
- ^ "Samoa's political crisis ends and first female prime minister installed after court ruling". The Guardian. 23 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
External links
- Malama Meleisea & Penelope Schoeffel Meleisea Lagaga: a short history of Western Samoa
- Morgan A. Tuimalealiʻifano O tama a ʻāiga: the politics of succession to Sāmoa's paramount titles