The law is equal for everyone and it is good to see that this is being practiced. The recent revelation that two police officers have lodged a complaint against a prominent cabinet minister shows that everyone is being held accountable.

The police officers in making the complaint have exercised their legal rights to defend the allegations of defamation and political affiliations. The police will have to act on the complaint regardless of the position of the minister in the cabinet.

This process should be kept transparent and the public informed every step of the way. If charges are necessary, they should be laid. If Samoa’s laws allow for that, then that should be followed.

Police Commissioner Auapa'au Logoitino Filipo disclosed these developments in an exclusive interview with the Samoa Observer newspaper on Saturday.

The complaints target La'auli Leuatea Schmidt, who not only serves as the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries but also chairs the Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (F.A.S.T.) party.

According to Commissioner Auapa'au, the grievances stem from remarks made by La'auli during a media interview conducted over two weeks ago with a New Zealand-based media outlet.

During this interview, La'auli publicly named the two inspectors overseeing the ongoing investigation into an unsolved hit-and-run case from 2021.

He openly criticised the integrity of those handling the case, leveling accusations of dishonesty and lack of trustworthiness against the investigators.

La'auli went even further, implicating the two police inspectors, Tupa'i Sapani Leleimalefaga and Tony Tevaga, alleging that they received bribes from Australia, purportedly from individuals seeking to obstruct justice and implicate him.

La'auli's assertions didn't stop there; he insinuated political motivations behind the alleged bribery, linking the supposed orchestrators to the opposition, the Human Rights Protection Party (H.R.P.P.).

The Minister claimed that evidence supporting his allegations lay in online declarations made by H.R.P.P. members and their supporters residing in Australia, including premature announcements of arrests.

He maintained that these announcements hinted at collusion between the investigation's overseers and the H.R.P.P. 's supporters abroad.

This is a trend that has been noticed for years. The minister has on more than a few occasions taken the aid of media that tow a political line and make unsubstantiated statements and claims. When a person becomes a leader, he or she has to be very careful of the words that they choose.

When someone is elected to office, he becomes a leader for his people. His people follow and accept his words as the gospel truth. Leaders have to be very careful about the statements they make even in parliament where they are protected by parliamentary priviledges.

Their words have power and this should be used for the betterment of people.

Politicians, being in control of a country's resources have to uphold their obligation to serve the people, or so we hope, and that has raised serious questions as to whether politicians should maintain the highest probity, act in honesty and always tell the truth.

Politicians should be expected to always tell the truth because of public interest. Politicians serve as role models of a country and should strive to uphold their moral values.

Often, politicians set out campaigning for support with certain goals and objectives that they claim they will achieve were they to be elected. So fundamental that a democracy allows voters to cast their votes for a party, in hopes that policies and change will play out as politicians have painted.

However, it can sometimes be a distant pipedream to see politicians genuinely mean everything they claim to do. With populism on the rise, it is indubitable that politicians lie about certain things to garner the support of the masses.

In Samoa, in the past weeks, politicians have been asked about their election promises that to date have not been fulfilled. All such questions have been deflected.

This illustrates the point that politicians can sometimes deceive the public to gain support and thereafter cast their promises aside. Hence to maintain fairness for other politicians who choose to say only the truth, politicians should always speak the truth.

Those who aspire to become politicians should expect a lifetime of living in truth, regardless of how painful it can be. Seeing examples of politicians being exposed can be damaging not only to the party itself but also to the trust between the government and its people.