Tribute To A Working Masiofo

Written by Pio Sioa
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Masiofo is royalty! Whether inherited or not, the term is meant in part to reflect a person who is above menial work or any other such activities, felt to be beneath their regal status. Masiofo Laulu Fetauimalemau Mata’afa, was supposed to be amongst the privileged few. Perhaps in the public eye she was. She certainly conducted herself according to the demands of a person in her position and status. But her lifetime of service to the country, people and a wide range of civil duties required of her or she willingly offered, is far from that of a pampered person. The real story is in her curriculum vitae. Masiofo Laulu is a woman ‘plucked from the flock.’ The analogy dates back to when she was a young promising Samoan student, sent to New Zealand for scholarship studies. Samoa at the time was heading towards independence, and New Zealand being the political master, was eager to develop a leadership pool of people who will inherit the future of a young nation about to be born. Education was held to be the key needed to nurture future leaders for Samoa. Laulu was one of the bright young minds who was seen to fit the description. Soon after, she was made to brave the cold and damp environment of the Land of the Long White Cloud, to be educated. She accomplished the education that was required of her, and the subsequent role she took up as a teacher for Samoa College, heralded a beginning of a commitment expected of her to help build a strong Samoa. When independence finally came around, Masiofo Laulu, found herself the proverbial woman behind every great man, as wife to the first Prime of the independent state of Samoa, the late Fiame Mata’afa Faumuina Mulinuu II. Marriage to the leader of the country, served to intensify an already predetermined ideal to foster a strong new nation. Time and achievements serves to illustrate a commitment that went beyond an obligation to duty. What evolved instead was a destiny. The long and distinguished list of accomplishments, even right up to her death, was vigorously pursued. What she has contributed are there for everyone to see. Masiofo Laulu leaves behind a long legacy of service she will always be remembered for. The National Council of Women is an organisation synonymous with her name. The development of women in the country was a long held responsibility, and one she nursed from infancy into a recognized engine of development for the country. When her husband passed away in office, she was the one who stepped in to continue in an arena rare to the womenfolks at the time. Still it was perhaps the most powerful platform where she believed she would be most effective in her services to the country and more importantly to women’s development. Masiofo Laulu faded away from the political scene to channel her determined energy to other areas of service, when her daughter, the current Minister of Women, Community and Social Development, Hon. Fiame Naomi Mata'afa stepped up. The measure of Masiofo Laulu’s contribution to civil and non civil organisations is the leadership she provided as President or Chairperson of the respective bodies she was appointed to. She may have been married to the most powerful man in the country at the start, but the merits of what Masiofo Laulu achieved during her life of work and dedication, stands her apart as a true leader in her own rights. Yes she was a Masiofo and rightly so. But it is not about the status she inherited that makes her a true Masiofo. Royalty for her was not in the title. Royalty was the warmth so many people hold in their hearts, for all the good she has done for them, either directly or through the many responsibilities she took upon herself. Our heartfelt condolences to the Hon. Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa for her loss and to the whole family. Rest In Peace, Masiofo Laulu. Comments (1) Subscribe to this comment's feed Malo Pio written by Island Sound, November 21, 2007 Thanks to Pio for a good article aloha Write comment Name Email Title Comment

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