Samoa’s deputy prime minister has slammed the decision of the chairman of the executive committee of the USP Council, Winston Thompson, to suspend its vice-chancellor.
Fiame Naomi Mata’afa said the decision was “irregular” and “nonsense”.
“It is our view that the university council had determined how it would deal with these issues and the council asked the pro-chancellor and vice-chancellor to work together and keep to their own mandates, but it had become very obvious that the pro-chancellor is very obstructive,” Ms Mata’afa said in a report.
She said the issue at USP was a lot larger than the clash between the vice-chancellor and the chairman of the USP Council.
“It is our view that the university council had determined how it would deal with these issues and the council asked the pro-chancellor and vice-chancellor to work together and keep to their own mandates, but it had become very obvious that the pro-chancellor is very obstructive,” Ms Mata’afa told the Samoan Observer.
“Not only of the vice-chancellor’s role and functions, but he (Mr Thompson) is also being quite obstructive and in fact, he doesn’t agree with council establishing this independent commission that’s now working through the issue for the university council.
“So it’s a bit of a personal thing.
“I’m not saying they shouldn’t follow through with their bonafide charges against the vice-chancellor, but it appears that it’s all being set up to get back at the vice-chancellor for bringing the initial report about the irregularities with the university.
“USP has been under Fijian leadership for the last ten years at the vice-chancellor level and pro-chancellor level, so I think they’ve been carrying on like it’s a Fijian institution and they can do whatever they like because they’re based in Fiji and is the largest campus and not following the due processes that they should administer and govern the university by.”
She called on member countries to be more vigilant about their role on the council and take responsibilities for the saga in Fiji.
