Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s office has denied claims made by Tongan lawyer Nalesoni Tupou that former Cabinet member Jenny Salesa had been accused of under-performing.
Tupou quoted the Prime Minister as saying ” Salea (sic) has underperformed in her job as a Minister . . . I told her to find another pathway for the rest of her career.”
Hon. Ardern’s Chief Press Secretary, Andrew Campbell, said Tupou’s comment was “inaccurate.”
“We do not believe the Prime Minister ever made such a quote,” Campbell told Kaniva News.
Citing transcripts of media interviews, Campbell said the Prime Minister and Hon. Salesa spoke and agreed on new roles for her this term, including Assistant Speaker, a role on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and a direction to use these roles to strengthening relationships between New Zealand and Pacific Parliaments.
“The Prime Minister still has confidence in Hon. Salesa and the important work she has ahead of her in these new roles,” Campbell said.
Susie Ferguson of RNZ’s Morning Report asked: “You spoke yesterday about people getting second chances. She’s not getting one within Cabinet.”
The Prime Minister replied: “Look as I say, this for me and for Jenny was about taking a different direction entirely. And, of course, the presiding officers, you don’t take on those roles unless you are a competent person.”
Tupou
Tupou claimed 16 staff who were working with Salesa resigned their jobs because they were not satisfied with her performance.
In a series of barbed comments, Tupou attacked Hon. Salesa, saying she had been “dumped . . kicked out and sacked.”
“I ask you to come back and speak to us the people who voted for you,” Tupou wrote in Tongan on Facebook.
“Why are you keeping silent? You let us down after you have been sacked by the government. What were the shortfalls and bad things you did for the government?”
Reshuffle
New Zealand media have described Salesa and Phil Twford as “the biggest losers” of the Cabinet reshuffle and said Salesa had been “completely snubbed.”
Twyford was in charge of the heavily criticised KiwiBuild programme and Salesa was criticised by coalition partners ACT and sections of the building industry for what they claimed were overly complicated procedures to get building permission.
The Tongan-born Salesa is Member for Panmure-Ōtāhūhū. She was New Zealand’s first Tongan-born, Tongan-speaking Cabinet Minister when she was appointed Minister for Building and Construction, Minister for Ethnic Communities and an Associate Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Health and Education.
