Palusalue Faʻapo II

{{short description|Samoan politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|name = Palusalue Fa{{okina}}apo II

|honorific-suffix =

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|caption =

|office =

|primeminister =

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|predecessor =

|successor =

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|term_start2 =

|term_end2 =

|primeminister2 =

|predecessor2 =

|successor2 =

|office3 = Leader of the Tautua Samoa Party

|deputy3 = A'eau Peniamina

|term_start3 = 19 May 2011

|term_end3 = 4 March 2016

|predecessor3 = Va'ai Papu Vailupe

|successor3 = Office vacant

|office4 = Minister of Communication & Information Technology

|primeminister4 = Tuila{{okina}}epa Sa{{okina}}ilele Malielegaoi

|term_start4 = 2003

|term_end4 = 24 April 2006

|predecessor4 =

|successor4 = Mulitalo Siafausa Vui

|office5 = Minister of Transport

|leader5 =

|term_start5 = 20 March 2001

|term_end5 = 2003

|predecessor5 =

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|constituency_MP10 =

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|term_start10 =

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|majority10 =

|constituency_MP11 = Safata

|parliament11 = Samoan

|term_start11 = 26 April 1996

|term_end11 = 4 March 2016

|predecessor11 = Tuiloma Pule Lameko

|successor11 = Constituency abolished

|birth_date = ~{{Birth year and age|1956}}

|birth_place =

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|party = FAST (2020–present)

|otherparty = {{ubl|HRPP (until 2008)|Tautua Samoa Party (2008–2020)}}

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}}

Afemata Palusalue Fa{{okina}}apo II (born ~1956) is a Samoan politician and former Cabinet Minister. From 2011 to 2016 he was the leader of the opposition Tautua Samoa Party.{{cite news |title=Tautua president passes |url=http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35926:tautua-president-passes-&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=50 |work=Samoa Observer |date=2011-10-04 |access-date=2011-10-26}}

Palusalue was first elected to Parliament in 1996.{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.gov.ws/popup_mop.cfm?mop=018 |title=Palusalue Fa{{okina}}apo II |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Samoa |access-date=2010-03-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824113823/http://www.parliament.gov.ws/popup_mop.cfm?mop=018 |archive-date=August 24, 2007 }} He served as Parliamentary Undersecretary to the Minister of Justice. After being re-elected in 2001, he was appointed to Cabinet, first as Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation,{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/19026 |title=Misa becomes new Minister of Finance |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=20 March 2001 |access-date=10 June 2021}} and then as Minister of Communication & Information Technology. After the 2006 election he became associate Minister of Finance.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/162039/samoa's-prime-minister-appoints-20-as-associate-ministers |title=Samoa's Prime Minister appoints 20 as associate ministers |publisher=RNZ |date=12 May 2006 |access-date=3 December 2020}}

Palusalue left the governing Human Rights Protection Party in March 2008 and joined the opposition as an independent MP.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/176018/two-mps-in-samoa-quit-ruling-party |title=Two MPs in Samoa quit ruling party |publisher=RNZ |date=17 March 2008 |access-date=3 December 2020}} He later became a founding member of the Tautua Samoa Party.{{Cite news |author=Alan Ah Mu |date=2008-12-17 |title=Tautua Samoa officially launched |publisher=Samoa Observer |url=http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2407:tautua-samoa-officially-launched&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=53 |access-date=2010-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607150016/http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2407:tautua-samoa-officially-launched&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=53 |archive-date=2011-06-07 |url-status=dead }} As a result, in May 2009 he was one of nine Tautua MPs declared to have resigned their seats under an anti-party hopping law.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/183977/by-elections-to-be-called-in-samoa-for-nine-vacant-parliamentary-seats |title=By-elections to be called in Samoa for nine vacant parliamentary seats |publisher=RNZ |date=1 June 2009 |access-date=3 December 2020}} He was subsequently reinstated after the Supreme Court of Samoa overturned the law and declared the formation of new parties legal.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/184579/samoa-court-reinstates-nine-mps,-cancels-by-elections |title=Samoa court reinstates nine MPs, cancels by-elections |publisher=RNZ |date=2 July 2009 |access-date=3 December 2020}}

In January 2010 new anti-party-hopping laws came into force, barring MPs from declaring their support for political parties or organizations with political aims other than the party they were elected for.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/188334/samoa-passes-bill-following-last-year%27s-tautua-samoa-episode |title=Samoa passes bill following last year's Tautua Samoa episode |publisher=RNZ |date=22 January 2020 |access-date=3 December 2020}} As a result, along with Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi and Va'ai Papu Vailupe he was deemed to have resigned his seat.{{cite web |url=http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20220&Itemid=62 |title=Va{{okina}}ai springs election shock |author=Alan Ah Mu |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=2010-03-18 |access-date=2010-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607142712/http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20220&Itemid=62 |archive-date=2011-06-07 |url-status=dead }} He was re-elected in the resulting by-election.{{cite web |url=http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22237&Itemid=62 |title=Palu stays, Ale reigns |publisher=Samoa Observer |author=Marieta Heidi Ilalio |date=2010-05-15 |access-date=2010-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607144145/http://www.samoaobserver.ws/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22237&Itemid=62 |archive-date=2011-06-07 |url-status=dead }} In December 2010 he was elected deputy leader of Tautua.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/194464/va'ai-papu-chosen-as-tautua-samoa-leader |title=Va'ai Papu chosen as Tautua Samoa leader |publisher=RNZ |date=22 December 2010 |access-date=3 December 2020}} He was re-elected in the 2011 election and re-elected deputy leader.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/195813/tautua-samoa-party-re-elect-leader |title=Tautua Samoa party re-elect leader |publisher=RNZ |date=9 March 2011 |access-date=3 December 2020}} Following Va'ai Papu Vailupe's loss of his seat for bribery and treating he became party leader.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/197230/tautua-samoa-caucus-elect-new-leaders |title=Tautua Samoa caucus elect new leaders |publisher=RNZ |date=19 May 2011 |access-date=14 June 2021}} He lost his seat in the 2016 election.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/298448/tautua-samoa-party-finally-talks-after-disastrous-poll-results |title=Tautua Samoa party finally talks after disastrous poll results |publisher=RNZ |date=9 March 2016 |access-date=3 December 2020}}

In 2017 he was conferred with the chiefly title of Afemata.{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/28834 |title=Afemata honour for veteran politician |author=Ilia L. Likou |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=3 June 2017 |access-date=3 December 2020}}

He contested the 2021 election as a candidate for the Fa{{okina}}atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/72747 |title=Afemata Palusalue registers for F.A.S.T. |author=Soli Wilson |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=17 October 2020 |access-date=3 December 2020}} but was unsuccessful.{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/82702 |title=Safata M.P. considering counter petition |author=Lanuola Tusani Tupufia - Ah Tong |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=3 May 2021 |access-date=10 June 2021}}

In February 2023, the FAST government appointed Palusalue to serve as Samoa's consul-general in Auckland, New Zealand.{{cite news |author1=Ganasavea Manuia Tafeaga |title=Faamautū Tofiga Fou a le Malo mo Aotearoa |url=https://samoaglobalnews.com/faamautu-tofiga-fou-mo-aotearoa7/ |access-date=11 February 2023 |work=Samoa Global News |date=11 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211220347/https://samoaglobalnews.com/faamautu-tofiga-fou-mo-aotearoa7/ |archive-date=11 February 2023|url-status=live |language=sm}}