Samoa's former Deputy PM, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, has given her strongest indication yet that she is ready to join the main opposition party and challenge Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi at next year's general election.
Fiame stepped down from the Deputy PM role in September claiming the country was "sliding away from the rule of law" and, has since been an independent citing "rigged" electoral rules.
"I've been working with the new party Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) and when parliament resumes in January I can become a member of the FAST Party because you will appreciate that you can't do much as an individual."
"They did invite me earlier on to lead the party... I'm not necessarily gunning for the prime ministership but, it's become very apparent that we need a working opposition but the intent of course is to change the government," she said in a report on ABC News.
Both Fiame and Prime Minister Tuilaepa are in uncontested seats going into Samoa's 2021 general election in April and, says "you never know in this political game".
It comes as three controversial bills, which were the reason Fiame stepped down from the Deputy PM role, were passed in Samoa's parliament this week.
The three bills which passed are the Constitution Amendment Bill 2020, Land and Titles Court Bill 2020 and Judicature Bill 2020 which will fundamentally change Samoa's constitution and judicial system were largely condemned by lawyers and judges, both in Samoa and internationally.
However, on Tuesday 15th December, they passed parliament - with only one amendment - with the support of 41 MPs from the ruling Human Rights Protection Party.
Fiame was only one of four MPs in the parliament who opposed the bills and, her bids for greater scrutiny of the legislation blocked.
"This is very reflective of the general poor process with which these bills have gone through - there weren't the consultation processes prior to the bills being processed through Cabinet and Parliament; there was very little debate," she said.
The most controversial bills was the Land and Titles Court Bill, which effectively makes the Lands Title Court a fourth arm of government and puts it in line with the Supreme Court.
"It's going to create a chaotic system within judicial system itself, and there's no clarity for people coming to the courts with their matters," she said.
Fiame said she expects legal challenges will be mounted now that the bills have passed on the constitutionality of the bills.