He has served in the Parliament of Tuvalu on numerous occasions representing the electorate of Nanumea.
[1] Malua was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1980 New Year Honours.
[2] He served as a government minister and was appointed as the speaker of the Parliament from 1989 to 1993 during the 1st prime ministership of Bikenibeu Paeniu.
[6] Malua was returned to parliament on 15 June 2005 in a by-election, which he won by a margin of 59 votes.
[7] He was appointed as Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment as well as Home Affairs and Rural Development of the 2nd government led by Bikenibeu Paeniu.