08/25/2026
#𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 | 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍: 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑
[𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘢’𝘦𝘱𝘢’𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 23 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 2026]
In his latest Letter to the Editor of 23 August, the Opposition Leader, Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi engages in his old game of shifting the blame on someone else.
When he lost the 2021 general election and again in 2025, and all the ensuing by-elections, he found an excuse and blamed the F.A.S.T. Party and “truth as the casualty of political power”.
The F.A.S.T. Party’s manifesto is the official document that contained its policies it told the voters it will implement when elected. The F.A.S.T. Party initiated the political Roadshows that Tuila’epa labelled in 2019 as “a foreign idea” and his influence stopped F.A.S.T. from staging roadshows in several H.R.P.P. stalwart constituencies in the lead up to the 2021 general election.
In the 2025 general election campaign, the F.A.S.T. Party went to all 51 constituencies - meeting, talking and telling voters about what was in the party’s manifesto and what it plans to implement when voted to Government.
The F.A.S.T. Party’s policies are clear and Tuila’epa admitted that the people had wanted change.
But change in political power was almost too late for Samoa.
Tuila'epa seems to have forgotten but it was the H.R.P.P.’s 3 controversial Bills that cost them the 2021 general election.
The Samoa Law Society led the campaign against the 3 Bills that also drew opposition from local and overseas professional bodies including the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. F.A.S.T. picked up the issue and supported it and made changes to what it saw needed change and kept what it saw important.
In fact, it was the President of the Lands | Titles Court who stated during his swearing in that the L.T.C. 2020 Act was poorly drafted. He also made the humorous reference to the Act as others “drank the bottle of beer but got others drunk and walking zig zag.”
Then there was taxing the clergy and Tuila’epa’s rude language and running people down that all contributed to his and H.R.P.P.’s downfall.
Selling customary land and L.T.R.A. was never a F.A.S.T. policy issue. Even Tuila’epa’s claims as criticisms alleging his and his children’s overseas houses and investments. These were social media posts but not F.A.S.T.’s position.
𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖𝐒 𝐕𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄
But Tuila’epa continues to blur the lines between the Oppositions parliamentary role to criticize and offer its views on issues of public interest, and defamatory comments.
He expressed the same view in parliament last week, expressing his disappointment against the latest police charges against him when he again made personal attacks against the Prime Minister in what is described as a press conference. This was despite a court order against him making such public comments against the P.M.
The Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa supports Tuila’epa’s view that the parliamentary Opposition views is an essential component of parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister also does not in anyway intend to stop the Opposition Leader from talking to the media and expressing his views on issues of public interest.
The Prime Minister made the same point to Tuila’epa in parliament last week that he and Government was not stopping the Opposition from expressing its viewpoints on any issue. But to do so with malicious language that borders on defamation, is not acceptable. And after months of persistent attacks, the Prime Minister had no choice but to resort to the law.
The Prime Minister also made the point that he had stopped going on social media as that seemed to have been the basis of division between political parties’ supporters. He asked the F.A.S.T. supporters to stop posting divisive social media posts in order to keep harmony both in the country and the diaspora.
He pointed out to the Opposition Leader that the fiery comments he makes on social media platforms do incite the public and continue the political division.
These comments also have a negative impact and cause confusion among public servants’ loyalty who have been under one government for most of their working lifetime and is one of the challenges the F.A.S.T. Government is facing.
𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒
In the 2025 general election campaign, the F.A.S.T. Party went to all 51 districts – meeting, talking and telling voters about what was in the party’s manifesto and what it will implement if elected as Government in August 2025 general election.
The F.A.S.T. Party’s manifesto spells out it was going to increase funding for the District Development Projects to $2M a year; implement a social welfare program covering newborn babies in the first 35 months of life, raising benefits for 70-year-olds and others in a program that cares for all Samoans from the “𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐛 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐛.”
There were competing policies from H.R.P.P. and other parties, but the people of Samoa chose to elect the F.A.S.T. Party to be the government. Not political deception.
These projects are already being rolled out and benefiting especially those at the lower end of the economic/social ladder and despite everyone’s political affiliations.
These policies were calculated on the back of an improving economy with similar initiatives in the 2021 F.A.S.T. Government manifesto although they got disrupted through a power and leadership division that forced an early election in mid 2025.
𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐂 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝟓 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒
When the first F.A.S.T. Government got into power in July 2021, Samoa’s international debt under H.R.P.P.’s 20 years with Tuila’epa as Prime Minister, stood at $1.2bn or 46% of G.D.P. G.D.P. recorded at $2,169M.
Under the F.A.S.T. Government in 2024|25, G.D.P. recorded at $3,584m. Government International debt dropped from $1.2bn in 2021 to $690m at June 2026 or 19.4% of G.D.P.
Foreign Reserves at 2021 was $732.7M approx. 10.7 months of import cover.
At June 2026, Foreign Reserves was recorded at $1.66Bn SAT [approx 15.7 to 15.9 months of import cover].
(𝑭𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒂)
The Government is not turning away from answering to the public because that was the very democratic principle of how and why it got elected. It went to all 51 constituencies and consulted with the people.
Due to the divisive narrative pushed through social media, the Prime Minister and Government is now keeping the public informed through Press Releases and the regular parliament sessions. On the floor of parliament where the people’s representatives speak out and the Government delivers its mandate of answering and informing the people.
That is scrutiny; and last week, parliament was informed will extend to Members questions in future parliament sessions.
And as Tuila’epa himself said, the Government is providing the people of Samoa nothing less.
𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭
