Family planning has been blamed for the slow increase of Samoa’s population.

So says Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi. 

 “I encourage our people to do their part to increase the population,” he said.

“People especially couples are prioritizing their work rather than making babies to increase our population.

“Especially the young couples. They shouldn’t delay the process.”

Tuilaepa believes a higher population will lead to more opportunities.

As of today, the country’s population remains well below 200,000.

But the Prime Minister said this should change. 

 “For example, if you married in your early twenties, then you should have at least ten children,” he said. 

“But the thing is, they are going at a slow pace in making babies.” 

Having many children has a lot of benefits.

 “This is very useful, so that when you are old and crippled, at least you will have a lot of children to give you your cigarette and massage you.”

Tuilaepa said “family planning” is wrong.

“I wonder who the idiot who came up with this idea?

“You know doctors; most of them have more children than most of us. There is that saying that goes like, Do as I say and not as I do.  

“I don’t know who came up with the idea to start family planning. So now we are struggling to find tall, fast and strong boys for Manu Samoa because of family planning.”

This is not the first time Tuilaepa has raised this issue.

Earlier this month, Tuilaepa also commented on this issue blaming the roles reversal in married couples.

Said Tuilaepa, because women now have better paid career jobs than men, the population of Samoa is growing slowly.

“I’m sad to see that the population growth in Samoa is not increasing.

“The fact of the matter is that, most of the Universities graduates we have now are women. Therefore, they have better jobs and high salaries than men.

“This has resulted in women going to work while men stay at home and take care of the children.”