The publication this week by the media of over 70 million tālā of loans by our National Provident Fund to six borrowers in record time and the subsequent letter of complaint by the NPF Management and staff to the Minister of Finance against the current Chairman of the Board has caused widespread anger amongst the NPF contributors over the apparent mismanagement of funds and the abuse of power by the Chairman of the Board.

The angry reaction from Contributors, especially amongst the poor and those in the lower income brackets is fueled by months of delayed or denied access to small loans from their own contributions that they need to help ease their suffering from today’s increasingly high cost of living.

Yet, the six borrowers took only a few weeks of waiting and their loans were approved for immediate full disbursement.

To avoid further misuse of NPF contributions, the Minister of Finance must reinstate the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance to Chair the NPF Board, as it was before his predecessor made the disastrous decision to put in the current chairperson, which has become an embarrassment to the Fa’atuatua I le Atua Samoa ua Tasi Party leadership.

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi

Leader of HRPP