Dear Editor,

The Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party election promise of $1 million tālā per district per annum for 5 years, for the 51 districts to do as they please through a District Development Committee is now in its fourth year and many districts are still asking questions on the status of their first $1 million tālā.

The FAST process is as follows.

The District Committee prepares its development plan which are then submitted to the Cabinet Subcommittee.

A long long-wait then follows.

FAST districts are given priority whilst new and unfavorable conditions are imposed on Human Rights Protection Party districts to deliberately delay the release of funds.

Many new offices for FAST districts are built on land or in the homes of their Ministers or Associate Ministers who thereby receive leases of up to $2,000 tālā per month, plus renovations to their private properties all paid for by taxpayer’s funds under the guise of a district office.

The media had recently disclosed the blatant misuse of these funds by some of the FAST Ministers including reports by a district of theft of their development allocation.

The FAST Government has so far remained silent on these abuses of public taxpayer funds for district development.

Right now, no one knows for sure how much has been spent of the first million tala, how much is left, and their whereabouts.

The Cabinet Minister in charge of the $1 million tālā promise recently announced that the District of Lepa and another district were under investigation and that the Attorney General’s Office has been directed to do the investigation.

What for?

For the rent payment of our Office that our Development Committee decided to lease from the EFKS Church of Lepa for the benefit of the 3 villages of the district?

This was a lease agreement executed by a Lawyer and the payments were cleared by a registered professional Auditor and Member of the Samoa Institute of Accountants.

The payment of our allocation inclusive of the disputed lease has already been made.

There must be transparency in the usage of the $1 million tālā of Samoan and donor taxpayer funds.

And it is time for the report to be published.

All the countries that follow the FAST practice are well known for their corrupt activities.

Donors must pay closer attention to how their taxpayer funds are being wasted.

The world can now see why it is hard for the FAST Government to challenge discriminatory laws and corrupt practices that target and hurt the Samoan people.

It is because they are practicing their own form of corruption and discrimination right here in Samoa.  

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi

Leader of HRPP