Government Swift to Investigate FAST MPs & not the Measles Crisis

A mother and child on her baby’s grave on the measles epidemic anniversary.

By Lagi Keresoma

APIA, SAMOA – 08 MARCH 2021: The Chairman of the Fa’atuatua I le Atua Samoa ua Tasi – FAST Party, La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Polata’ivao claims the Government has been swift to call for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate three of their members and Fiamē Naomi Mataafa, yet ignored the many calls for an investigation into the 83 lives lost in the measles crisis of 2019.

The investigation against the four MPs was moved by the Prime Minister on Parliaments last day before it was dissolved last Wednesday.

The motion calls for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the MP’s absence from Parliament session and alleged “treasonous” remarks made during the FAST road show campaign.

“He has been swift to move to set up a Commission to investigate us, but we have been calling for a Commission to investigate the Measles epidemic that claimed more than 80 babies’ lives,” said La’auli.

“He does not want it because such an inquiry will reveal Government’s failure and incompetence because had they acted on the recommendations early, those young lives would not have been lost unnecessarily,” he said.

FAST Party Chairman, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao.

La’auli made reference to Fiamē raising the measles issue again a week before Parliament’s dissolution and the Prime Minister said to stop beating a dead horse.

“Eighty three children died and how could he say to stop beating a dead horse?”

He also referred to one of Tuilaepa’s interviews on state owned radio program when he was asked about a possible lockdown when 15 people had been affected.

His response was “uiki, uiki,” meaning the numbers are small.

During his first press conference after the lock down 5 December 2019, he told the local media that he wanted to speak first in English to the foreign journalists “to attract assistance from overseas.”

La’auli also questioned why the Government did not heed the recommendation from the Commission that investigated the deaths of two children at Safotu district hospital in 2018 for an immediate mass immunization campaign given Samoa’s very low coverage.

La’auli believes all these issues warrant a Commission of Inquiry into the measles crisis to find out who is at fault or what was not done right.

But the Prime Minister said there is no need for another Inquiry “as the answers are already known,” and he shifted the blame on the parents for not acting to have their children vaccinated.

“Yet, all of a sudden there is money to conduct a Commission of Inquiry on us and I know he was still looking for something to pin me down,” he said.

He is not the only one calling for a COI into the measles epidemic.

During the Tautua Samoa Party’s rally last month, several members of the public that attended called for an Investigation into the measles crisis if they become the Government.

But the most of the calls are coming from the mothers of some of the children that died.

One mother told Talamua that she has so many unanswered questions and she needs an Inquiry to give her some answers and closure.

A mother who lost three children to the measles epidemic, also lost her father in law a month after and her husband has been having an emotional breakdown since their children’s deaths.