FAST Party Ousts PM & Five Cabinet Ministers from the Party

Apia, Samoa – 16 January 2024 – The FAST Party last night voted to terminate its party leader, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa and five Cabinet Ministers as members of the party.

The Ministers include the Deputy Prime Minister – Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio, the Minister of Works – Olo Fiti Vaai, Minister of Police – Faualo Harry Schuster, Minister of the Environment – Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster and the Minister of Public Enterprises – Leatinuu Wayne Sooialo.

Twenty members of the party unanimously voted for the terminations in an urgent special meeting last night, “due the ongoing crisis within the FAST Party leadership which has threatened the integrity and unity of the Party.”

A FAST Party statement after the meeting said, “the majority of Members of Parliament in the Fa’atuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) Party, unanimously voted to remove its party leader Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa, as Party leader and as a Member of FAST Party, having lost confidence in her leadership in failing to unite, reassure and navigate the Party through this current crisis, but instead has furthered division and strife among the party members creating an unsafe environment for both FAST and especially for our country.”

On the termination of the five Cabinet Ministers, “the party has resolved to remove the following five Members of Parliament as members of the Party due to their individual and collective roles in furthering the division and disunity within the Party instead of trying to resolve matters.”

In making the announcement, “the Party also reconfirm ownership of the FAST Political Party as holding the majority with twenty (20) MPs unanimously supporting today’s resolutions.”

The Party also said: “While the result of this meeting is unfortunate for our Prime Minister, we continue to wish her and her Cabinet well as they navigate the remainder if their term. As FAST was responsible for this Prime Minister and Her Cabinet, we therefore will support their completion of this term for the sake of the country.”

The party last week notified Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa in a letter that the majority of its members have lost confidence in her leadership and Fiame indicated in a press conference early this week that her position as party leader is an issue for the Party but not her position as Prime Minister which is a matter for Parliament.

The Party is meeting later this week to elect its new leadership going forward to ensure stability, unity, loyalty and love for our country as we come to end of this Parliamentary term and prepare for the upcoming general elections.