Press Release: Faasilasilaga mai le Vaega Faaupufai a le FAST

FAALEAOGAINA LE TOFIGA TA’ITA’I O LE VAEGA FAAUPUFAI
15 Ianuari 2025

Ona o le gasegase o loo ua tula’i mai i le ta’ita’iga ua afaina ai le maopopoga ma le suafa ta’uleleia o le FAST, na vala’au ai se fono faapitoa a le Vaega Faaupufai ile afiafi nei. O le mataupu autu, ina ia silasila i se fofo mo le faafitauli ua tula’i mai ma aafiaga ole Vaega faapea ai foi le tatou atunuu atoa. O le finagalo laualuga, o le maopopoga ma le toafilemu o le atunuu.

I le fonotaga, na sa’ausi le faaaliga o finagalo o le toatele o Sui Faipule o le tatou Vaega Faaupufai na auai, ma na autasi ai la latou tofa e aveese le tofiga Ta’ita’i o le Vaega Faaupufai mai le tamaitai Palemia, le Afioga a Fiame Nomi Mataafa. Ma na autasi ai foi ina ia faamutaina ma lona avea ma sui auai ole Vaega Faaupufai a le FAST. Na autasi finagalo o Sui Auai, ua latou le toe faatuatuaina ai le avea o Fiame e taitaia le Vaega, ona o lona le mafai ona faafilemu ma faatumau le maopopoga o le Vaega ma ua afaina ai le suafa ta’uleleia o le FAST faapea ai foi le tatou atunuu.

O lona lua, ua autasi foi le finagalo o sui faipule na auai, ina ia faamuta foi le avea o sui faipule e toalima (5) ona o latou gaoioiga taitoatasi pe tuufaatasi foi ua faateleina ai le vaevaeina ole Vaega Faaupufai.

1. Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio
2. Olo Fiti Vaai
3. Faualo Harry Schuster
4. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster
5. Leatinuu Wayne Sooialo

Na matua liuliu faa-laau-mamafa le tofa saili ma le faautaga o’o a le Vaega Faaupufai ile sailiga o se fofo mo le tulaga ua tula’i mai ma ua taunuu ai ile faaiuga ua autasi iai finagalo.

O le faaiuga foi ua taoto iai le finagalo o le toatele o sui e 20 o Faipule Auai, ua faamautuina ai pea le itu o loo taoto ai le Vaega Faaupufai a le FAST a o agai atu i le lumanai aemaise le faiga palota tele o loo loma nei.

O le a toe fono le Faafaletui i le faaiuga ole vaiaso nei e faamautu ai isi tulaga mole taitaiga ole Vaega Faaupufai ina ia toafimalie pea si o tatou atunuu mo le savaliga o loo totoe i le paeaiga o loo faagasolo nei ma le agai atu ile isi faiga palota tele.

FAST PARTY VOTES OUT PARTY LEADER FIAME NAOMI MATAAFA & 5 OTHER MPS
15 January 2025

Due the ongoing crisis within the FAST Party leadership which has threatened the integrity and unity of the Party, an urgent special meeting of the FAST Caucus was called today. The main agenda on this special meeting was to resolve the issue of leadership within the FAST party given the current environment which not only negatively affects the Party and hinders its development but also affects our country as a whole. The Party stability is paramount in this time as it also affects the stability of our country.

In the interests of trying to find a resolution to this crisis and prevent the issue from escalating any further, all FAST Caucus members were notified in advance of the agenda and urgent need for resolution. At this special meeting this evening, 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.

Secondly, 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:

1. Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio
2. Olo Fiti Vaai
3. Faualo Harry Schuster
4. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster
5. Leatinuu Wayne Sooialo

These decisions were not taken lightly by the Party and would not have been made had there been other avenues to protect the Party. However, given the escalation of the matter, the Party feels this is the best solution not only for the Party, but to also ensure the stability of country especially as we head into the next General Elections next year.

From todays meeting, 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 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.