FAST MPs reveal reasons why they lost confidence in Fiame as PM

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, Samoa – 9 March 2025 – The majority of the FAST Party may have lost their motion of no confidence in Fiame Naomi Mataafa as Prime Minister last Thursday. But what they said in parliament reveal deeper reasons not known publicly before about Fiame’s lack of leadership, conflict resolution and consultative skills that caused the division and untenable split.

Fiame survived the motion of no confidence with the support from HRPP to reject the motion in a vote of 32 to 19.

The revelations painted the picture of a fresh and enthusiastic FAST party working together with its consultative process to implement and achieve its policies and plans laid out clearly in its manifesto with a major focus on people and social development.

Then after one year, things started to breakdown until it got to the current situation with the majority of 19 MPs treated as outsiders but ironically making the numbers to keep the minority of 15 in Cabinet in government and running the country.

The Falealili 1 MP, Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo stated that the Government is in shambles due to Fiames lack of leadership and opening up the seat of Prime Minister to be lost again to the Opposition.

The Falealili 1 MP, Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo said that Fiame did not bother to unify the 34 districts that voted to change the Government.

One of the four Cabinet Ministers terminated for signing a letter of no confidence in Fiame, Toelupe said that Fiame did not bother to support or unify the 34 districts that voted to change the Government. Fiame thought Cabinet was the major power base that controls caucus and now the majority of caucus is turning around resulting in the current situation.

Palauli 2 MP, Leota Laki Lamositele stated that Fiame has moved the Party away from what they promised the country to do in the 2021 general elections.

He said the Prime Minister has her favourites and take sides in Cabinet and does not communicate with the party nor listen to advice from the Government ministries.

“She gets angry when we ask questions during cabinet meetings,” said Leota.

Leota was one in the core team that drew up the FAST Party’s Manifesto that focuses heavily on social issues. Speaking on the motion, he referred to the rapid increase of drugs, the high cost of living and the delay in implementing some of the work to address poverty among the most vulnerable.

He was also dissatisfied in the PM not fighting to make travel easier for Samoans to New Zealand and yet signed a visa free travel agreement with the Republic of China with only a few Samoans traveling there.

The unresolved hit & run incident
One of the core issues of the MPs dissatisfaction is Fiame’s care-less attitude towards the death of a university student Tu’uau Fa’asavalu in the unresolved April 2021 hit and run incident.

Next month marks one years since the incident that has polarized the country and no one has been charged, instead, two MPs will stand trial charged with issues related to the incident but not the actual incident.

One of two women Cabinet Ministers in FAST’s first Cabinet, Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molio’o did not mix words when she pointed out the PM’s high mindedness.

FAST’s first Minister of Finance Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molio’o who tabled Samoa’s historic $1b tala budget but was later moved in a cabinet reshuffle to the Ministry of Women and Social Development.   

Mulipola was the Minister of Finance and tabled FAST’s first full budget after a turbulent political crisis following the 2021 general elections. For a new government, the Prime Minister was away overseas when the budget was debated and only returned when the budget was about to be passed.

She also tabled FAST’s second and unprecedented $1billion tala budget, with the country’s foreign exchange reserves hitting a record $1bn.  But she was soon moved in a cabinet reshuffle for no major reason but being needed to run the $1million development project for the villages by the Ministry of Women she was moved to.

As one of the Party core founders  and its manifesto, Mulipola highlighted the party’s focus on people centred development which has been included in the Samoan Pathway for Development. This focus has since shifted within a brief time due to Fiames shifting leadership.

She also referred to the New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui sinking at Safata which affected the livelihood and economic stability of the district, but Fiame never bothered to visit and to date, the Government has not offered any assistance.

The ship sank when Fiame was overseas and when she returned, she made her first public appearance at the opening of the regional airport at Faleolo.

“Is the regional airport more important than the people?” Mulipola asked in Parliament.

Mulipola also touched on Tu’uau’s death and that his parents had written to the Prime Minister and Cabinet for assistance in putting closure to the case. Nothing was done, not even acknowledging the letter and she ruled them as “rumours”.

Misplaced respect and trust
When the 2021 general elections were over, the FAST party’s leaders were advised by the countrys’ leaders to give the respect for Fiame to lead as Prime Minister given her cultural standing and the image of a first woman Prime Minister for the country.

FAST Part founder, Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao, listened and accepted the advice and gave Fiame the honour as Prime Minister.

Respected orator and MP for Falealupo, Fuiono Tenina Chrichton alluded to the respect when he spoke on the motion.

He reminded of the highest respect for the first woman Prime Minister yet; respect seems to be just a word given to someone who has put their own agenda above the love for the ordinary people.

The FAST MPs who supported the motion believe they have misplaced their respect in someone who has betrayed their trust.