Development
Aana 1 MP clarifies using $50k UTOS Investment funds within guidelines
Apia, Samoa – 07 May 2025 – Using the Aana No 1 District’s $50,000 tala investment in UTOs to fund the office expenses and staff salaries was approved by the District Committee and very much within the project guidelines and as a registered Cooperative Society with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour.
In a public statement, the districts Member of Parliament and Chair of the District Development Committee, Fesola’i Tusiupu Tuigamala said the UTOS investment was originally planned to be distributed in $10,000 amounts to the four villages of the District and $10,000 for the Committee and the interest to be divided equally among four villages.
However, the project funds for the District was delayed due to the late submission of acquittal reports for previous funding and placed the office in a tight position without funds for salaries, allowances for 14 Committee members and office expenses.
According to UTOS, investment funds can be withdrawn anytime, and the District Development Committee Guidelines requires a project be identified to expend the funds if withdrawn from UTOS.
Fesola’i says the District Committee then met and decided to withdraw the UTOS investment funds and the Committee also consulted the Ministry of Women and Social Development in charge of the Project.
The MP says the District Committee’s decision to withdraw the funds was supported by the Project Office and the funds were to be reimbursed if the expected Districts projects funds do come in.
The withdrawal of the UTOS funds is one of the issues questioned by a group of the district and the issues were finally brought into a meeting with the Minister in charge of the Project, Laga’aia Ti’aitu’au and the Project Officer on 25 April 2025.
In the meeting, the MP’s clarification of the issues in question were accepted by the leader of the group, Sauvao Taueva and other leading matais and the Minister asked the representatives present for the constituency to write an endorsement letter for their 3rd Million to be released.
However, things turned out differently when after a few days, a meeting was called and the matais of the dissenting village dished out a penalty of $50,000 for the MP and $20,000 for the Executive Officer of the District Development Office.
A penalty the MP contested as he was not given a chance to respond or given to understand the basis of why he was being penalized.
Given 4.00pm that day to pay up, the MP refused and subsequently accepted the villages decision for his banishment.
The MP however explained that the banishment was dished out by one village but not the whole district. He also explained that the whole movement is political as those behind it are led by an Opposition candidate in the 2021 general elections and there are intending Opposition candidates backing the current opposition against him.
The MP said it is sad that political agendas are divisive and impacting negatively on the $1M District Development Project for his district and defamatory accusations to destroy his reputation.
But he understands the current political climate and the efforts to run down people and the project for political agendas.
The Aana No 1 Districts 3rd Million has already been signed and funds should be available in due time of which the MP said, will be distributed to approved projects within his district.