Fiame & 15 confirm resignation and want share of FAST Funds

Apia, Samoa – 05 June 2025 – Caretaker government leader Fiame Naomi Mataafa and 14 of her Cabinet are claiming $105,370 of the FAST Party funds in its savings account with the Samoa Commercial Bank.

In a letter dated 27 May 2025 on the Office of the Minister of Public Enterprises, Commerce, Industry and Labour letterhead, Fiame told the Bank’s Managing Director that “following the Parliaments session this morning which resulted in Parliament being dissolved and our Cabinet now operating as the Caretaker Government, we wish to inform you that we are no longer members of the FAST Party and we will be forming our own new party.”

She also said that since 15 of them contributed to the FAST Party’s fundraising events, they therefore believed that they were entitled to half of the remaining balance in the savings account.

She also wrote that the amount will give the 15 in their group $7,024 each, to enable them to fund their new party.

The FAST party’s fundraising drive in Australia, New Zealand and the United States in November/December last year, was to fund its headquarters in Samoa. A major portion of the funds raised was used to settle the party’s overdraft.

Inside party sources said that the internal differences started to intensify shortly after when it was revealed that the move to clear the overdraft was linked to removing the Party Chairman and family assets used as guarantee the overdraft with the bank.

This was followed by police laying charges against the party Chairman and the revelation of a plan by cabinet to take control of the party caucus. This ultimately led to the split with 20 MPs siding with the Chairman and the Cabinet ministers siding with Fiame.

Fiame and five others were then terminated as FAST members on 15 January 2025 while nine remained listed as registered members of the party until they confirmed their resignation in Fiame’s letter of 27 May 2025.