FAST Party Manifesto Centres on the Family Unit

Salelologa, Savai’i – 14 July 2025 – The family unit is the core platform of addressing the growing economic and social issues facing the country including domestic violence and abuse of young girls and women, the mounting breakdown of inherent respect through abusive language on social media, and the rapid growth of menacing drugs in the country.

This is the basis of the FAST Party’s Manifesto unveiled at a packed audience at the Apita o Pisaga Hall at Salelologa, Savaii last Saturday.

FAST Party Leader Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao told supporters that bolstering the family unit between the parents and their children will grow to impact on a stronger society and its supporting established pillars such as the church and Samoan culture for a safer, satisfying and happy country.

The focus on the family will come under a Ministry of Family Affairs and Social Development, readapting the name and functions of the current Ministry of Women and Social Development.

The FAST Leader unveiled a ten-point plan focussing on improving Family Health, Educated Family, Developing Family, Business and Investment, Social Justice and Governance and the Environment.

The manifesto lays out a lifetime plan to assist the growth of the individual from the mothers’ pregnancy to birth and in the baby’s first 1,000 days with a $3,800 package over a three-year period.

The document also lays out further assistance and interventions when the child starts the education journey at pre-school, primary, college and university, employment, retirement and being a pensioner at 65 years old. The FAST Party manifesto also includes the payment by government of pre-school teachers, free education and providing healthy living and eating habits to combat the rapidly growing health problem of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the young population.

The manifesto which continues the work not yet implemented and achieved from its 2021 manifesto, Laauli explained 90% of that manifesto have been implemented and achieved.

Among the 2025/2030 key policies is tax exemptions that will increase a workers take home pay to $770 tala a fortnight within the $20,000 tala salary bracket. The minimum wage is also proposed to increase to $6 tala an hour, and the employers income tax to come down from 27% to 23%.

New projects include perusing Samoa’s revenue entitlements under its unclaimed carbon credits. New revenue generating projects include the establishment of a Stock Exchange and developing economic zones and the digital finance markets.

One of the projects well accepted by the supporters was the plan to restart Samoa Airways international flights. The manifesto proposes $300m new investment funded through the government institutions such as SNPF, ACC and UTOs and current floating liquidity. The airline project also proposes opening shareholding to the public and businesses.

The FAST Party’s manifesto also looks to have a meaningful engagement of the Samoan diaspora to maintain their links to their homeland and will open an office within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate future partnerships and ventures in Samoa they would invest and assist with in the future.

With the latest issues that question the overlap of powers of the Executive and the Speaker of Parliament, the FAST Party will review the current legislation to ensure the separation of powers of the three pillars of Samoa’s democracy.

Following the Manifesto’s launch last Saturday, the FAST party is now on the road to meet the voters in all of the 20 constituencies in Savaii in the next two weeks starting at Fa’asaleleaga 1 and 2 today.

After Savaii, the party will move through the 31 electoral constituencies in Upolu then have one public rally in American Samoa in the week before pre- polling on 27 August and main polling day on 29 August.