FAST Deputy Chair questions HRPP election promises

June 18, 2025

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Translated from FaaSamoa. The Deputy Chair of the Faatuatua i Le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party has questioned the legitimacy of elections promises made by the Human Rights Protection Party.

Toelupe spoke during the FAST party weekly press conference with local media, warning that the public should not be lied to.

“They questioned us with our million tala project, and said it would not happen, and now they are announcing a project for $110 million tala… that is a lie,” said Toelupe.

“Na fesiligia matou i le poloketi miliona, ma folafola e le taunuu, ao lea ua faimai i le $110 miliona.. o se pepelo tele lea..”

HRPP has made two announcements in the recent weeks as Samoa gears up the August 2025 general elections. The first is the announcement of the COLA – cost of living allowance, where every resident citizen will receive $500 tala per year. The initiative is estimated to cost $110 million tala based on Samoa’s latest population censor.

The second initiative promises to lower the pension age from 65 to 61 with staggered payments that will reward healthy citizens, increasing with age.

 Age 61–64: $200 per month (a brand-new pension tier for those in the age
group without formal employment)
 Age 65–74: $300 per month
 Age 75–84: $400 per month
 Age 85+: $500 per month

The FAST party million tala project saw the distribution of $1 million tala per annual budget to the 51 districts of Samoa. The distribution of funds to communities had come to an abrupt end when Parliament dissolved following the failure of the Appropriation Bill for the Annual Budget of 2025-2026.

Toelupe questioned the HRPP election promises, calling it lies (pepelo). He called on political parties to not mislead the people with election campaign promises.

“Aua tou te olegiaina le atunuu.”

However, the Human Rights Protection Party leader Hon Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has said the initiatives are part of HRPP’s broader campaign strategy, with additional policy platforms to be announced as Samoa draws closer to the general election.

Tuilaepa says the flagship policies are “a welcome and timely solution to the ongoing hardship that many of our people have endured from the high cost of living and other misfortunes over the last 3 years and 8 months of FAST’s management of our economy.”

Samoa returns to the polls on the 29th of August 2025 with pre-polling on the 27th.

When registrations closed for political parties on Friday 6 June 2025, seven political parties had formally registered with the Office of the Electoral Commission.

Three parties are well known to the race – the long established HRPP who held 18 seats before the dissolution of Parliament, the current FAST party who held 20 seats including the Speaker after the break-up, and the newly launched SUP party uniting 15 MPs of the caretaker government.

Two parties were registered in recent weeks, being the Samoa Labour Party made up of break-away HRPP members, and the Tumua ma Pule Republican Reform Party.

Human Rights Protection Party: HRPP le
Human Rights Protection Party: HRPP led by former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.
Faatuatua i Le Atua Samoa ua Tasi: FAST led by former Minister of Agriculture Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt.
Samoa Ua Potopoto – Samoa Uniting Party: SUP led by caretaker Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa.
Samoa Labour Party: SLP led by former HRPP Minister of Justice and Courts Administration, Faaolasa Katopau Ainuu.
Tumua ma Pule Republican Reform Party: TPRRP led by Molioo Pio Molioo who is the husband of former FAST Minister of Finance Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molioo.
Constitutional Democratic Republic Party: CDRP registered during the 2023 byelections and ran one candidate from Fagaloa district.
Samoa National Development Party: SNDP which used to be led by Valasi Toogamaga Tafito who joined FAST post 2021 elections and is currently the caretaker Minister of Health and pledged to SUP.