INCUMBENT PM REFUTES FORMER PM’S ACCUSATIONS
By: Asenati Taugasolo Semu
Claims by the former Prime Minister and ex-Head of State, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi that Government’s initiative to collect income taxes from church ministers including the Head of State are to bail out the Government from its high outstanding loans are not only “preposterous but ridiculous,” refutes incumbent Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi.
In addressing the accusations, Tuilaepa did not mince words calling out Tui Atua to provide real evidence to support his accusations.
“It’s reflects his (Tui Atua’s) bitterness and this has been crystal clear after his tenure as Head of State was not renewed by Parliament,” said Tuilaepa.
The Prime Minister added that it appears also that Tui Atua is either oblivious or deliberately turning blind to his failure during his last tenure in office as Prime Minister.
“The HRPP inherited a bankrupt government from Tupua when it came into office in 1982,” recalls Tuilaepa. “No international bank or lending institution would even sit down with Samoa to discuss a financial credit line because we did not have a sene in the bank and the terminology of a Foreign Reserve did not exist in the Government of Samoa’s vocabulary.”
Today, Samoa’s Foreign Reserve Account has a healthy balance sufficient to sustain up to five to six months imports to meet the country’s needs.
This recalled Tuilaepa is one of the many achievements born from the establishment of the Central Bank of Samoa since the HRPP came into office.
“The Government continues to closely monitor our foreign reserves to ensure that Samoa can withstand any external economic shocks or national economic crisis,” added Tuilaepa and reassured that under the HRPP Government, there will be no repeat of the 1981 economic disaster and unforgettable strike by the public servants which brought the country to a standstill for 16 weeks.
He said that during Tui Atua’s tenure as Prime Minister there was no foreign reserve, and the impact resulted in shortage of imported food and commodity’s which caused civil unrest and provoked the biggest strike in Samoa’s history.
“Chicken backs (pakua moa) were the delicacy in those dark days. The country had to do with chicken bones as the main course,” recalled the Prime Minister. “Tupua and his Government imported these bones to feed the country.”
“Limited sacks of rice were imported and there were long queues to buy rice and there were reports of quarrels which lead to the unfortunate loss of lives because the people desperate to buy a sack of rice.”
He says that if anyone is to blame for the PSA Strike it would be Tui Atua because he refused to give the Government employers a pay rise they requested for.
“And that’s what a bankrupt Government is, where people fought over a sack of rice. Store shelves were virtually empty and cigarettes were scarce.
This is not happening with the HRPP Government,” continued the Prime Minister.
When the HRPP came into office in 1982 Tuilaepa was appointed as Minister of Finance at the time. And from then onwards, he recalled that building Samoa’s financial resilience and stability continues to be one of HRPP’s main drive.
“The HRPP Government documented national policies which increased foreign reserves and opened the Samoa Central Bank in 1984.
“Samoa’s foreign reserve arrived at $12 million after our first year in office, and after our second year that amount doubled to $24 million….and our foreign reserves has increased gradually and in line with our policy that the current target level of foreign exchange reserves must cover at least six months of imports to make sure there’s no repetition of what happened during Tupua’s Government.
“We don’t need people like these to lead our Government. They don’t know how to preserve the country’s economy. These people abuse public’s funds and assets which resulted in the crash of the economy and people eating chicken back/neck bones.”
These are all reasons why the current Government is keen on our revenue collections. And that’s why the Government opted for everyone to pay tax.
“We should do the right thing.
“As the Bible tells us that if you don’t do what you know is right, you have sinned.
“I speak as a leader of this country and I believe that God gives me the words to speak the truth without fear.”
Tuilaepa said Tupua should think first about his downfalls while he was Prime Minister before saying anything now.
“As I have stated in the past, accountability and transparency are the key ingredients behind the HRPP’s success story,” continued the Prime Minister.
“To all the government critics, constructive criticisms are always appreciated but I will not sit idle and tolerate any irresponsible lies and slanderous claims to discredit our impeccable reputation.
“No students of politics have to look afar for proof of Samoa’s sterling performance as a political and economic success story.
“As I have stated in the past, accountability and transparency are the key ingredients behind this administration’s success story.”
“And lastly but not the least, I urged the Tui Atua to ask himself first what he can do for his country before lashing out his slanderous media outbursts which is not doing him any favours.
“He should retire gracefully with dignity.”
