Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) leader Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi has rejected recent remarks made by caretaker Minister of Finance Lautimuia Uelese Vaʻai, who credited the current administration for creating the fiscal conditions that other parties are now using to make bold campaign promises ahead of the snap election.

Speaking in response to Lautimuia’s claims, Tuilaepa accused the Minister of misrepresenting the government's financial record and playing politics with Samoa’s economic history.

“They did nothing. They did nothing,” said Tuilaepa. “What he meant was that they raised money. They never raised any money. We were the ones who solved the financial problems of the government from 1980 to 1983.”

Tuilaepa, who has led the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) for almost three decades, said the financial systems and revenue frameworks now in place were laid down by his administration and earlier HRPP-led governments.

“The present government didn’t do anything. All they did was come and allocate the monies that came in from the systems we created,” he said. “The Minister of Finance was only talking politics.”

Lautimuia, in a speech earlier this week, suggested that the ability of opposition parties to make spending promises was due to the financial stability created by the FAST-led government since taking office in 2021. He credited fiscal reforms and debt management strategies for improving the country’s economic standing.

But Tuilaepa refuted this, saying Samoa’s debt servicing capacity has long been maintained due to financial discipline instituted during his tenure.

“We laid down the foundation for what is to be set aside for the debt service capacity,” he said. "We have never struck right from 1970 because we laid down the system to ensure that our debt service ratio is good."

Tuilaepa said the Finance Minister was failing to grasp the structural policies that have supported Samoa’s economy, saying “he was trying to play politics but he did not understand what we did.”

Tuilaepa concluded his remarks with a plea to the Samoa Observer stating: “I hope you write down what I said.”