The Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) Party did not deliver a manifesto on Friday but taunted the Human Rights Protection Party's (HRPP) manifesto, saying their hands were bloodied by the deaths of infants during the measles pandemic.

FAST Party La'auli Leuatea Schmidt did not introduce a manifesto but highlighted that they believe the poverty alleviation promises were just bait.

"This promise is to betray Samoa," La'auli said.

"Samoa let you be the witness of this, FAST were the only ones who have helped these families during times of sadness of losing their babies to measles." 

He said that it's just unrealistic to see these promises give out a lot of money to the people without encouraging them to depend on themselves for a living.

"Our people should not depend on others for survival; we should eat from our sweat," he added.

He said HRPP seems like they're going to just hand out money to the people as if the money falls from a tree or the heavens.

"People will now be keen to get $2000, a $1000 for a newborn baby and another $1000 for vaccinations," La'auli said during the Fofola le Fala media programme on Friday.

"HRPP is not thinking heavily about the lives of the babies that died from measles."

La'auli elaborated, saying that there was not a cent that HRPP gifted to the families of the babies who died from measles, and they were now covering this with the new manifesto.

La'auli said FAST will reveal their manifesto next month while touring Savaii and Upolu, and then Tutuila on 16 and 17 July.

He said it was important to get feedback from neighbouring American Samoa to strengthen ways for both countries to move forward with the Atoa Samoa Talks.

La'auli also briefly explained that FAST is planning to increase the $1 million project for each constituency based on how big or small a district is.

He said that constituencies with only one village included will get $1 million, but constituencies with more than three villages will get an additional $500,000 on top of the $1 million.

A promise for a new plane was echoed by La'auli as he tried and briefly explain their plans for Samoa if elected.

Fact Check: The 2019 Samoa measles outbreak began in September 2019. By 6 January 2020, over 5,700 cases of measles and 83 deaths had been reported, out of a population of 200,874, an infection rate of over three per cent. 

La'auli was still a member of parliament under HRPP during the measles outbreak. He resigned from HRPP in June 2020 after being cleared by the court over criminal charges. The FAST party was registered on 30 July 2020, and in August 2020 began announcing candidates for the 2021 Samoan general election. The FAST party was not around when the measles epidemic took place.