Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) leader and former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has criticised the Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party over the use of two large campaign buses in Savai‘i, calling for transparency around their ownership and accusing the party of benefiting privately from what were once public assets.

Speaking at a press conference, Tuilaepa mocked the buses which display large campaign images of FAST’s election candidates and said the party should declare how it obtained them.

“They should declare who owns the buses,” said Tuilaepa. “It’s an ugly matter. That’s the reality.”

He went on to say that the campaign images printed on the buses gave the impression that all FAST candidates support how the vehicles were acquired.

“When people see these images, they’ll think all of these candidates support the improper way the buses were obtained,” he said. 

The two buses with registration numbers MO 596 and MO 597 are King Long models and are registered to a company named Travel Focus, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA). However, a company search conducted through the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL) shows no locally registered entity by that name.

Travel Focus is also the name of a Hong Kong-based company that was involved in bringing Chinese tourists to Samoa in 2023 through a partnership with Sheraton Aggie Grey Hotel. 

A senior government official speaking anonymously told the Samoa Observer the buses resemble those donated by China ahead of the 2019 Pacific Games and later sold via public tender due to high maintenance costs. Businessman Frank Lu, Director of Sheraton Aggie Grey, was reportedly the winning bidder.

As of publication, there has been no response from FAST Travel Focus or Mr Lu regarding the party’s use of the buses.

Records also show that in 2023, Samoa Royal Tours, a company linked to FAST leader La’auli Leuatea Schmidt’s daughter Rosary F Leilua, was given the exclusive contract for tourist transport connected to Travel Focus. MCIL records show the company was registered in April 2023. However the registry also notes the company is overdue in filing its annual return and could be removed if not compliant.

Tuilaepa ended his remarks by stating that the presence of all FAST candidates on the buses sends a message that they support the actions of their leader including the alleged misuse of former public property.