Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has reassured the Samoan public that there are no budget cuts as claimed by former Finance Minister Sili Epa Tuioti.
Fiame was responding to Sili’s claims that there would be budget cuts especially in the health and education sectors.
“There are many ways that the government spends money in communities so it’s either we reorganize how government spends money and put it in package that we are seeing in something that we want to develop but there are different ways of doing it,” Fiame said at a press conference.
“I don’t see that there will be (any) cutting. We will not be cutting anything from the education of health (sectors) and if anything we’ll probably be putting more money there.”
Earlier last week, former Finance Minister Sili questioned where the funds will come from with the prediction that assistance for all private schools including funds for church school systems will also be impacted with the budget cuts – He predicted that there will be budget cuts for some government ministries to meet the Faatuatua i Le Atua Samoa ua Tasi’s promise of $1million tala for each constituency.
“It will be interesting to see where the funds will come from, hopefully it will not come from the Education and Health which have always been priority areas for all HRPP governments,” he said.
“Fifty-one million is a lot of money to find from the national budget”.
The FAST party promised that each electoral constituency will be given $1million tālā for any project they want to do.
Fiame said over $50 million promise for constituencies is a part of the manifesto of the new government.
She also stressed that it is essential that there is this facility by which the government budget can be used to support private sector organizations and initiatives.
“It is a way of work that we would like to see not only through the MCIL but all other ministries that have contact points with private sector or our communities,” PM Fiame said.
Photo by Talaia Mika Caption: Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa