By Staff Writer
The opposition HRPP party is to file a court petition for alleged bribery and treating against the FAST-Government candidate by-election win of the Vaimauga 3 electorate seat last weekend.
Former Prime Minister and HRPP opposition leader, confirmed the intended legal action yesterday in his regular weekly Thursday media session.
Vaimauga 3 has been an HRPP long held seat by the late former Cabinet Minister, Tapunu’u Niko Lee Hang, who died while in office as MP for the constituency.
The Government by-election candidate in the 3-man race, Lautimuia Uelese Vaai, claimed the seat with a comfortable winning margin of more than 400 votes.
“Our legal petition should be filed with the court before the end of this week on the blatant use of money by Government to influence the votes for their candidate,” Tuilaepa complained.
“Giving away $5,000 under the guise of culture before polling is illegal and the Electoral Act is very clear on that.
“The culture of giving is not allowed during the campaign period, only after the close of polling.”
The opposition leader believes it is an obligation for everyone to respect the law and upheld it.
“We have to do this now and clear it with the courts or Government will take the same illegal actions with the by-elections pending on the three MPs who resigned from the us.”
Polling results also raised several concerns when close to half of the voters did not bother to cast ballots and one that the opposition leader picked up on as well.
“To us the poor turnout is a reflection of an electorate who was once supportive of Government but no longer do so in disgust and demonstrate it by not being bothered to vote.”
Tuilaepa pointed out as a glaring example the failed election promise of $1m tala for each of the 51 electorate districts ‘to do as they wish.’
The offer was for every year for the next 5 years for an overall total of $150m tala for all the electorates.
“The offer is now going on its third year and so far, only a total of $200 thousand has been paid out from the $3m that is due in some of the electorates.
“For this kind of give away money the question is where Government is going to come up with all that when there is none.
“What does say about all the promises that were made if they were lies and a deliberate deception?”
Tuilaepa has been alleging also that Government has been selective of the electorates to have already received the allocated fundings released so far.
The opposition leader had been a leading critic of the sweet election promise by the Government party as a deliberate lie to fool the voters into casting their ballot for the FAST Government.