Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Polataivao Schmidt has defiantly brushed aside warnings from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that a government-backed airline could prove financially devastating for Samoa, telling Parliament that development partners "don't know anything we are facing."
The sharp exchange unfolded on Tuesday morning after Deputy Leader of the Opposition Fonotoe Pierre Meredith raised concerns over the government's plan to relaunch international jet services, citing an ADB warning reported by the Samoa Observer on Monday.
The report revealed that fact-finding meeting with a Samoan government delegation raised questions about whether Samoa could sustain two airlines on key international routes and warned that a new airline venture could carry significant financial risks.
Laaulialemalietoa immediately pushed back against the criticism.
"Leave it to me, you worry about things you can't do," the Prime Minister told Fonotoe.
