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Senate president floats the idea of a Senate trip to Apia

Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean has suggested a possible trip by senators to visit Samoa’s Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mataafa and observe parliamentary proceedings in the Independent State.

Tuaolo directed the suggestion to Sen. Magalei Logovi’i, chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and the committee itself during yesterday’s Senate session.

He believes that there’s a need for a Senate trip to Apia to meet the Prime Minister and to observe as well as learn more of Samoa’s Parliamentary proceedings.

The Senate President reminded senators that Samoa Parliament is a one-house chamber — referred to as ‘unicameral system’ while in American Samoa, its a two-house chamber — or ‘bicameral system’.

According to Tuaolo, the Samoa Consul General in Pago Pago is traveling off-island later this week and recommended that Magalei and his committee meet with the Consul General upon his return to the territory for discussions on such a trip.

Tuaolo also said that if the House wants to join the proposed trip — that would be good.

When Fiame was sworn in as the first female Prime Minster, many senators, along with staff and others in the Senate chamber watched the proceedings as it was live streamed from Apia.

Tuaolo declared the event as “historical” for Samoa as well as American Samoa, while other senators hinted to a trip to Apia to meet Fiame and discuss mutual issues of interest between the two Samoas.

Samoa News notes that Fiame and her cabinet are expected to attend the next “Atoa o Samoa”, interSamoa talks to be hosted in April this year by American Samoa.