The Member of Parliament for Vaisigano No.2 Motuopua'a Henny Papalii will resign in parliament when the session gets underway on Tuesday, said Prime Minister La'aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt.

He has confirmed that the Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) Party has welcomed Motuopua'a Henry Papalii to be part of their caucus.

He said two independent MPs approached him right after the general election last year, saying they wanted to join the FAST Party.

However, he said he told them to go back to the by-election and run under the FAST Party umbrella to be fair to other MPs who went through the same process.

La'aulialemalietoa said they were Motuopua'a and Fa'alogo Kapeli of Si'umu.

When asked about Motuopua'a still being considered as an independent MP, La'auli said he knows Motuopua'a has prepared for what is coming, and he is ready to resign and go back to a by-election.

The Member of Parliament for Si'umu, Fa'alogo Kapeli Asuao, was contacted for a comment on whether he is also willing to go through the same process, but he said he was too busy to comment.

Vacancies

The Prime Minister also highlighted that the positions of the Ombudsman and the Auditor General were now being advertised.

He said the two positions are important and anyone with the qualifications can apply.

"The Auditor General is a constitutional position, and it is important to screen the people who are going to apply because the auditor reports to the parliament every time money is being used by the government," he said.

"Same with the Ombudsman, this is for someone who knows the constitutional rights of the people, the workers and the public."

Starkist over RSE

The Prime Minister, in his press conference, praised Starkist, the fish processing plant in Pago Pago, for its working scheme. He said it is better than the ones in Australia and New Zealand in terms of the currency.

La'aulialemalietoa said he is meeting with the Starkist management on Tuesday and will discuss more opportunities for people to have the chance to work in American Samoa.

The Prime Minister also stated that the discussion will finalise accommodations and other areas that people need whilst in Pago for these employment opportunities.

Fa'asalele'aga No.2

La'aulialemalietoa said he is looking forward to meeting with Fa'asalele'aga No.2 alii and faipule.

"This is another constituency that the people are heavily affiliated politically, and I hope they can understand why Magele was appointed again," he said.

Even though the media was asking him what he thinks of Fa'asalele'aga No.2 constituency not supporting Magele to be their chairman, and he said maybe it's only Iva and not the whole constituency that agrees on that.

"I'll wait to meet with them and will reveal the outcome of our meeting."