Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean has confirmed that in order for Senator Ponausuia Luce Ponausuia to continue occupying his Senate seat, he must register his matai title.
In response to questions from KHJ News, Tuaolo explained that he became aware last week that Ponausuia had not registered his title with the Office of the Territorial Registrar. This was despite the fact that the County Chief had signed off on the certification document, which verified that Ponausuia had met the requirements to serve as senator for District #6.
The Senate President said he assigned Senate Counsel Mitzie Jessop Taase to investigate the matter, and the Territorial Registrar’s Office confirmed that Ponausuia had not registered the title under his name. While a matai title bestowal ceremony for Ponausuia took place a few years ago, he did not complete the final step of registering the title, Tuaolo noted.
The Senate leader explained that the district of Maoputasi met on Saturday and decided to allow Ponausuia to complete the registration process. The law provides a 60-day period for any claims to the title.
Tuaolo expressed confidence that Ponausuia would return to the Senate when the Fono reconvenes in July after successfully registering his title.
In the meantime, he has decided to halt all paychecks and allowances for the senator until he provides a certificate of registration for the Ponausuia title.
A bill passed in the 38th legislature and enacted into law requires that all counties select their senators no later than the first Tuesday in December of each general election year. The bill also mandates that senators who have been selected must submit their qualification credentials to the Senate Committee for verification before being sworn in.
The law also specifies that selected senators must submit their birth certificates to verify their U.S. nationality or citizenship, their age, a certificate of their registered matai title, and proof of residency.
