Pago Pago will be a hub of activity this week. Leaders from both Samoa will meet for the fifth Ato O Samoa talks. The talks are beneficial for both countries.

However, the way the talks are dealt with has become a tale of two cities. The administration in Pago Pago has always been transparent with the way the talks are being held and the topics that are being discussed. They have chosen to speak publicly about the trade deals they have struck with their neighbours.

However, the administration on the western front has kept all talks shrouded in secrecy. No one knew of the land deal for agriculture and livestock for American Samoa until it was brought up in their senate talks.

Surprisingly, the communique from the talks last year was only released on the day the government delegation left for Pago Pago.

The government media will be travelling with the government delegation and mind you it is quite a big team. But it is very disappointing that the government media does not keep the people of this country up to date with what deals and talks that take place.

While it is considered high level talks, it takes place between people elected by the people of each country. The talks are ways to enhance cooperation between the people of two countries who are only divided because of their colonial history.

The large government contingent that flew over, did so on taxpayers’ money and the offerings that they have taken for our cousins are from the same funds as well. It is however, very ironical when the government team receives ‘envelopes’, that never come back to the taxpayer.

While gift exchange is a customary practice, the money received as a servant of the government should always be declared and put into a mutual fund that can be either given to charity or be used for future funds for similar practices without having to take from the public funds.

The last time, the government team went down to Pago Pago for the Ato o Samoa talks, some government ministers pocketed as much as SAT$6,000. There are even stories of civil servants who travelled during the last meeting receiving as much as SAT$1,000.

Customs can be practiced but the idea of money being pocketed by cabinet ministers is not quite good when you want to lead by transparency and accountability.

Most of Samoa is also hoping that the talks that happen in Pago Pago are made public as quickly as possible. It is still hard to understand why the talks that eventually impact the people of both Samoa is kept secret, especially from this end.

The political union of Samoa and American Samoa both of which are part of the Samoan Islands, has been proposed ever since their current status was established in the half of the 20th century under the Tripartite Convention, and even earlier. But we know now, that this will never happen.

This nation prefers to stay independent while our neighbours prefer the American ideals.

In 1919, Samoa expressed a desire to unite with American Samoa. The Samoan people in both Samoa and American Samoa share ethnicity and culture, but their islands have remained politically separated.

The western islands were incorporated as the Western Samoa Trust Territory under British administration from 1920–1946, and under New Zealand administration from 1946 to 1962. The Inter-Samoan Consultative Committee was established in 1955 to promote cooperation between the two.

Richard Barrett Lowe, the governor of American Samoa from 1953 to 1956, said during his tenure that it had been decided that reunification with Western Samoa was not to be discussed by the Committee. In 1969, a political commission in American Samoa rejected a proposal for unification with Western Samoa.

Sentiments for and against unification exist in varying degrees. Nevertheless, some Western Samoan political leaders have argued in favour either of unification or of making Western Samoa an American Trust Territory.

Although inhabitants of American Samoa have a strong Samoan national identity, there is no large movement among them in favour of independence or unification with Western Samoa. American Samoa protested Western Samoa's official name change to "Samoa" in 1997, concerned that it would imply that Samoa has authority over all the Samoan islands, including American Samoa.

While that was a bit of history on the two Samoa, we hope the talks in Pago Pago are fruitful and do develop into something beneficial for both nations.

Above all, we hope that whatever is discussed is made public.