Lt. Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga wasn’t able to sail on board the Hokule’a over the weekend as planned, because he traveled to Hawai’i to attend meetings — including the 32nd Meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, says Iulogologo Joseph Pereira, the governor’s executive assistant.

Some of the publications about Hokule’a's visit to the territory indicated that Lemanu was to sail onboard the Polynesian voyaging canoe from Pago Pago to Apia, Samoa.

However, when the Hokule’a finally left last Saturday morning after a two day delay due to bad weather, Lemanu was not on board, and there was no explanation given at the time as to why the Lt. governor didn’t sail with the crew.

This prompted questions from the public as to why Lemanu didn’t honor the commitment made earlier to Hokule’a.

Responding to Samoa News inquiries, Iulogologo said Lemanu “could not honor the commitment to sail on the Hokule'a because of schedule conflicts.”

Iulogologo explained that Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga had been invited by Hawai’i Gov. Neil Abercrombie to join the other territorial governors attending the Coral Reef Task Force meeting hosted on the island of Maui in Hawai’i.

Moreover, he said, the controversy surrounding the announced intention by President Obama to expand the Ocean Monument in the Northern Pacific represented an issue of concern to Hawai’i and the Pacific Territories that needed thorough discussion by the governors.

Lolo elected to have Lemanu be his representative at the Maui meeting, as the governor had just returned home, said Iulogologo, adding that Lemanu had to leave last Friday night after the ASG Workforce Day celebration.

“If the Lt. Gov. Lemanu was to sail on the Hokule'a to Samoa he ran the risk of not finding a flight back [to Tutuila]; plus we had the Work Force Day celebrations. This is a very important initiative for the Administration hence the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor's presence was necessary to demonstrate the importance of this event to both of them, thus projecting that feeling to all private and public workers,” he said.

“It is just unfortunate that schedule conflicts precluded accommodation of all events,” Iulogologo pointed out.

The Hokule’a along with Hikianalia arrived Monday morning (Samoa time) at the shoreline of Apia, Samoa. The arrival coincided with the official opening of the third conference of the United Nation Small Island Developing States (S.I.D.S).

While the Hokule’a and crew were on Tutuila, the Senate last week Wednesday approved a Senate resolution commending the Polynesian Voyaging Society as they seek to perpetuate the art and science of traditional Polynesian voyaging and the spirit of exploration through essential education programs.

Introduced by Sen. Galeai M. Tu’ufuli, the non-binding resolution said the Hokulea’s visit will foster a strong relationship between the Hawaiian Islands and American Samoa. In addition, the Hokule’a will be able to broaden cultural and traditional knowledge, outreach and awareness to communities locally, national, regionally and internationally.

“We seek to perpetuate the importance our culture and of our oceans as it is the main source of living for all Polynesia,” the resolution states. “It is with great pride that we welcome and appreciate the driven purpose... of Hokule’a and Hikianalia and wish them further success on continuance of the worldwide voyage.”

The resolution, which is on behalf of the Fono and the people of American Samoa, was presented to the crew before they departed the territory.