Pol I T Ical Reviews • Micronesia 137 References Marshall Islands
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pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 137 References thirteen other udp members, includ- ing former President and current Bradley, Joseph. 2009. Presentation given Jabat Senator Kessai Note, signed at the Association of Pacific Island Legisla- the motion, although in entering the tors General Assembly held in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. June. motion they acknowledged that they lacked the minimum seventeen votes gec, Guam Election Commission Web site. needed to unseat Tomeing. Among http://gec.guam.gov/results/ the list of reasons for the motion, the Guam Legislature Web site. http://www United Democratic Party cited deterio- .guamlegislature.com/ rating relations with the United States, kuam, kuam.com: Guam’s News the inaction on the part of the Tome- Network. http://www.kuam.com/ ing government to respond adequately to the recent loss of jobs for Marshal- PDN, Pacific Daily News. Hagåtña, Guam. http://www.guampdn.com/ lese citizens at the US Army base on Kwajalein, failing to support a bill in uog, University of Guam Web site. the US Senate that would have ear- http://www.uog.edu/ marked $4 million per year for the next fifteen years for health services to Marshallese from nuclear-affected atolls, and the administration’s Marshall Islands “refusal” to move forward with the The past twelve months in the Repub- newly approved Uliga Elementary lic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) have School (Chutaro and Johnson 2008). been characterized both by the break- According to the RMI constitu- ing of new political ground—including tion, the Nitijela must vote within five two votes of no confidence, cabinet to ten days after the submission of a shake-ups, and emerging diplomatic no-confidence motion, regardless of prospects—and by the reappearance whether or not Parliament is in ses- of entrenched electoral, fiscal, and sion during that time. Sensing that the demographic challenges. United Democratic Party did not have Certainly the most highly antici- the votes necessary to prevail, Speaker pated and watched political events of Jurelang Zedkaia, a ruling aka party the last year were the two votes of no member, convened the Nitijela on 21 confidence filed against the adminis- October; after preliminary opening tration of President Litokwa Tomeing, remarks, udp chairman Ailinglaplap heading a coalition government led Senator Ruben Zachras withdrew by the Aelon Kein Ad (aka) majority the motion. The United Democratic party, within his first fifteen months Party was further embarrassed by the in office. The first no-confidence vote absence of one of the original sign- was introduced to the Nitijela (Parlia- ers of the motion, Majuro Senator ment) by Ebon Senator John Silk of Wilfred Kendall, who later explained the opposition United Democratic that he failed to attend the meeting Party (udp) on 14 October 2008, the as he thought the vote would fail last sitting day of the year’s parlia- anyway. While significant as only the mentary session. In addition to Silk, third no-confidence motion in RMI 138 the contemporary pacific • 22:1 (2010) history, this motion was also the first the removal of deBrum as minister to be withdrawn before a vote was (Johnson 2009b). taken (Johnson 2008c; Yokwe Online When the Nitijela reconvened 2008c). its session on 10 March, deBrum The fourth no-confidence motion, promptly took his usual ministerial however, proved to be much more seat next to the president. Prior to provocative as well as more personal, the start of the assembly, however, both for the president and for a deBrum was approached by the number of his cabinet members. The Nitijela clerk and asked to attend a events leading up to the vote of no private meeting with Speaker Jurelang confidence of 18 April 2009 began Zedkaia and Minister in Assistance two months earlier, when Minister of and Ailinglaplap Senator Christopher Foreign Affairs and Kwajalein Sena- Loeak. Reentering the chamber after tor Tony deBrum publicly criticized ten minutes, deBrum quickly gathered President Tomeing in an open session his things and left the Nitijela before of Parliament on 4 February. Citing a the start of the roll call, during which lack of confidence in the president’s he was addressed as “Senator” rather ability to negotiate successfully with than “Minister” (MIJ, 2009e). the United States on the Kwajalein After two weeks of political dead- Land Use Agreement (lua), deBrum lock and internal wrangling in the also took a swipe at the president’s president’s own party, President Tome- closest political advisers and described ing named udp party member Sena- a “cancer in this government” (MIJ, tor John Silk as the new minister of 2009l). foreign affairs on 23 March, marking On 25 February, President Tomeing the first time an opposition member sacked deBrum as minister of for- was appointed to the president’s cabi- eign affairs in response to the public net. Three days later, on 26 March, comments made three weeks earlier, the Nitijela session was again canceled and the president assumed the foreign indefinitely. The next day, a vote of no affairs portfolio in the interim (John- confidence was submitted by Kwaja- son 2009f). That same day, a letter lein senators Iroij Mike Kabua and signed by the fifteen members of the Tony deBrum, along with five other ruling aka party, including the entire members of the governing party, forc- cabinet except for the minister of ing Tomeing to cancel an extended trip transportation and communications, to Hawai‘i and Fiji (Johnson 2009e). Mejit Senator Dennis Momotaro (who The confusion surrounding the was off-island at the time), was sent first time a vote of no confidence was to the president’s office, fervently filed against a president by members calling for deBrum’s reinstatement of his own party led to weeks of in the cabinet. As a result of the rift public speculation as to who would within the ruling party, the Nitijela replace Tomeing as president. Much session was suspended indefinitely, at of this speculation was fueled by the the request of the president’s office, so country’s only print media outlet, that the Speaker could make appropri- the Marshall Islands Journal, which ate seating arrangements reflecting reported on several occasions that pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 139 the members of the ruling party had ministers with members of the opposi- enough votes to topple Tomeing and tion udp party: Minister in Assistance promptly endorsed Minister of Health Christopher Loeak was replaced by and Utrik Senator Amenta Matthew, Ailinglaplap Senator Ruben Zach- the Parliament’s only female member, ras; Minister of Transportation and as the next president (MIJ, 2009d). Communications Dennis Momotaro For his part, Senator Mike Kabua was was replaced by Rongelap Senator reported to favor Speaker Zedkaia as Kenneth Kedi; Minister of Resources the next president (MIJ, 2009h); the and Development and Ujae Senator aka party leadership, however, was Frederick Muller was replaced by quick to criticize the “what-if” sce- Namdrik Senator Mattlan Zachras; narios the Journal had been running and Minister of Public Works and Mili for three weeks, stating that the party Senator Kejjo Bien was replaced by leadership had not yet decided on a Ailuk Senator Maynard Alfred (John- replacement for Tomeing (MIJ, 2009a). son 2009a). By the time of the vote, however, all On the day of the no-confidence of the conjecturing as to who would vote, Speaker Zedkaia again tried to replace Tomeing proved unwarranted, delay the proceedings by citing the as he rather convincingly survived the confusion surrounding the official vote. But Tomeing’s victory did not seating of the new cabinet ministers. come before a minor constitutional After an hour and forty-five minutes crisis was initiated by Speaker Zed- of debating whether or not to proceed kaia, who set the date for the vote for with the vote (which included a dis- 22 April, ten “sitting” days after the cussion of the Speaker’s housewarm- official motion was filed in Parliament. ing party that evening as a reason Since the original proposal of no con- to delay the procedure), the Speaker fidence was “pre-filed” by the original announced that the motion would seven signers of the motion when move forward (Johnson 2009a). Once the Nitijela was not in session on 27 the vote was taken, Tomeing survived March, its official submission did not by a vote of 18 to 14, securing his happen until 8 April, after Parliament political authority for perhaps the first had reconvened. On the evening of time in his administration. 17 April, the high court chief justice The ability of Tomeing to endure ruled that the constitution was clear and prevail over an unprecedented that a vote of no confidence must take two votes of no confidence was vital place within five to ten calendar days to the ability of his administration to of its submission—not parliamentary govern, coming into power as it did “sitting” days as Speaker Zedkaia had after the 2007 election (what many argued—meaning that the last day for consider to be the worst-run elec- the vote was the next day, Saturday, tion in RMI history). As one of his 18 April (MIJ, 2009g). first acts as president, Tomeing had The same day of the high court called for the establishment of an ruling, and one day before the no- independent commission of inquiry to confidence vote, Tomeing made a bold evaluate the 2007 election and make move by replacing four more cabinet recommendations for future elections. 140 the contemporary pacific • 22:1 (2010) On 12 August 2008, the commission’s emergency in order to find ways to findings were made public in its report overcome an estimated $18 million to the Nitijela.