124 the contemporary pacifi c • 21:1 (2009) prison sentence. In a third case involv- nine days earlier, when then-Speaker ing credit cards, the attorney general’s of the Nitijela (Parliament) Litokwa offi ce moved to dismiss “with preju- Tomeing left the United Democratic dice” criminal charges against former Party (udp) and announced his sup- Guam Economic Development and port for, among other initiatives, the Commerce Authority General Man- Aelon Kein Ad (aka) party platform ager Ed Untalan, explaining that they to recognize the People’s Republic of had found no criminal intent involved. China. Tomeing, who became Speaker One of Governor Camacho’s top and was prominent in the udp leader- advisers, Tony Sanchez, quit his post ship when it came to power in 2000, on Camacho’s staff. Months earlier, was quoted as saying, “Our govern- during his previous tenure as superior ment needs to change. Our current court administrator, Sanchez had been leaders have lost their steam and they indicted in a money-laundering case shouldn’t be allowed to continue” relating to payments to notorious (MIJ, 2007c). Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. There was little smooth sailing for kelly g marsh the Note administration in the run- up to the election. At the end of July Special thanks to Julian Aguon and 2007, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tyrone Taitano for contributing their Gerald Zackios resigned his cabinet perspectives and for reading through position shortly after testifying at a US an earlier draft of this review. House of Representatives subcommit- tee hearing on the Compact of Free Association, although he retained his Reference Senate seat from Arno Atoll. While rumors and speculation abounded as PDN, Pacific Daily News. Hagåtña, Guam. to the reasons behind the resignation, http://www.guampdn.com/ the president’s offi ce added to the confusion by letting more than a week pass between acknowledging receipt of the resignation and fi nally accepting it. In addition, the Note government The past twelve months in the Repub- was perceived as having a “hands-off” lic of the Marshall Islands have been approach to problems with the fl eet dominated by responses to a variety of at Air Marshall Islands, the govern- crises concerning the national election, ment-owned airline and lifeline for continued recognition of the Republic many outer-island residents; rolling of China (Taiwan), the status of Kwa- blackouts in Ebeye; and an unfl at- jalein Atoll, the looming energy short- tering economic report from the US age, and the recently declared state of Department of Interior released in late national economic emergency. 2007 (Offi ce of Insular Affairs 2007). The dominant political event was Speaker Tomeing’s analysis that the the national election held on 19 Note administration was “a dismal November 2007. For all intents and failure” seemed to herald the end of purposes, however, the election came udp rule (Yokwe Online 2007a). pol i t ical reviews • 125

No one could have predicted the election experience, were also cited for debacle that began on Election Day, inconsistent application of rules and 19 November 2007, and did not procedures. In at least two instances, offi cially end until 4 January 2008, election workers required that voters three days before the new Nitijela write their names on envelopes with was scheduled to convene and choose their ballots stuffed inside, in viola- the next presidential administration. tion of voters’ anonymity rights. Alik The election itself was fraught with ended the envelope labeling in the late missteps and, in Majuro Atoll (the afternoon when he became aware of capital and population center), a bout what was happening ( Johnson 2007a). of bad weather. While election law Voting in the outer islands had mandates that polling stations are to its share of problems as well. Prior be open from 7 am to 7 pm, only one to Election Day, with both Air Mar- of the thirty polling places in Majuro shall Islands planes grounded, bal- was operational by 8 am. There were lots had to be sent by boat to various a number of reports of polling stations outer islands in time for the election. opening up no earlier than noon, and However, the ballot boxes missed their one polling station on Majuro had scheduled departure on 4 November, to be moved at 3 pm to the hospital forcing election offi cials to rely on a because the landowner of the original combination of government, private polling place had shut it down, saying shipping, and private charter boats to he had not been asked permission. At deliver and return ballots. On Election 4 pm, the attorney general ordered Day, Jaluit and Wotje atolls both ran twenty-one of the thirty polling sta- out of ballots. Chief Electoral Offi cer tions to remain open for voting until Alik allowed photocopied ballots to be 1:30 am the next day, although the used, with the stipulation that elec- last reported closing came at 5 am. tion workers keep track of how many During late voting, a number of poll- copies they made ( Johnson 2007a). In ing stations had to cease operations spite of the problems plaguing Majuro temporarily to wait for lights to be and a number of outer islands, sunny installed ( Johnson and Chutaro 2007). skies and organized election workers Chief Electoral Offi cer Carl Alik on Kwajalein Atoll ensured that vot- initially blamed the late start in ing on Ebeye and neighboring islands Majuro on the morning rain and the went smoothly. reluctance of the Stevedore Company Absentee ballots also encountered a to set up tents early for fear they series of setbacks and inconsistencies, would be stolen, although a recent most notably in the larger Marshallese change in the voter registration law communities in Arkansas, Oregon, was the more likely culprit. For the and Hawai‘i. The recent changes to fi rst time, voters from any island could the election law regarding absentee vote at any polling station; in the past, voting mandated that overseas ballots voters from particular islands were be postmarked by Sunday, 18 Novem- assigned to specifi c polling places. ber, one day before the election. The Election workers at a variety of sta- attorney general argued that this tions, few of whom had previous change in the law ensured that no one 126 the contemporary pacifi c • 21:1 (2009) voting in the United States would be the objection to the electoral admin- able to vote after the polls had closed istration’s decision did not follow in the Republic of the Marshall Islands proper administrative procedures (MIJ, or be infl uenced by news of the elec- 2007d). tion as it was happening on Monday. Counting the votes from the However, for the majority of absentee thirty-one ballot boxes in Majuro also voters residing in the United States proved to be an ordeal, as the number this meant having ballots postmarked of voters tallied on voter sheets did by Saturday, 17 November, two days not always correspond to the num- prior to Election Day. Contributing ber of ballots in a given box. While to the confusion over the new rule counting offi cially began by 5 pm on was the statement on the president’s Tuesday, 20 November, the fi rst full Web site that voters should post their box was not completely counted until ballots “as soon as possible,” without 11 am the following day (Johnson and providing the actual deadline. What Chutaro 2007). Confusion over the is more, another change in the elec- outcome of the election occurred as tion law stated that absentee voters results were being announced piece- had to request a ballot or they would meal over v7ab (the government radio not receive one (MIJ, 2007b). All of station), on the Web site of the Offi ce this was trumped by the late arrival of the President, and unoffi cially on (13 November) of all postal ballots Yokwe.net, although the numbers to Springdale, Arkansas, home to the were not always the same. largest community of Marshallese Even on 30 November, ten days outside the country (Massey 2007). later, the confusion continued. The By 3 December, a total of 1,239 Marshall Islands Journal reported that absentee ballots had arrived in the opposition aka party had won Majuro, a far cry from the approxi- enough seats to form a new govern- mately 2,500 received in the 2003 ment and the Journal endorsed Alvin election. Of the ballots received by Jacklick, the udp senator from Jaluit the election offi ce, only 621 were who had been minister of health in considered valid; more than half Note’s administration, for president. were immediately deemed “spoiled” Meanwhile, former President Imata for being postmarked after the 18 Kabua stated that former Speaker November deadline (MIJ, 2007a). Litokwa Tomeing would be the next Voters living overseas complained, president, and advocated for a change asking how many ballot requests had in diplomatic recognition from the been received by the election offi ce, Republic of China (Taiwan) to the and how and when the ballots were People’s Republic of China. While the actually mailed (Aenet Rowa, Election aka leaders announced both the for- blog, comment posted 4 Dec 2007). mation of a coalition government and Additionally, the electoral adminis- a new political party called the United tration was sued in the high court to People’s Party (upp), by this time force it to count 136 “spoiled” ballots leaders of both parties had lodged postmarked on the day of the election, complaints with the electoral adminis- but the court responded by ruling that tration over voter eligibility and ballot pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 127 counting. In the meantime, three ballot fi nalized the next day. Capelle was boxes from Majuro went “missing” reelected by six votes, while incum- and the votes were recounted, result- bent Minister of Transportation and ing in more ballots being cast than the Communications and Senator Mike number of voters on the original voter Konelios from Maloelap was also list (Aenet Rowa, Election blog, com- reelected, by a total of twenty-seven ment posted on 28 Nov 2007). votes (Aenet Rowa, Election blog, On 3 December, after the initial comment posted on 4 Jan 2008). recount of the missing boxes, the At the urging of Women United United Democratic Party announced Together Marshall Islands, a vocal that they had secured enough seats nongovernmental organization, and and that incumbent President Kessai at the invitation of the government, Note would return for a third term. the election was monitored by a six- By 6 December, both absentee ballots member Pacifi c Islands Forum elec- and outer-island ballots were selected tion observer team, which stayed in for recount by the election offi ce, even Majuro for a week. Despite the issues though that offi ce had never released surrounding the election, the observer the original numbers of ballots. The team issued a preliminary statement opposition aka party poll watchers asserting that “notwithstanding the staged a walkout in protest, although logistical problems which occurred the recount continued in their absence in Majuro, the voting and counting (Aenet Rowa, Election blog, comment was conducted in a democratic man- posted on 7 Dec 2007). The chief ner, enabling voters to exercise their electoral offi cer released the fi nal, will freely” (Yokwe Online 2007b). unoffi cial results on 10 December, One member of the team returned despite the fact that counting was not to Majuro in January to make fi nal yet completed. The last two boxes observations, but the visit did not to be tabulated came from Rongelap make much difference in the team’s and Bikini atolls, which reported no assessment of the electoral process. problems on Election Day. However, On 7 January 2008, the new because of transportation issues, the Nitijela convened as scheduled and boxes were shipped by boat to Ebeye selected the new government. Despite and then fl own to Majuro, where they the wins by udp incumbents Donald arrived on 18 December (Giff John- Capelle and Mike Konelios, the upp son, Election blog, comment posted coalition had made inroads with newly on 19 Dec 2007). elected, independent members of On Christmas Eve, the unoffi cial Parliament and secured enough votes results became offi cial for all atolls for the presidency. It was also reported except two. Petitions for recounts that incumbent President Kessai Note’s were fi led by incumbent Minister of insistence on being the udp presiden- Justice and Senator Donald Capelle tial candidate convinced a number from Likiep, as well as by Maloelap of undecided senators to vote for the challenger Patrick Langmoir. Both new upp coalition. Wotje Senator and recounts commenced on the evening former Speaker Litokwa Tomeing of 3 January 2008 with the results was elected the fourth president of 128 the contemporary pacifi c • 21:1 (2009) the Republic of the Marshall Islands taro as minister of transportation and by a vote of 18-15 over Jabat Sena- communications. tor and former President Note, while Once the new government was in Majuro Senator Jurelang Zedkaia place, the fi ery rhetoric surrounding defeated Jaluit Senator and former the potential switch of diplomatic rec- Minister of Health Alvin Jacklick for ognition from the Republic of China the position of Speaker. udp Senator (Taiwan) to the People’s Republic of Alik Alik, also from Majuro, was nar- China was replaced with statements rowly elected vice speaker over Namu of support and gratitude for Taiwan. Senator Kaibuke Kabua by a one-vote Indeed, prior to the election Taiwan margin, 17–16 ( Johnson 2008c). made a series of explicit overtures in The fi nal makeup of the latest the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nitijela includes some new faces the most notable of which was select- and some surprising departures. ing Majuro to play host to the second The most notable defeated incum- Taiwan Pacifi c Allies Summit meet- bent was Minister in Assistance and ing, held 12–14 October 2007. The Majuro Senator Witten Philippo, who Taiwan government not only fl ew the was unseated by newcomer David leaders of , , Solomon Kramer. The ratio of women to men Islands, , as well as then-Tai- remained steady at 1:32, as Amenta wan President Chen Shui-bian to Matthew defeated Hiroshi Yamamura, Majuro for the allies summit by char- but Abacca Anjain-Maddison was tered jets, but at the end of the summit defeated in her bid for reelection by the Taiwan government also fl ew the Kenneth Kedi. Independents Kramer leaders, including the presidents of the and Matthew, along with Dennis Republic of the Marshall Islands and Momotaro, who unseated Mejit , to for the Pacifi c Islands incumbent Helkena Anni, were all Forum Leaders meeting ( Johnson considered key swing votes in forming 2007b). the upp government ( Johnson 2008c). By the end of January 2008, the The new cabinet refl ects the mix debate over diplomatic recognition of of old and new politicians, including Taiwan faded into the background, those who tipped the scales in favor and the future of the decade-long of the new upp government. Peren- relationship appeared resolved with a nial incumbent Christopher Loeak visit from then-Taiwan Vice President was named as minister in assistance; Annette Lu to the Marshall Islands Tony deBrum as minister of foreign (Offi ce of the President 2008b) and affairs; Nidel Lorak as minister of President Tomeing’s fi rst state visit education; Jack Ading as minister to Taiwan in March. Taiwan’s Vice of fi nance; Kejjo Bien as minister of Foreign Minister Elizabeth Chu and public works; Norman Matthew as the president of the Taiwan Legisla- minister of internal affairs; Frederick tive Yuan, Wang Jin-pyng, celebrated Muller as minister of resources and Constitution Day in the Republic development; David Kramer as min- of the Marshall Islands in May, and ister of justice; Amenta Matthew as President Tomeing again traveled to minister of health; and Dennis Momo- Taiwan to attend the inauguration of pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 129

Taiwan’s new president, Ma Ying-jeou shallese personnel there, heightened (Offi ce of the President 2008c). an already tense situation. At the fi rst After less than a month in offi ce, meeting between President Tomeing the new government also embarked on and US Ambassador Clyde Bishop, a campaign of Armij Mokta (People discussions focused on the lingering First), wherein the president and dispute between Kwajalein landown- cabinet interrogated every ministerial ers and the national government over cabinet and agency head in the public rental amounts. According to the service and promised a number of real Military Operating and Use Rights and symbolic changes to governmental Agreement (moura) signed between operations. For starters, the govern- the United States and Republic of ment would no longer use taxpayer the Marshall Islands governments as funds to purchase alcoholic beverages part of the second Compact of Free for public functions, and nonessential Association in 2003, the United States government vehicles were to be sold is entitled to continue operations in off (MIJ, 2008a). Kwajalein until 2066, with the option In this vein, and in an attempt to to extend the agreement an additional clear up the confusion over the elec- twenty years. However, Kwajalein tion and introduce a more transpar- landowners, led by former President ent governing process, the cabinet Imata Kabua and numerous members appointed an offi cial commission of the new government, insist that they of inquiry into the 2007 election in were not included by the Note admin- early February 2008. Headed by the istration in the 2003 negotiations, Nitijela’s legal counsel, and including and further claim that the agreement four other individuals from the public with the United States actually ends in and private sectors, the commission 2016, the original terms under the fi rst was given forty-fi ve days to conduct compact (Yokwe Online 2008b). a “fact-fi nding” mission to determine In April, Ambassador Bishop con- what had happened during the elec- fi rmed that the compact stipulates that tion and to reconsider the electoral if a new land use agreement between processes and laws (Chutaro 2008b). the landowners and the government By the middle of May, after a month is not reached by 18 December 2008 of public hearings at the Nitijela, (fi ve years after the second compact the commission turned its completed went into effect), nearly $20 mil- report over to the president’s offi ce. lion (the difference in lease payments As of this writing, however, the report between the old and new moura) has not been made public. placed in escrow would be perma- Issues concerning Kwajalein and nently returned to the US Treasury Ebeye also took center stage on the ( Johnson 2008b). The offi cial United new government’s agenda. Various States response to the Kwajalein interpretations of the Kwajalein Land landowners’ complaint—“we are in Use Agreement between landown- the process of developing a plan to ers and the Republic of the Marshall provide for the return of assets to the Islands government, as well as the US landowners in 2016”—came during military’s reduction of US and Mar- two visits to Pohnpei by members of 130 the contemporary pacifi c • 21:1 (2009) the US Senate Energy and Natural Jaluit, as electricity was made avail- Resources Committee as well as the able for ten hours a day (MIJ, 2008e); US Pacifi c commander, ostensibly to two weeks later, gas prices leaped to identify possible relocation sites for more than six dollars a gallon. June the current Kwajalein operation (MIJ, started with an even bigger increase 2008c). in electricity rates—eight cents per At the same time, Kwajalein Com- kilowatt-hour (MIJ, 2008d)—as well as mander Colonel Stevenson Reed a report by the Economic Policy, Plan- announced at the end of February ning, and Statistics Offi ce stating that 2008 that 89 out of 1,001 Marshal- the consumer price index for the fi rst lese Kwajalein Range Services work- three months of 2008 had escalated an ers would be laid off in a round of alarming 10.2 percent (eppso 2008). military base budget cutbacks during By 16 June, the Disaster Committee the 2008 fi scal year (Yokwe Online recommended to the cabinet that the 2008a). The layoffs began in April, government declare a national state and came in the midst of a string of of emergency as the utility companies bad news for Ebeye. In early Febru- on Majuro and Ebeye anticipated an ary, a series of illegal toilet and sewage $18 million shortfall in 2008. The connections resulted in an E. coli utilities reported that they needed $8.5 bacterial contamination in Ebeye’s million in immediate cash to pay for freshwater system (Chutaro 2008a). A fuel that had recently been delivered month later, the government intro- by their supplier sk Networks to meet duced an emergency Ebeye Stabiliza- a 10 July payment deadline, as well tion Plan along with $2.3 million as to provide a down payment on provided by the US Department of fuel needed by early August ( Johnson Interior, intended to fi x basic island 2008a). After a series of delays and infrastructure over the next eigh- deferrals, President Tomeing declared teen months (Offi ce of the President a national state of economic emer- 2008a). To complicate matters, gency on 3 July. It remains to be seen in April the government’s Ebeye how the Republic of the Marshall Situation Report 2008 stated that the Islands will handle this latest crisis. island’s population had doubled since david w kupferman 1980, to an estimated 12,000 resi- dents, effectively producing a popu- lation density of 30,000 people per References square kilometer (MIJ, 2008b). Chutaro, Suzanne. 2007. Vote Price All of these developments, of Skyrockets. Marshall Islands Journal, course, were overshadowed by the rise 9 November. in world food and gas prices, which hit the Marshall Islands particularly ———. 2008a. Ebeye Fresh Water “Poi- son.” Marshall Islands Journal, 8 February. hard. On 1 April 2008 the biggest-ever increase in the cost of electricity took ———. 2008b. Official Investigation into effect nationwide, climbing 7.5 cents Election Problems. Marshall Islands Jour- nal, 15 February. per kilowatt-hour (MIJ, 2008f ). On 13 May, power rationing began on Jabor, Election blog. http://election.yokwe.net/ pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 131 eppso, Economic Policy, Planning and ———. 2008f. Power Soars by 7.5 Cents. Statistics Office. 2008. Republic of the Marshall Islands Journal, 28 March. Marshall Islands Consumer Price Index. Massey, Richard. 2007. Springdale: Votes Republic of the Marshall Islands. http:// of Region’s Marshallese Play Role in www.spc.int/prism/country/mh/stats/ Monday’s Election. Arkansas Democrat Publications/CPI/2008/CPI_Q2_08.pdf Gazette, Northwest Arkansas edition, 15 Johnson, Giff. 2007a. Carl Blames Bad November. Weather for Late Start. Marshall Islands Office of Insular Affairs. 2007. Republic Journal, 23 November. of the Marshall Islands Fiscal Year 2006 ———. 2007b. Ni-hao: RMI Welcomes Economic Review. Washington dc: US Leaders. Marshall Islands Journal, 12 Department of Interior. October. Office of the President. 2008a. doi ———. 2008a. $8.5m Crisis. Marshall Assist with Ebeye Stabilization Project. Islands Journal, 20 June. Republic of the Marshall Islands. http:// ———. 2008b. $20m at Stake. Marshall rmigovernment.org/news_detail.jsp Islands Journal, 18 April. ?docid=241 ———. 2008c. Behind the Scenes: How ———. 2008b. President Litokwa udp Lost Vote. Marshall Islands Journal, Tomeing Welcomes Vice President Annette 11 January. Lu of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Marshall Islands. Republic of the Johnson, Giff, and Suzanne Chutaro. Marshall Islands. http://rmigovernment 2007. Election Fiasco. Marshall Islands .org/news_detail.jsp?docid=225 Journal, 23 November. ———. 2008c. President Tomeing to MIJ, Marshall Islands Journal. 2007a. Attend Inauguration Ceremony of H. E. 1067 Postal Votes Arrive. Marshall Islands President Ma, Ying-jeou of Republic of Journal, 7 December. China (Taiwan) and H. E. Vice President ———. 2007b. ag Defends US Voter Vincent C. Siew. Republic of the Marshall Deadline. Marshall Islands Journal, 23 Islands. http://rmigovernment.org/news November. _detail.jsp?docid=250 ———. 2007c. Litokwa: Time for a Yokwe Online. 2007a. Marshall Islands Change. Marshall Islands Journal, 16 Speaker Drops a Bomb on Ruling Political November. Party. http://yokwe.net/index.php?name ———. 2007d. Final Unofficial Results. =News&file=article&sid=1984 Marshall Islands Journal, 26 December. ———. 2007b. Observer Team for Mar- ———. 2008a. Cabinet Tackles Cars. Mar- shall Islands Elections Issues Statement. shall Islands Journal, 25 January. http://yokwe.net/index.php?name=News &file=article&sid=1995 ———. 2008b. Crowded Life on Kwaja- lein. Marshall Islands Journal, 18 April. ———. 2008a. Marshall Islands Govern- ment Dismayed by Abrupt usaka Reduc- ———. 2008c. Dark Clouds Looming. tion in Force. http://yokwe.net/index.php Marshall Islands Journal, 25 April. ?name=News&file=article&sid=2094 ———. 2008d. Electricity Bill Goes Up 25 ———. 2008b. Remarks of President Percent. Marshall Islands Journal, 6 June. Litokwa Tomeing during 65th Kwajalein ———. 2008e. Fuel Price Leads to Power Liberation Day. http://yokwe.net/index Cuts. Marshall Islands Journal, 16 May. .php?name=News&file=article&sid=2080