Political Reviews 0LFURQHVLDLQ5HYLHZ,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV-XO\ WR-XQH david w kupferman, kelly g marsh, samuel f mcphetres, tyrone j taitano 3RO\QHVLDLQ5HYLHZ,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV-XO\WR-XQH lorenz gonschor, hapakuke pierre leleivai, margaret mutu, forrest wade young 7KH&RQWHPSRUDU\3DFL²F9ROXPH1XPEHU¥ E\8QLYHUVLW\RI+DZDL©L3UHVV 169 184 the contemporary pacific 26:1 (2014) was promoted by various women’s -february-2013-rmi-minister-tony-de groups and was gaining traction -brum-speech-at-the-un-security-council among the general public by the end [accessed 24 Oct 2013] of the period under review was the Johnson, Terrell. 2013. Are Simultaneous reservation of five seats in the Nitijela Floods, Drought an Omen in the Pacific? to be held by women (MIJ, 10 May The Weather Channel, 1 July. http://www 2013). .weather.com/news/science/environment/ While there is some hope that posi- marshall-islands-climate-change-happening tive change may come from a potential -now-20130630 [accessed 1 July 2013] Con-Con, there is also concern that MIJ, Marshall Islands Journal. Majuro. the results from a popular referendum Weekly. may yield little more than pro-forma pir, Pacific Islands Report. 20 June 2013. amendments, as happened during the RMI Government Denies Social Unrest previous two Con-Cons. As the Mar- During Drought. http://pidp.eastwestcenter shall Islands, and Majuro in particular, .org/pireport/2013/June/06-20-06.htm narrows its focus on the politics and [accessed 20 June 2013] logistics of hosting the Pacific Islands Slate V. 2013. Don’t Talk to Us About Forum in September 2013, there has Your Sinking Island: How the U.N. yet to emerge any sort of direction Security Council Takes a Pass on Global as to where the country is heading as Warming. 2.43-minute video on The it moves into the second half of the World Decrypted. http://www.slate.com/ current (and possibly final) round of articles/video/slate_v/2013/02/u_n_global compact funding. Climate change is _warming_why_the_united_nations_won indeed a threat to the islands, but its _t_make_bold_proposals_on_climate.html effects might not be felt as dramati- [accessed 22 Feb 2013] cally or as immediately as the socio- US State Department. 2013. Country economic impacts that may result if Narratives: J–M. In Trafficking in Persons certain decisions regarding a post- Report, 210–273. June. Washington, dc: 2023 Marshall Islands are continually US State Department. http://www.state put off until tomorrow. .gov/documents/organization/210740.pdf [accessed 1 July 2013] david w kupferman References Commonwealth of the Constitution of the Republic of the Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands, 1979. Available for download from the RMI Embassy in the Throughout 2012, signs became quite United States website: http://www clear that something was very wrong .rmiembassyus.org/Constitution.htm in the Northern Marianas. Investors [accessed 24 Oct 2013] were coming in quickly and leaving De Brum, Tony. 2013. Arria-Format Secu- just as fast. Crime was up and tourism rity Council Meeting—February 15, 2013. was way down. During the course of Available for download from Independent the year, more and more people were Diplomat website: http://www becoming fed up with the way things .independentdiplomat.org/news/15 were going. The governor was issuing political reviews micronesia 185 special edicts to take over almost every monwealth Utilities Corporation, and function of the government, from the just about every other major govern- utilities to the hospital. Involuntary ment function. Summary terminations workforce reductions were becom- were made with the excuse that “I ing quite common. No one knew in have a right to have people who are advance the depth and breadth of the on my side working for me.” Attorney changes at work in the Marianas. General Edward Buckingham loyally One of the early signs of the com- followed the governor and continued ing storm was the Republican victory to implement his policies and provide in the US House of Representatives legal backing for his decisions. The in 2010. The substantial Republican result was the beginning of an upsurge victory over President Barack Obama’s of opposition, which led to the rev- previous majority meant that Gov- elation that all was not well in the ernor Benigno R Fitial, who enjoyed administration. being a member of the National The dissatisfaction reached a Republican Committee, abandoned his breaking point when it was revealed own Covenant Party. The Covenant that the governor and the attorney Party, which he had formed when general had jointly signed a $190 he lost the Republican nomination million power purchase agreement for governor years before, became a with a little-known company, Saipan launching point for his new campaign Development llc (a private company to form a new CNMI Republican organized in Delaware) to construct a Party and thus cash in on the victories power plant at Lower Base on Saipan. in Washington DC. However, he did Eventually it was revealed that the not count on losing the balance of his government would not be paying for Covenant Party stalwarts who refused the purchase of the power plant itself to follow him to the Republican Party. but would have to pay for operations Essentially, he found himself excluded and fuel. These costs are calculated to from most of the decision making, be millions of dollars more than what except for his own. In retaliation, he was being expended at the time. It was began to dismiss members of the Cov- revealed that the contract had been enant Party who did not join his move signed by the attorney general and the to the national Republican Party and governor without the involvement of ended up creating a new opposition the Office of Procurement, the Depart- called the New Republican Party. This ment of Finance, or the management party was made up of previous CNMI of the Commonwealth Utilities Cor- Republicans who became part of the poration, and that it included, among opposition that would later bring him other things, a shipyard facility for down in the most unexpected manner. which no approvals had been given by Governor Fitial began taking the federal government and no Envi- over various public offices by issu- ronmental Protection Agency study ing emergency orders and dismissing had been made. executives who were disloyal and no The combination of reduced longer representative of his policies. government employment, apparently This included the hospital, the Com- illegal activities by the administration, 186 the contemporary pacific 26:1 (2014) and very heavy-handed treatment of not there could be sufficient evidence anyone who did not agree with the to go to the Senate with an impeach- governor’s policies led to the first ment resolution. Since half of the visible sign of opposition: a local lady members of the committee were for stood at an intersection of the road to and half against the governor, progress the governor’s offices with a handwrit- was very slow, and an impeachment ten sign that said “Impeach Fitial.” resolution did not pass the House of That simple move gave impetus to a Representatives; it was defeated in a groundswell unknown in the history vote that followed party lines. of the Marianas. The move to impeach Unlike a previous impeachment the governor was launched. attempt in 1992 (when it had been The public came out in very large alleged that police officers loyal numbers to what became known as to then Governor Lorenzo I Guer- the “Wave In” with signs and banners rero used small arms to shoot at the urging people to support the impeach- homes and businesses of supporters of ment movement. On one occasion impeachment), the only violence that there were opposing movements (pro- took place other than harassing and and anti-Fitial) on the same street, threatening phone calls was when one separated by about one hundred of the leaders of the public anti-Fitial yards. The governor and his people movement had his tires slashed outside were seen driving by on several occa- the public hearing at the House of sions, presumably noting who were Representatives. One of the more the “pros” and who were the “antis.” remarkable moments of that public People who showed up at their hearing was when the Fitial support- government jobs with an “Impeach ers—all wearing red t-shirts and Fitial” bumper sticker visible on their dominating the chamber—spent two car found themselves instantly out of hours praising the governor before work. It was recorded by some people the opposition was allowed to speak. that public demonstrations held by Alternately, one of the more memora- the pro-Fitial faction were monitored ble comments came from a local lady by the governor’s people and that any who chimed in to say, “We have two employee who did not show up suf- gods in the Commonwealth: one of fered the consequence. In these days them is God in heaven, and the other of austerity, any government employ- is Benigno Fitial.” ees with dependents and other needs Things changed after the election became very worried about losing in November 2012 when almost all their employment and, understand- of the pro-Fitial delegation in the ably, found themselves providing sup- House of Representatives were voted port for the governor. out and replaced by pro-impeachment In the legislature, the minority lead- members. They were joined by the ership under Representative Joseph new Republicans and a few renegade Deleon Guerrero formed an impeach- Democrats, hard-core Covenant Party ment committee made up of equal members, and Independents, who members of supporters and opponents pulled together and worked to get the of the governor to study whether or resolution passed.