Political Reviews Micronesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 john haglelgam, david kupferman, kelly g marsh, samuel f mcphetres, donald r shuster Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 lorenz gonschor, jon tikivanotau m jonassen, margaret mutu, unasa l f va‘a © 2009 by University of Hawai‘i Press 113 Micronesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 Reviews of Kiribati and Nauru are not Judiciary and Governmental Opera- included in this issue. tion Committee criticized the court for not acting promptly on the nominee’s Federated States of application for reinstatement to the Micronesia FSM bar, but ignored the fact that the The beginning of this review period nominee still cannot appear before the was particularly busy. The new FSM Supreme Court. Regardless of national administration led by Presi- the defi ciency in Robert’s credentials, dent Emanuel Mori had just been the FSM Congress took the bizarre inaugurated and the political watch- action of approving his nomination. It ers were focusing on nominations is not clear how the new attorney gen- for department heads. The fi rst batch eral will represent the nation before of nominees the president submitted the FSM Supreme Court, and how included his uncle for secretary of much damage this action has done to resources and development, and his the reputation, image, and legitimacy brother-in-law for FSM ambassador of the national government. to the United States. The respective At the time of this writing, the congressional committees favorably Mori administration has fi lled almost recommended the nominations for all the major overseas posts with new approval. However, the whole con- ambassadors. Yosiwo George, the gress rejected both. Neither the reports former governor and chief justice of of the jurisdictional committees nor Kosrae and most recently the man- the fl oor debates addressed the issue ager of MiCare, the national govern- of nepotism, which was foremost ment health insurance program, is the in everyone’s mind. Regardless, the new FSM ambassador to the United political pundits knew that the two States. John Fritz, a Japanese-educated nominations were rejected because Chuukese and longtime staff member the nominees are close relatives of of the embassy in Tokyo, has taken the president, who is from Chuuk over from Kasio Mida as the ambas- State. In this particular case, the FSM sador to Japan. The former counsel public can heave a sigh of relief that general in Guam, Samson Pretrick, the built-in checks and balances at the has become the new ambassador to national level worked. Fiji. Masao Nakayama remains the The president nominated Makato head of the FSM Permanent Mission Robert from Chuuk as his attorney at the United Nations. Beijing is the general. At the time of his nomina- only unfi lled overseas post, but Carl tion, Robert was still facing charges Apis, a Pohnpeian, has been appointed of unethical practices in the FSM as deputy chief of mission there. The Supreme Court. In its report, the consul general positions in Guam and 114 pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 115 Honolulu are fi lled respectively by Mauricio remains the director of the Gersen Jackson of Kosrae and Aki- newly expanded Offi ce of National lino Susaia of Pohnpei. Jackson is a Archives, Culture, and Historic former lieutenant governor of Kos- Preservation. Fabian Nimea, former rae, and Susaia served as the secre- manager of the Pohnpei Branch of the tary of the Department of Economic Bank of the FSM, becomes the direc- Affairs under former President Joseph tor of the Offi ce of Statistics, Budget Ursemal. and Economic Management, Overseas It is interesting to note that Masao Development Assistance, and Com- Nakayama is the only remaining pact Management (sboc). And Julius member of the old FSM diplomatic Joey Sapelalut has taken over as the corp. Yosiwo George served a couple chief public defender. of years as head of the FSM mission It is noteworthy that all the FSM at the United Nations in New York. constituent states are represented in Pretrick and Fritz are new in their the president’s cabinet. For the fi rst posts but they are experienced diplo- time a woman (Vita Skilling) has been mats. The two consul generals are new appointed to head a department in to diplomacy, but they are experienced the national government. All members administrators. of the cabinet are veterans of state or The FSM president’s cabinet con- national administrations. sists almost entirely of new members. The new national administration Finley Perman, a former offi cial of submitted to the FSM Congress a reor- the Pohnpei state government, now ganization bill to revamp the executive heads the Department of Finance branch in order to focus on national and Administration; Lorin Robert, priorities and streamline the various the former deputy secretary of for- departments and offi ces. The congress eign affairs, became the head of that passed the bill in almost its original department. Vita Skilling, a physician form. The law split the Department of at the Kosrae state hospital, became Health, Education, and Social Affairs the secretary of the new Department into two new departments: the Depart- of Health and Social Affairs. The head ment of Health and Social Affairs, and of the newly renamed Department of the Department of Education. Resources and Development is Peter Another notable feature was the Christian, the former Speaker of the creation of a new Offi ce of Statistics, national congress. Casiano Shoniber, Budget and Economic Management, the former Pohnpei state director of Overseas Development Assistance, education, took over the new Depart- and Compact Management. The new ment of Education. Francis Itimai, sboc offi ce incorporates the collection the former director of planning and and analysis of data, formulation and budget in Yap, became secretary of compilation of budget, responsibil- transportation, communication, and ity for overseas assistance, economic infrastructure; the former head of that analysis, and compact manage- department, Andrew Yatilmal, now ment. A cursory look at the new heads the Offi ce of Environment and offi ce indicates that it has assumed Emergency Management. Dr Rufi no some responsibilities that might be 116 the contemporary pacifi c • 21:1 (2009) more appropriately assigned to the to exercise (Meller 1985). It is diffi cult Department of Foreign Affairs and to understand how preservation of cul- the Department of Resources and ture becomes an expressed power or Development. It is hard to imagine indisputably national in character, and how this offi ce will be able to focus therefore beyond the states to control. on its multitude of roles and respon- In fact the very essence of FSM feder- sibilities with regard to planning and alism is the diversity of its constituent implementing national priorities. It is states. As far as the states are con- likely that confusion and friction will cerned, one of the attractive aspects result from the diffi culty of delineat- of the national constitution was the ing responsibilities within the offi ce, as empowerment of an individual state to well as defi ning its relationships with preserve its own cultural uniqueness other departments. For instance, does within the whole federation. This is the new offi ce, which absorbed the what the FSM people proudly refer to Offi ce of Compact Management, take as unity in diversity. over the responsibility of managing The People’s Republic of China the relationship of the Federated States is quite active in providing funds of Micronesia with the United States, for a variety of public buildings and or just a portion of it? If it is just a other projects. In addition to the portion, then what is left for foreign offi ce building for the Tuna Commis- affairs to do? How about coordination sion, projects funded by the Chinese of established roles and responsibili- government include the FSM embassy ties between the two institutions? It is in Beijing, assistance to the fi nancially interesting to note that the new offi ce troubled state governments of Chuuk has hired one health specialist and one and Kosrae, the construction of the education specialist. It has assumed a Pohnpei state capitol, and contribu- multitude of functions and responsi- tions to the FSM Trust Fund. The bilities that indicate that it is becoming funding of public projects and direct a super-department—without having contributions to fi nancially belea- fi rst been a department. guered states have certainly raised the Another notable aspect of this political profi le of China as a player in reorganization law is the changing role the Micronesian region. of the Historic Preservation Offi ce, The FSM president irked the US which is now also in charge of cultural embassy in Kolonia by suggesting in preservation. This seems to contravene an interview with Pacifi c Magazine the very essence of the FSM federal that China could become a challenger system of government. At the 1975 to the United States in the Pacifi c Micronesian Constitutional Conven- region (Takeuchi 2008). The presi- tion, the delegates opted for a system dent’s ad-lib comments annoyed the of government that delegated particu- Americans but the president expressed lar expressed powers, as well as pow- the common feeling that China is here ers that are indisputably national in for the long haul. The Chinese are character, to the national government. careful to paint a picture of their coun- Powers not delegated to the national try as an open society that views the government are reserved for the states Federated States as an equal partner in pol i t ical reviews • micronesia 117 their overall bilateral relations.