February 3, 2012

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Brenda voted in as new President of Chamber The Marshall Islands Chamber of Commerce elected a women-dominated board of directors at its annual elections meeting Tuesday at the Marshall Islands Resort. MIVA General Manager Brenda Alik-Maddison (pictured) was elected President of the business organization. She is joined on the executive by PII’s Deborah K. Shoniber (pictured) in the Vice President slot, Continental Station Manager Salome Andrike in the Treasurer position, and Bank of Marshall Islands Chief Information Officer James McLean in the Secretary post. Business people gathered at the meeting urged the new Chamber executive to reach out to new President Christopher Loeak and his Cabinet to follow up Loeak’s announced interest in closer ties with the business community. “I’m ready to work with the new government,” Alik-Maddison said. “We need to have dialog on a continuous basis to get our priority needs addressed.” US helps climate action Ambassador Martha Campbell presented a check for $28,492.29 to Chief Secretary Casten Nemra (pictured) as the first installment of a $100,000 grant to fund a two-year Senior Climate Change Advisor position within the RMI government. The newly-created position is part of a broader effort by the United States to help Pacific island nations adapt to climate change. In addition to the Senior Climate Change Advisor position in the RMI, the United States is providing $21 million over the next two years to the Pacific region to support activities associated with adapting to climate change. The $100,000 grant, provided through the Department of State’s Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, will fully fund the senior technical advisor position for two years. Last month, the RMI selected Steve Why for the position, and he began working in the position on January 10. Loeak to meet with Hawaii Governor President Christopher Loeak (pictured) and First Lady Lieom Anono Loeak were to depart to Hawaii Wednesday night, with a return expected on Tuesday next week. Accompanying Loeak will be Minister in Assistance Tony deBrum and RMI staff. The delegation expects to meet with Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie as an initial contact to open discussions about issues concerning Marshall Islanders living in Hawaii.

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US sweetens offer to fish After telling Pacific island fisheries negotiators last November that their demands for higher fees were “not realistic”, the US government in January increased its offer of fishing fees from $45 million to $54 million and then to $58 million a year. Pacific island negotiators — representing all of the Forum Fisheries Agency members, including the RMI — last month rejected the US pitch as still too low. The leaders are also expecting to meet with officials from Hawaiian Airlines, and to get together with Marshallese in Hawaii. “What entity in the Pacific turns down $54 million or $58 million a year?” asked PNA Director Dr. Transform Aqorau (pictured) last week at his Majuro office. He made the point that the level of fees the US is now offering to pay are huge by comparison to various donor offers of development funding in other areas. “It tells us how much we have lost during the last 10 years of the US Pacific Treaty,” Aqorau said. “We will never again be locked down in this type of (long-term) financial agreement.” The $58 million offer is nearly triple what the US is currently paying. The primary reason the US State Department and US tuna boat owners dramatically increased their offer in just a month — from $45 million to $58 million a year — is that Papua New Guinea last year announced it would withdraw from the treaty this year and time was running out to save the treaty. To salvage the treaty by keeping Papua New Guinea on board, the US also offered to jack up the treaty funding level this year and next until the financial agreement expires in June 2013. The US in November said it would increase the $21 million annually to $35 million a year through 2013, and then upped that to $45 million a year to get Papua New Guinea to cancel its notice of withdrawal from the treaty. At last month’s talks in Fiji, PNG agreed to this offer, which takes immediate pressure off the US government and tuna boat owners. It is unclear at this stage how PNG’s cancellation of its notice to withdraw from the treaty will impact the next session of the negotiations scheduled for Hawaii later this month.

Offering RMI helping hands This RMI government vehicle (right) was parked and locked blocking the road to the Ministry of Education next to the Women’s Training Center in Delap last Saturday. After seeing it, this gang of strong guys tried to pick it up to move it out of the way, but it turned out to be too heavy for them. It remained in place until later in the day when someone returned, moved it to the fence by the training center, and again parked and locked it. From left, below: Jeffery Rison, Linton Baso, Winton Boon, Alson Kelen and Mentil Laik. Photo: Giff Johnson.

$100m fund lost by RMI vote at UN GIFF JOHNSON The Marshall Islands has lost development aid as a result of voting with the United States at the United Nations and Foreign Minister Phillip Muller (pictured above) said the new government is working to change this situation to benefit the Marshall Islands. “We’ve been penalized for being friends with certain countries and no one is stepping up to fill the void,” Muller told the Journal Wednesday. As a small nation with limited resources, the RMI must prioritize its needs, which include a critical shortage of doctors at Majuro Hospital. Votes with the US and Israel, and votes with the US in support of its embargo against Cuba at the United Nations have cost the RMI access to a $100 million renewable energy fund for the Pacific established by the United Arab Emirates and have prevented the RMI from accepting medical doctors offered by Cuba, respectively, he said. The United States asked the RMI to abstain during a UN General Assembly vote last year on the statehood of Palestine, which it did, along with Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru. “We were then told in a diplomatic note from the UAE that we were no longer eligible to participate in the renewable energy fund,” Muller said. Muller, then the RMI’s ambassador to the United Nations, talked with US and Israeli officials about this problem and asked them to help the RMI because of the loss of access to this fund. On the doctor front, Muller said, “for the last three-to-four years, Cuba has offered to provide doctors to the RMI and three-to-five scholarships a year to attend medical schools in Cuba.” He said the US government has discouraged the RMI from taking advantage of this offer, and the RMI votes in support of the US on the embargo against Cuba prevents it from accepting desperately needed medical doctors. “I’m prepared to recommend to Cabinet that, given the situation with lack of doctors here, we invite Cuban doctors to work at Majuro Hospital,” he said. “We should take advantage of offers of help. The most important issue is service to people in the RMI.”

Waylon wins bronze in Australia Marshall Islands wrestler Waylon Muller (pictured) won a bronze medal in last week’s Oceania Championships in Australia, competing against wrestlers out of his normal weight class. Before Muller left Majuro in mid-January, he was working to lose about 20 pounds to get into his normal 84-kilogram (KG) weight class (about 185 pounds). But when he weighed in last week, he was four ounces over the limit, forcing him to compete against wrestlers in the 211-pound weight class. He wrestled competitors from American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and the Federated States of Micronesia, winning a bronze medal. Muller frequently uses crash diets to meet weight limits for regional and international competitions. This time, he said he didn’t eat for three days, and even then came up just four ounces too heavy. The competitive level of wrestlers from the FSM gave him new appreciation for improvements in wrestling that the FSM has produced. “We need to build up the RMI wrestling program,” he said. “The other islands are getting good.” He is now aiming for the combined Oceania/Africa Championships that will be held in Morocco from March 14.

Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) leaders in Fiji last month celebrated the international certification of the PNA-managed skipjack tuna fishery in the Pacific. MIMRA Director Glen Joseph is third from left holding sign, and Majuro-based PNA officials Maurice Brownjohn and Dr. Transform Aqorau are fourth and sixth from left, respectively.

Journal 2/6/1987 P1 Ship shape up? In the wake of a critical Auditor General’s report, some changes are in progress at the ministry of Transportation. Last year, the Auditor General reported to the Nitijela that hundreds of thousands of dollars were lost annually by the issuance of credit for freight shipped and the lack of control over tickets, and that passengers were being endangered by overcrowding of vessels. The report was also critical of the Transportation office for not publishing a schedule during 1985. P9 Marimed looks to 1988 arrival of ‘Tole Mour’ The Marimed Foundation’s ship “Tole Mour” will be launched next January, if construction proceeds as planned, reported the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The 150-foot topsail schooner is being built in Washington state. The $2.2 million project is being funded by private foundations, corporations and individuals, but Marimed Executive Director Teri Klein said the organization is still $1 million short of the amount needed Journal 2/5/1973 P10 UN’s here — but it’s all BS by Dave Moss This last week has seen some thorough cleaning of the DUD area. At first glance, I thought “about time.” At second glance, I knew why — the United Nations visiting mission is coming this week. Time to spruce up the island, get things shipshape, put up a false front. Time to spruce up the island, with the hoopla, bow and scrape a little, birth and cry a little, and send the to complete the ship. The ship will be outfitted with surgery rooms, and laboratory, pharmacy and x-ray facilities. Klein said the ship will “be a boon” for isolated outer islands in the Marshalls that have very little medical care and health education. visitors on their way, laden with stick charts, model canoes, hats, flowers, and woven bowls. But what has the UN ever done for Micronesia. Any help in pushing along self-determination? No. Any help in developing a viable, self-sufficient economy? No. Any help in unifying the incredibly diverse elements that make up Micronesia? No. But yet the Trusteeship Agreement for Micronesia calls for the United States to develop Micronesia politically, economically and socially. The UN is supposed to shepherd this development, and hasten the time of a plebiscite, or else take Micronesia away from the Americans and give it to someone else (like the Micronesians?). But what has the UN every really done for Micronesia. A WHO team whenever an epidemic hits the islands. A package of posters showing what the UN does in other countries. An agriculture bulletin or two. What else? Journal 2/3/1995 P14 Marshall Islands High School Honor Roll, 12th grade Tarry Henos, Morda Morris, Selma Peter, Zin Thomas, Robert Anjain, Anja Henos, Jesse Napolitano, Naomi Lang, Dixie Lomae, Tommy Bohanny, Melissa Zion, Shigeyoshi Ogawa, Nella Jitiam, Samious Anmontha, Carner Andrew, Calvert Muller, Tarbein Daniel, Bruce Bwijtak, Kimi Jorlang, Tony Netwon, Mackton Peter, Joann Keju, Cashmil Simon, Jennifer Johnny, Lucky Jima, Yoma Lodge, Ladd Capelle, Ranny Anrak, and Dohsis Lokot.