Friday, December 05, 2008
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E-mail: |
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Phone: |
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Fax:
(692) 625-3136 |
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Mail:
PO Box 14 Majuro, MH 96960 Marshall Islands |
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In Person:
On the ocean road behind Formosa in Uliga, Majuro |
| Putting energy into RMI energy policy Steps to develop a national energy policy and action plan have begun as participants representing key government offices and a couple of private sector individuals took part in an energy SWOT workshop at the Melele Room on Wednesday. As a response to last summer’s rapid fuel and energy crisis that impacted the RMI, the SWOT — an acronym for strength, weakness, opportunities and threats — analysis is aimed to form the foundation of the RMI’s national energy policy and action plan. Skinner goes into water biz After receiving top marks from the RMI EPA, EZ Price Mart has begun selling “Ultra Purified Marshallese Rainwater” at its shop in Uliga. Dennis Yates, Director of the Diabetes Wellness Center, has endorsed and inspected the product. He was also the first customer to get his bottle filled with EZ Price’s Ultra Purified Marshallese Rainwater. AMI still grounded Air Marshall Islands planes remain grounded, and AMI’s office has a “Closed” sign up. All flights have been grounded for more than six weeks, but AMI and Directorate of Civil Aviation officials are currently in Australia inspecting a Dornier 228 for possible lease, according to AMI officials. Meanwhile, the Dash-8’s replacement landing gear is on island but additional parts are needed to get the plane back into operation. Jajo mad over Jacklick ruling Bien Jajo has sued Alvin Jacklick, Secretary of Finance Jefferson Barton and Attorney General Filimon Manoni over a Kwajalein payment. Jajo is seeking court intervention in an ongoing dispute over who is the rightful senior dri jerbal (senior commoner) title holder for the islands of Biken Nol, Nel, Jeraak, Drebiu and Ja as well as Erlan weto, all in Kwajalein. Deborah, Monique win award for presentation Deborah Shoniber and Monique Graham won an award and gifts at a Women’s Development workshop held in Taipei, Taiwan, last month. Taiwan Ambassador to the RMI Bruce Linghu nominated Shoniber for the workshop, while Graham was nominated by Women United Together in the Marshall Islands. “We won the award for Best Participants for our country report and PowerPoint presentation,” Shoniber said. They also won gifts for best attendance. |
Former Kili/Bikini/Ejit Mayor Eldon Note (pictured) is demanding that an election be held to fill the mayoral vacancy created by former Mayor Kataejar Jibas’ recent death, and has asked the High Court for a ruling on the matter. Note filed suit in the High Court last week, asking the court to order a special election. Note, who lost a close race to Jibas last November, said a special election should be held both according to the KBE Constitution and precedent set in 2000, when Note was first elected in a special election that was held to replace Tomaki Juda, the former mayor who ran for Senator Henchi Balos’ Nitijela seat after Balos died in a car accident. While Note is asking the High Court to order a special election, the KBE Council is seeking national government approval of a KBE Constitutional amendment to allow the Council to appoint a mayor to replace Jibas. Attorney General Filimon Manoni
has been asked by Acting Mayor Alson Kelen to represent the KBE Council in the complaint filed by Note, and Manoni told the Journal that he expects to file a response to Note’s complaint on Thursday this week. “There are clear contradictions in the KBE Constitution that leave little room for interpretation,” Filimon Manoni said. “The best option is to have the Council resolve the inconsistencies.” He said he will give a legal opinion on the KBE Council amendments later this week. But Note doesn’t agree with the Council plan. “A violation of the local government constitution has arisen because the local government council has not acted to request a special election to fill the seat vacated by the recent death of the Mayor,” Note said in his court papers filed by attorney Gordon Benjamin.
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Japan-based Sasakawa Foundation is ready to inject $10 million into establishing a regional “coast guard” for the Micronesian area and island leaders are pushing for a major overhaul of fisheries relations with foreign fishing fleets. Those are two of the major results from the Micronesian Presidents’ Summit held in Pohnpei late last month, according to an official who participated. The Sasakawa proposal is aimed at stepping-up marine surveillance operations in the Micronesian area and developed from a visit that Sasakawa Foundation officials made to Majuro and other islands earlier this year. RMI was represented at the Presidents’ Summit by Foreign Minister Tony deBrum, while Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr. and FSM President Manny Mori were representing their islands. The RMI is set to host the next summit in late 2009. “The leaders want to overhaul fisheries as we know it,” said one official.
The plan is to produce a new model for the “Parties to the Nauru Agreement” — known as the PNA nations — to get more control over the resource and generate more revenue.
The plan is to produce a new model for the “Parties to the Nauru Agreement” — known as the PNA nations — to get more control over the resource and generate more revenue.
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P5 A special task force recently organized by the Trust Territory Health Council is scheduled to make a field trip to the outer island atolls of the Marshalls District to assess the health situation in those areas, according to a TT Health Services spokesman. The team is slated to leave Majuro on December 10.
P2 Speaking of women — Majuro ones in particular — do you notice how westernized they have become? It may be good and it may be bad. I don’t want to antagonize anyone, particularly you girls. But I feel I must say something about things that are of concern for the womankind. Call it progress or whatever, many of you are now shaving their underarms. As I say, this may be good or it may be bad. But just think how many razors you’ll have to buy in a year! Bald underarms, hairy or not so hairy ones, we like them all. I’m just surprised that these basically intelligent women will fall for this western concept of seeing things (bald is good or having too much hair is unfeminine). — Akio Heine
P3 The Marshall Islands Atomic Testing Litigation Project (MIATLP) lawsuit is now moot after lawyers for the US government asked the federal court for a stay of the suit for the time being, MIATLP lawyer Edwin C. Martin told the Journal. Martin said this in a way is good because nobody knows what is going to happen to the Compact. “There is no sense for the court and lawyers fighting now when the Compact is likely to be thrown out anyhow,” he said.
P1 The Japanese Embassy in Majuro will seek approval for funding two major infrastructure development projects — one on Ebeye, the other in Majuro. If this is approved, it will mark the first time that the Japanese government has funded more than one major construction project at a time in the RMI. The RMI government recently requested Japanese aid to build a new public elementary school facility on Ebeye and a new hospital on Majuro. Only Ebeye, a $12 million project, has gone through the formal submission process.