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JUNE 11, 2010
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| Cohen: Knowledge is the key to good health “The more you know, the better you heal,” said Pacific Islands Library Consultant and former Associate Professor Arlene Cohen of the University of Guam Library. Nine US-affiliated Pacific countries including the Marshall Islands were provided with $390,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to establish and rebuild hospital medical libraries. An opening ceremony of Majuro Hospital’s Library/Computer Lab was held Friday last week. “The Majuro Hospital is linked with other hospitals around the world to keep up to date,” Cohen told the Journal. “This library is open for hospital staff and the community to use.” Majuro Hospital’s Pacific Open Learning Health Net Coordinator Isaac Watak has been appointed as the new Medical Librarian. Cabinet names new TRC panel The Cabinet approved last week a new lineup for the Traditional Rights Court (TRC), allowing for reconstitution of the TRC, which has been inactive for more than a year since the previous three judges’ contracts expired in May 2009. The Cabinet also has named a woman to panel for the first time in many years. Current Clerk of the High Court Walter Elbon (pictured) was named as the Alab (clan head) representative and Chief Judge, Botlong Loeak, who was a TRC judge previously, was named as the Iroij representative and an Associate Judge, and Grace Leban, a long-time employee with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is the rijerbal (commoner) representative and an Associate Judge. Tony's push for LUA to be signed by October A Kwajalein senator says there is no truth to a rumor circulating in Majuro that a new land use agreement has been signed allowing long-term use of the missile range by the US. “I am not aware of such a thing although I am working furiously to get something to the table by August,” said Kwajalein Senator Tony deBrum. “Perhaps a signed LUA by October 1.” The currently existing LUA expires in 2016. WASC accredits Coop through 2016 Majuro Cooperative School has received the longest accreditation term possible from a United States-based agency that accredits schools in the region. “The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is pleased to announce the action taken by the Accrediting Commission for Schools granting Majuro Cooperative School a six-year term of accreditation with a midterm review, expiring on June 30, 2016,” wrote Dale M. Mitchell, WASC Commission Chairperson. |
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It is time for the Marshall Islands to start receiving the full benefit of commercial fishing instead of continuing to let companies from other nations collect most of the revenue. This is the message that top Bank of Marshall Islands officials are promoting as they seek local investors for the bank’s companion company, Marshall Islands Service Corporation, to engage in commercial fishing.“Fishing is very lucrative,” said BOMI official Sultan Korean. “If Marshallese businesses and investors get involved (in commercial fishing) we will see revenue coming into the economy.” BOMI President Patrick Chen (pictured left) said it is high time for the private sector to get into commercial fishing by owning and operating purse seine and other vessels. “We need to explore this option for our economic benefit,” he said. For years, the RMI and other Pacific |
the business venture. Chen said another option he hopes the RMI government and the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority will consider is letting MISCo manage the ongoing Koo’s Fishing Company-RMI government joint venture fishing company. “Before, no one in the private sector was interested (in a joint venture), so MIMRA did the JV with Mr. Koo,” Chen said. “Now the private sector is interested. It’s an idea to explore.” Chen said that MISCo “is ready to work with the government.” Getting Marshall Islands private investment in commercial fishing is essential to the long-term economic development of the Marshall Islands, Korean said. “The total value of tuna exports from RMI is substantial,” he said. “If we retain some of this revenue it will help the economy.” Chen said a partnership with Ching Fu to build a new purse seiner will need an investment of $8 million from the Marshall Islands so the controlling interest is here, not in another country. “If we don’t put up half of the money, someone else will control the business,” Chen said. “If we put our money in, we will own it and run it.” Key to this is for people in the Marshall Islands to get involved in and learn all aspects of the fishing business — not just let a company from another country run it for us. “We need knowledge transfer,” Chen said. “If we do it, we learn to do it.” “Marshallese people need to understand that if local investors get into this industry and significant revenue is returned to the RMI, it will help sustain and stabilize the government’s budget after 2023 when the Compact expires,” said Korean. Chen made it clear that the bank is not investing money in the venture. MISCo has to raise the capital for the proposed fishing venture, he said. |
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| islands have been collecting only license fees from fishing nations that amount to a tiny fraction of the total value of the $3 billion in fish caught in the Pacific each year. “This is in the national interest,” Chen said. “The Compact will end in 2023 and the RMI has to stop depending on US and other foreign aid. We have to start making our own revenue and developing the economy.” The Marshall Islands Service Corporation (MISCo) recently established an office next to Moylan’s Insurance, has been discussing the building of a new purse seiner with Taiwan-based Ching Fu company, and has been seeking local investors for |
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| ADB reviewing $20m in loan for MEC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A top Marshall Islands Finance official has asked the Asian Development Bank for support of economic reforms the government is planning to implement soon. Meeting with ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda at the ADB annual meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last month, Finance Secretary Jefferson Barton recognized the improved relations with ADB, emphasized that the RMI is keeping current with loan repayments, and asked for ADB’s ongoing support of reforms recommended by Cabinet advisory groups. “We are very pleased with this improvement in our relationship with the Bank, and we wish to see that relationship continue to grow under your strong leadership,” Barton said to Kuroda. Barton was representing Finance Minister Jack Ading at the ADB meeting. He said the Ministry of Finance paid May’s loan payment early demonstrating “the RMI is maintaining Minister Ading’s pledge to you that we as a sovereign borrowing ADB member country will continue to make our loan payment obligations with the Bank a top government priority.” The RMI is also trying to be the first Pacific ADB member to subscribe to the share of the Bank’s fifth General Capital Increase (GCI), “as we agree that the Bank has the knowledge and the experience to carry out important development work aimed at further reducing poverty around the Asia and Pacific region, and hence giving hundreds of millions of people in the region the chance to get out of poverty and realize their full potential,” Barton said. He noted that ADB is now in the review and approval process for loans and grants of nearly $20 million, the first time since 2002 RMI expects to implement large funded projects with ADB support. The projects are: • MEC Energy Sector Improvement Program grant, $3 million • Social Safety Net/2010 Census Program grant, $2 million • Public Sector Reform/MEC Bail Out Program loan, $14 million. |
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