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Friday, May 8, 2009
Cost of new Majuro hospital is…
This Week's
Inside Stories
US puts hospital
cost at $20-30m
The US government is estimating the cost of Majuro’s new hospital between $20-$30 million, with US funding anticipated to satisfy the entire cost over a multi-year period, according to Interior Department grant program specialist Alan Fowler. An exact cost figure has not yet been produced for this major construction activity. But, said Fowler, “We are still estimating between $20-$30 million for the project.”
President calls for national unity
President Litokwa Tomeing made a strong pitch for national unity in his Constitution Day speech Friday. He also recognized the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand for their important contributions to the RMI.
Silk to revive
UES project?
Will the original plan for building a new Uliga Elementary School in front of Jane’s Enterprises and the Catholic Church area get renewed traction following President Litokwa Tomeing’s Cabinet shakeup last month? In an interview with the Journal, Foreign Minister John Silk called the original plan “important,” and said it is “not just putting up a building. It will accomplish many things.”
We need to be green
Micronesians and Marshallese who complain that climate change is affecting their low-lying islands must start changing their own behavior if they want bigger nations to help, a Micronesian conservation leader told the Journal. “It’s about sincerity,” said Pohnpei-based Willy Kostka, who heads the Micronesian Conservation Trust. “If we’re serious (about mitigating climate change impacts), we need to start adapting and building infrastructure that is climate proof,” he said.
Czechs join
the RMI family
The Marshall Islands and the Czech Republic established formal diplomatic ties in a ceremony last week in Majuro.
An official communiqué was signed by Foreign Minister John M. Silk and the Czech Republic’s top diplomat in Manila Ambassador Jaroslav Ludva in the presence of President Litokwa Tomeing and Cabinet Ministers. The Czech Republic is the 74th nation to establish formal diplomatic ties with the RMI since 1986, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Freedom of
RMI's press
The Marshall Islands is the third ranked nation in the Asia/Pacific region in media freedom, and ranked ahead of the United States in the annual global ranking issued by Freedom House last weekend.
New Zealand and Palau were the top Asia/Pacific nations, tied at number 11, while the Marshall Islands came in next at number 21 out of 195 nations ranked by Freedom House.
ADING UP
Minister of Finance Jack Ading.
By GIFF JOHNSON
The Asian Development Bank has been asked to grant the RMI $10 million to complete a new Majuro Hospital, and to forgive more than $10 million in loans from the 1990s. Finance Minister Jack Ading made the pitch to ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda earlier this week during an annual ADB meeting in Indonesia.
“Our recent loan arrears with the Bank are all now cleared,” Ading said in an effort to emphasize that the RMI is taking its responsibilities seriously. Among key points Ading made is the RMI has established an advisory group to move forward the RMI’s “urgently needed fiscal reform agenda” and is updating its energy policy. Over the past several years, RMI’s inability to stay current on loan payments has hindered RMI from accessing new grants and technical assistance (TA) projects, though the ADB has continued to support several ongoing TA projects. During his meeting with the ADB head, Ading asked the ADB to help the RMI by:
• Funding $10 million of the expected $40 million cost of the new Majuro Hospital. “A funding gap of around $10 million is expected,” he said. The US is providing a portion of the funding.
• Forgiving the $7.6 million Majuro water supply loan and the $3 million
Ebeye fisheries loan, “which we believed, and continue to believe, were a disaster.”
• Identifying possible donors who will help RMI reduce its ADB loan debt by “buying down” what RMI owes. An idea was floated last year by ADB officials to seek US funding support to pay off (“buy down”) a portion of the RMI debt to ADB to improve its financial situation.
• Establishing an ADB/World Bank/IMF field office in the RMI to service all north Pacific member nations of ADB.
• Providing an advisor to the Ministry of Finance.
$40.5m is tough to spend at airport
Here’s the deal, we’ll give you $40.5 million today and our only requirement is that you have to spend all of it within four years. Sound easy enough? I’m sure most of us can come up with our $40.5 million wish list. Or could we? Just ask Port Authority Director Jack Chong Gum, Jerry Kramer of Pacific International Inc., or Anderson Asphalt — who were recipients of Federal Aviation Administration airport improvement project funds — and you might come to appreciate how difficult it actually is to transform all this money into your dream come true: say a fully equipped
modernized airport runway facility complete with aircraft fire fighting and rescue equipment. Speaking on lessons learned with regards to FAA AIP grant program at the Marshall Islands Resort’s Melele Room last Friday to airport officials from Micronesia, Port Authority’s Chong Gum presented an on the ground
assessment of the challenges the Marshall Island has encountered while executing FAA project grants. These challenges are unique to construction on a remote atoll with its own local laws, culture, environmental regulations and transportation difficulties. Then combine that with US federal safety and quality standards that have to be met, and it means four years is not enough. This FAA discretionary funding for airport improvements, however, is not a given as the original instrument to establish Micronesia’s eligibility expired in 2008. The Marshall Islands, like its neighbors to the west, is living on borrowed time at the mercy of the US Congress, which to date has only given the FAA and the Micronesia region a one-year extension on this eligibility. While FAA’s Honolulu District Office manager Ron Simpson says he and his team are doing what they can to help the airports in the Micronesia region continue to be eligible for FAA’s discretionary funds, at the end of the day he
cautions that what the US Congress is interested in is the timely wrap-up of grant projects. “The decision comes down to performance,” said Simpson. “This performance is based on how quickly US funds are transformed into infrastructure.” But Simpson says: “the Pacific in general has not been performing very well.”
May Day basketball winners Kabenmeto, with coach Thomas Heine at left. The players: Jerry Aneo, Nicholas Andrike, Bolear Bolear, Jeffery Loeak, Wayne Anjain, Fredrick Shoniber, Jabat Andrew, Bujojo Maddison, Casper Lejjena, Andil Samson, Akeke note, and Carlsan Heine. Assistant coach Kilmej Tartios.
Photo: Giff Johnson.

Journal 5/9/1970

Journal 5/13/1974
P1 Reports circulating about Majuro concerning parts of a missile falling in and around Mejit Island have been verified. The people of Mejit reported seeing a very bright flash of light during the night about four weeks ago high above the island. The next morning a great deal of debris was found scattered about the island, they said, consisting of a light, copperish, tin-like substance. On April 16, more than two weeks after the missile fell
P1 At least two individuals from the Marshalls have already filed their nominating petitions for the upcoming Trust Territory-wide Constitutional Convention, according to Legislative Liaison Officer Shiro Riklon. Completed forms were received from Mary Lanwi who is seeking to represent Ebon-Namdrik, and
Carl Heine, who is looking for the delegate chair for Jaluit-Kili.
P1 No comment was the comment made by Nitijela Speaker Atlan Anien this week to a question concerning the fate of Nitijela Resolution No. 72. The resolution was one of two pieces of legislation passed in the most recent session, which have thrown the whole future of Micronesian unity up in the air. In effect, it urged the Marshalls delegation to the Congress of Micronesia to no longer participate in that body. There have been widespread rumors that Speaker Atlan was considering not certifying the withdrawal resolution because it was so obviously a difficult stance to assume and if it failed would unnecessarily undermine the accompanying resolution (No. 57), which urged no participation in the upcoming Constitution Convention.
on the island, Kwajalein liaison officer John Beavers arrived with army officials. They said the missile had been fired from California, wandered off course and exploded high over the island. Beavers told the islanders the incident should not have happened and would not happen again. “A full investigation will soon be underway,” he said.
P1 “No time should be wasted in making Micronesia a free associated state of the US.” This was the opinion of Hawaii’s US House of Representatives member Patsy T. Mink in an article published in the Washington Post. “In these days of ‘liberation,’ colonialism is not only decadent but illogical, particularly for a major democracy like the US.”
P4 Sawej Brothers Company expanded is store last week. The company warehouse and the old Peace Corps office were remodeled, adding a 80x30 foot addition to the store. The main attraction to the new department is a large dry-goods section. Donut and ice slush machines will soon be added, according to owner Toke Sawej. The store is located on oceanside road in Uliga.

Journal 5/8/1992
P1 Senator Graham Richardson, Australia’s Minister for Transport and Communications, was accused by an opposition member for “heavying” the government of the Marshall Islands to drop charges filed against Australian Gregory Symons. The charges were made in connection with a telephone call Senator Richardson made to President Amata Kabua shortly after the forgery charges were filed in early April. Richardson confirmed the call to the President but denied trying to influence the outcome of the court proceedings and said President Kabua said only that he would “look into the matter.” Symons is married to Richardson’s first cousin. Symons is charged with 15 counts of forgery for allegedly falsifying documents in a business migration scheme that aimed to sell Marshall Islands citizenship to Asian and other investors.
P4 Social Services Minister Christopher Loeak may spend most of his time in meetings, but Thursday night he showed he hasn’t lost his shooting touch. Without
benefit of a warmup, he swished a shot through from the free throw line to start off the Jets-Jets game (that’s Kosrae-Majuro). That drew a cheer from the youthful crowd. Mayor Amatlain Kabua didn’t fare as well with her opening shot, but she gave it the old college try and that’s what counts. The next evening President Kabua and US Ambassador Bodde tried their luck at free throws. Basketball may be America’s game, but it wasn’t Bodde’s night for a free throw (Blame it on the wind, Bill). The President came oh so close on his shot before it dropped off the ring with an “ooh” from the crowd. Neckties appropriate for marking Constitution Day may have influenced the outcome of the shot.
P4 Now you know you’ve got problems when some of your players turn up drunk and hung over to a championship game. That was exactly what happened with a number of players on the MIHS team over the Constitution Day weekend. Sad to say, but unfortunately there is nothing unusual in this. It demonstrates the lack of pride these young men have in themselves, and indicates the challenge we have to deal with.