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FRIDAY, October 2, 2009
Kabin Meto proved it is the
best men’s team in the
Marshall Islands by coming
from behind Friday to defeat a tough
Kwajalein team in the championship
match of the Bank of Marshall Islands 10th
Ralik Ratak Shootout Invitational Basketball Tournament. Thousands of people jammed the
ECC gym in Majuro last Thursday and Friday night for the semifinals and championship round of the men’s tournament, where the BOMI-provided $1,000 cash was up for grabs. In women’s action, Team Majuro knocked off Team Mejit 59-49 behind the hot shooting of Lyla Lemari, who scored 28 points, to win the women’s championship with an unblemished record of 3-0. (Continued below)
Three point shooting ace Jerry Aneo and point guard Wayne Anjain, who guided their team to the championship, with Coach Thomas Heine.

Photo: Douglas Henry
This Week's
Inside Stories
Banny, RMI ambassador to Washington, DC
The Nitijela confirmed Banny deBrum as the RMI’s ‘new’ ambassador to Washington, DC earlier this month. US Ambassador Martha Campbell told the Journal this week that the State Department had issued its approval of the appointment back in April, and is looking forward to seeing Ambassador deBrum in Washington.
Sgt. Sam
honored by
Fred Muller
More than nine months after US Army Sgt. Solomon Sam was killed in Iraq in a suicide bombing attack, a resolution of condolence was introduced into the Nitijela last week. Ujae Senator Fredrick Muller introduced resolution 44 expressing “deepest sympathies” to the family and friends of the late Sgt. Sam.
Our Airline to
fly for Kiribati
Kiribati’s national flag carrier, Air Kiribati, and Our Airline of Nauru have agreed to run a charter flight service between Tarawa and Nadi, which will put Nauru’s service to Fiji back on track for the first time since 2005.
Mat sells for record $750
“Kõrã im an kõl” is a saying in Marshallese culture meaning that all women have a unique talent and creativity that is bestowed at birth. The marvelous examples of Jaki-ed (woven clothing mats) shown at the Third annual exhibition and auction in Majuro last Thursday prove this to be as true today as in the past.In the Master Weaver category Patsy Herman of Namdrik was well represented with third place and an Honorable Mention. Ashken Pinat, Arno, took fourth with a beautiful mat woven largely from kimej. The only mat with a fringe and the “underbelly of turtles” design by Neiran of Wotho was second. With an outstanding weaving incorporating both traditional and new designs, Airine Jieta of Mejit won first price and sold her mat for a record breaking $750.
Gerald: Let's ban all plastic bags, bottles
Arno Senator Gerald Zackios is proposing to ban the import of plastic bags, Styrofoam cups and plates, and plastic bottles to Marshall Islands. Bill 56 was introduced last week and aims to ban non-biodegradable plastic and Styrofoam items for two reasons: the plastic bags and Styrofoam are a major land and marine environmental hazard, and in regards to bottles, “some retailers imported plastic water bottles and filled those with counterfeit or adulterated substances to sell or distribute to the public.”
Kabin Meto wins championship
(From above story) Team Mejit was led by Joana Keju, who scored 21, and Lusay Jackious with 11. To advance to the finals, team Kwajalein had to defeat Jaluit and undefeated Pool B winner Mili, while Team Kabin Meto had to beat Likiep and Majuro, which had beaten it in the early round of the Shootout. Team Kabin Meto jumped out to a six-point lead at the quarter break, and still held a small lead at the half, 42-39. But the third quarter was all Kwajalein, as its sharp shooting guards Quintin and Markus Milne scorched the basket with long-range jump shots to blast out to a 63-59 lead as the third quarter ended. Kwajalein was on a roll and looked ready to avenge its 89-81 loss to Kabin Meto earlier in the tournament. But then Fredrick Nao Shoniber — later voted the most valuable player of the tournament — Taule Loeak and Bolear Bolear warmed up, leading a 27-point quarter, while Kabin Meto held the visiting team to just 15 points in the final 10 minutes of play to win, 86-78.
By GIFF JOHNSON
Auditors report seven serious problems with accountability at the
MOH audit shows financial issues not being resolved
Ministry of Health’s “Health Care Revenue Fund” in 2008, including violations of the RMI procurement code that have remained unsolved despite being identified in audits since 2006. The report, by Deloitte and Touche auditors, was
issued to Nitijela in September. It found $273,771 in Health Care Revenue Fund purchases during fiscal year 2008 that did not have enough documentation to prove that they followed the RMI government’s purchase (procurement) law. That is 35 percent of all non-payroll spending checked by the auditors that did not follow the law. Auditors said this showed there is a “lack of adequate internal control policies and procedures” governing procurement documentation required by law. Auditors said the Ministry of Health has been advised in the past two audits for FY2006 and FY2007 that it has not followed the procurement law in administering the Health Care Revenue Fund. The Ministry responded to say that it is going to “make it a policy for all high level administrators in the Ministry responsible for initiating purchase requisitions to be well versed in RMI procurement code to ensure compliance.” Other key points made by auditors:
• Ministry staff did not reconcile the Health Care Revenue Fund’s Bank of Marshall Islands account during FY2008, resulting in unrecorded collections from Ebeye hospital of $38,997. In addition, Ebeye hospital’s daily collections and deposits of money are “not monitored by accounting personnel in Majuro,” and related receipts, daily cashier reports and bank deposit slips were not sent to Majuro in a timely way. The audit said that June and July 2008 documents were not sent to Majuro until February 2009.
• Money received from patients at Ebeye hospital was not entered into the Ministry’s accounting program (known as the MIP system) as done for Majuro Hospital. “Management,” said the audit, “only learned of this condition when it was brought to their attention during the audit.” These problems relating to reconciliations and Ebeye hospital money collections could result in misstatements and theft of cash going undetected, auditors said. The Ministry said it would take action on these problems, by performing monthly reconciliations and by having the Director for Support Services at Ebeye provide deposit and cash information to Majuro for entry into the accounting system.
• Prepayments of $96,932 were not “liquidated” (closed out) in a timely manner “due to incomplete receiving reports and lack of vendor invoices,” the audit reported. “One prepayment of $6,644 was not supported by a vendor invoice.” This problem occurred because the Ministry does not have a system for timely monitoring and reconciliation of prepayments, the audit said. “Effective immediately,” responded the Ministry, “the accounts receivable accountant will ensure that timely monitoring, reconciliation and liquidation of prepayment is implemented.” The Ministry said that “management may revisit its prepayment policies and procedures.”
Tsunami drill
Majuro Baptist Christian Academy (left) sent its students home Wednesday for the day after the government issued a warning on V7AB radio about possible high waves from the earthquake in Tonga that sent a tsunami that killed over 100 people in the two Samoas, while at Marshall Islands High School (right) students waited on the second floor until the alert was called off. Photos: Douglas Henry.

Journal 10/3/1970

Journal 10/1/1976
P1 Two groups concerned with the Micronesian Constitution Convention and the Education for Self-Government effort visited the Marshalls last week for discussions with local leaders. The meetings were not entirely successful, however, because of continuing opposition in the Marshalls to participation by the district in the convention or other territory-wide activities related to future status.
P1 The new Marshalls District Sales Tax went into effect October 1 and should provide upwards of $100,000 in funds for the local legislature, the Nitijela. The new tax, levied on consumers when a sale is made, affects such items as motor vehicles, radios, refrigerators, freezers and washing machines with a two percent tax. Jewelry, phonographic
equipment, clocks, cosmetics and watches are taxed at five percent. Beer is taxed at five cents per can, liquor $3 per gallon, wine $1 per gallon, cigarettes at five cents per pack and cigars two cents each.
P1 Sorry for the small size of this week’s Micronitor (four pages) but not even newspapers are immune from the flu. The entire staff (except one) was wiped out for at least three days this past week. We’ll catch up with the news in next Saturday’s edition. Dr. John Iaman, district director of Health Services, said last week 977 cases of flu were reported at the hospital.
P2 Announcement: The Pacific Enterprising Company, Majuro, has been granted permit number three authorizing the sale and issuance of securities under provisions of Public Law by the Office of the High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Saipan. 1) To sell and issue 2,000 shares of common stock to any citizens of the Trust Territory for $50.00 per share. 2) To sell and issue 30,000 shares of its preferred stock to any citizen of the TTPI for $10.00 per share.
P2 Are you part of the youth delinquency problem? Take this simple test to see if the way you think or talk about juvenile delinquents is really making the problem worse (be honest with yourself): 1) Do you think most kids who get into trouble with the police were ‘born to be bad?’ 2) Have you ever talked to school dropouts something like this: “Go away________, we don’t like school dropouts around here!” 3) Do you agree with people who say: “Youth delinquency is one of the prices we must pay for progress (so don’t try to prevent it)?” 4) Do you think that the only solution to youth delinquency problems is a bigger and more efficient police force and jail system? If your answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then you are part of the problem. One basic truth to help us all find ways to help is to remember that the family, schools and community together determine how each child grows up.
P3 Guam Airways, Inc., formed by a pool of money created by local politicos and businesspersons here hope to serve the Carolines with a passenger and cargo service.

Journal 10/2/1992
P1 In a wide-ranging interview, Education Secretary Hilda Heine-Jetnil told the Journal that budget cutbacks are taking their toll on school programs but the Ministry is determined to move forward with the policy of increasing community-based control and improving standards.
P4 Attentive readers of this scholarly publication may have noted, in last week’s edition, a notice to the effect that a certain bank has been suspended from doing business by the Commissioner of Banking, Vince Muller.
Well, the letter that was published has a funny tale behind it, one related to us by John Paul Jones, the guy who assisted, shall we say, in the preparation of the public notice. As is usual in such lofty enterprises as drafting letters to alert the public of the possibility of a scam in progress, you want to make sure that all your i’s are dotted, t’s crossed, and woids spelt rite.
To which end you run your allegedly finished copy through the “spell checker” program. This brings to attention any words that are not included in a normal dictionary, as well as misspelled words.
And Jones’ program even has a feature that goes beyond the beyond in assuming the
idiocy of the typist: if a word is not on the dictionary list, the program actually goes ahead and provides you with a suggest alternative.
So, when the world “IBMI” stuck out as a problem, the “BIMBO” was offered as its viable alternative. And the word “Bancorp?” Try “PANIC,” said the program.