As we begin this New Year, let us renew our commitment to find the best solution for Chuuk’s political status. Perhaps we should pause now and review the facts of a troubling 2014 and work harder in this new year for enlightened solutions. For if we did not work hard to be part of the solutions in 2014, then we will become part of the problems in 2015 and beyond.
Fact 1: The Chuuk Political Status Commission (CPSC) was established in May 2011 by the Chuuk State Legislatures, Public Law 11-18 with the intention to “review and recommend possible political status suitable for long term financial survival” of Chuuk State after the economic provision of the Compact of Free Association expires in the year 2023.
Fact 2: The CPSC was given until November 2012 (18 months total) to study alternative political status, conduct public hearings in the 40 municipalities in Chuuk and meet with Chuukese citizens living abroad before submitting its final recommendation to the Chuuk State Legislatures and Governor. The Legislatures would certify the CPSC’s recommendations to the Chuuk Election Commission to put the recommendation on the ballot for public votes.
Fact 3: In the March-May 2014 issue of their Beyond the Compact newsletter, the CPSC proclaimed that “the Commission has essentially decided to focus its study on an independent status, fully separated from the Federated States of Micronesia. Any association with another nation would remain open to future negotiations. Thus, to accelerate its work and to move in the most practical and realistic direction, the Commission has indicated its agreement on the need to end the status quo and to effectively move toward an independent and sovereign Republic of Chuuk. ” In other words, without any public hearings, cost analysis, economic plan, or the basic research on all the different options, the CPSC made an uninformed decision for Chuuk to secede from the FSM and form its own independent country with no public input as required by the enabling law.
Fact 4: Fast forward to November 2014, the CPSC scheduled the first public hearings in Guam, Hawaii, and the US mainland. When asked how many of the 40 municipalities have held public hearings, the two members of the CPSC who came to Hilo, HI answered that they were aware of two (2) public hearings…one on Uman and one for the Mortlocks leaders and that more were scheduled. In other words, they’ve sent more commissioners to Guam, Hawaii, and the US mainland than anywhere in the entire Chuuk State. Mind you, government employees receive more per diem for travels outside of Chuuk than any boat trips in the lagoon or to the outer islands. That’s a fact!
Fact 5: The “public hearings” in Hawaii, Guam, and the US mainland were NOT public hearing; instead, the CPSC representatives came ALREADY set to sell their uninformed conclusion that Chuuk State is better off as Republic of Chuuk. They did not cite any study, present a viable economic plan, produce any cost benefit analysis, point to actual communique from a foreign country of their financial support for an independent Chuuk…anything that would assure the public of a better Chuuk outside of the FSM.
Fact 6: During the public hearings, they informed the people that the March 2015 ballots will already include a vote for YES or NO on the Chuuk independence. This would have meant, according to the enabling law, that a final recommendation from the CPSC had already been submitted to the Chuuk State Legislatures and the Governor. The Legislatures have already certified the report by a joint resolution thus putting it up for voting in March. In other words, the viewpoints of Chuukese citizens in Guam, Hawaii, and the US mainland were done after the fact rendering them completely useless because a report had already been done. So, these politicians knew it and proceeded to spend the State financial resources to travel before Christmas to hold “public hearings.” And they came knowing full well that whatever viewpoints were expressed in the public hearings were not going to inform the final recommendations which were already done.
Fact 7: Upon returning to Chuuk from the public hearings in Hawaii which produced more questions and suspicions than real answers, the Chuuk State Attorney General Sabino Asor who also serves as the CPSC Chairman of the Public Hearings in his public hearing report to the Chuuk State Legislatures questioned whether to let Chuukese citizens outside of Chuuk (i.e. those in Guam, Hawaii, US mainland) to vote on the Chuuk indpendence in March. He noted that the real Chuukese are those living in Chuuk and not those living abroad.
Fact 8: In their public hearings, the CPSC members made it very clear that their strategy is very simple: Ask the public to vote “YES” on the March 2015 ballots. If it passes, then the CPSC will start the ACTUAL work of developing an economic plan, feasibility study, cost analysis, etc. The people will elect representatives for a Constitutional Convention to write a new Constitution for the Republic of Chuuk, negotiate foreign relations, etc. In other words, jump off the cliff and while you’re on your way down look to see what lies below you and hope for the best.
Fact 9: The CPSC members have NO answers for these basic questions because they have not done the work to answer them first: How many years will it take to set up a new independent Republic of Chuuk? (Fact: The FSM took 11 years of negotiations…1975 – 1986… before President Tosiwo Nakayama became the first president of the FSM). How much will it cost to set up and sustain all the resources that Chuuk State already enjoys under the Compact between FSM and US, i.e. immigration, foreign affairs, defense, environmental protection, law enforcement, etc? What kind of government structure will be the best for the Republic of Chuuk? While the CPSC (or whoever will negotiate Treaties) negotiate a new Compact between the US and the Republic of Chuuk what will happen to all the thousands of Chuukese citizens already living in the United States under the immigration protection of the FSM / US Compact?
Fact 10: According to the CPSC members, it is all set that the March 2015 ballots will contain the options to vote for or against Chuuk independence.
2015 New Year’s Resolutions
Perhaps we should all do these New Year’s Resolution for the sake of our beloved Chuuk:
- Educate Yourself: Don’t just take the empty promises of the CPSC members as truth of a better Chuuk. If they have not done adequate studies or research on all the possibilities out there, then they have no right to tell us that the Chuuk independence is the best option. Maybe it is or maybe it is not, but without knowing all the options, the risks, the advantages, disadvantages…we are being asked to vote blindly.
- Educate Your Relatives Back Home: Tell them about the disadvantages of separating from the FSM under the Compact…how that leave all Chuukese citizens in the US vulnerable to deportation since we will no longer be protected by the Compact with the FSM. I’m not so worried about the Chuukese citizens living outside of Chuuk as I’m confident that we will vote a resounding “NO” on the March 2015. I’m worried that our relatives back home will believe the CPSC members in their uninformed conclusion that Chuuk independence will lead to more money for Chuuk when they have not even the basic cost analysis.
- Write to Your Legislators in Chuuk: Write letters to your own representatives in the Chuuk State Legislatures telling them respectfully your disagreement with the CPSC conclusion and how the lack of answers from the members leave you with more questions than answers.
- Sign our Online Petition: Take a few minutes of your New Year to join the more than 400 Chuukese citizens and friends who have signed our online petition protesting the Chuuk independence movement. We will print the petition with all of our viewpoints and send to every member of the Chuuk State Legislatures to seek their help in changing the course of action before it’s too late. Please be respectful in what you write in your reason for signing this petition. We want to keep our culture of respect intact while speaking our minds. Sign Now>
- Demand Answers to be Published: The CPSC would save the State so much money by simply utilizing modern technology to educate the Chuukese communities outside of Chuuk. With the money that they have spent on travels to the US, they could have easily paid a web design firm to design a website for them. In good faith that the CPSC members also want the best for Chuuk, I have agreed with their lawyer and CPSC member, Mr. Johnny Meippen, to publish any rebuttal or answers to all the questions posted on our website (www.chuukstate.org). I promised to him that I will publish his statements verbatim on our website for public consumption and responses. While Mr. Meippen has agreed to submit such a document, none has been sent yet. The invitation remains open.
- Boycott CPSC Public Hearings: Unless the CPSC produces the answers to all the questions that were unanswered in their first set of public hearings outside of Chuuk, then there is absolutely no need for the commissioners to spend another dime of the State financial resources to travel yet again. If they do, then we should all boycott these sales pitch sessions. If they choose to spend time and money to travel our communities rather than spend time and NO MONEY by emailing their answers, then let them deal with their own conscience of spending public funds that can be better utilized elsewhere in Chuuk.
- Take Legal Action: If all else fail, then we should organize ourselves and sue the CPSC to seek a court-approved injunction to leave the vote for Chuuk independence off the March 2015 ballots for reasons that the CPSC has failed to fulfill its basic charge as set forth in the Public Law 11-18 to seek public hearings before concluding on the Chuuk independence.
Lastly, I can’t help but think of that quote from Saint Augustine who says, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”
Let us use whatever gifts and talents God has given each of us to be part of the solution and not the problem. The generations after us deserve a much prosperous and vibrant home, a Chuuk State that they can be proud of, too.
Sincerely,
Vid Raatior
vid@chuukstate.org
Dr. Vid Raatior
Dr. Vid Raatior is a proud Chuukese parent, educator, citizen blogger, and social entrepreneur living in the US.
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Keep up the good work.these guys are the worst corrupt leaders I have come across personally ‘.this thing I’ll bet my good life is a camps gone stragety who are up for re election this march. They sold opus shares in bank of FSM and use $150 ‘ 000 4 the the commisin campaigning.hey the best thing is 2 wait 4 2013 and start properly. Form a real commission and start from there. Do the study n education on the 4 options n commission do study the 4 options’ pro n con then. Let the people choose what we want n go from there.my bet ‘ every body will vote 4 the status quo. Why not we already living it the hardsship n the
Not backward. Thy did on purpose. 2 make it short let’s not take a chance Vote No and start the right way. They got what they want’ and let us start thinking 4 our children future…….
Happy New Year..hope we start this new year with bold and wise actions for the betterment of the Chuuk community and her great people..!
1) CPSC is totally unprepared and extremely disorganized,in conducting/educating the Chuukese general public.
No handouts/no charts/no graphs to show/prove their work..so their work doesn’t add up.!
2) Transparency and Accountability is “not a useful method” to execute and enforce,by our Commission and the Chuuk politicians,to tackle the loss and reduction of assistance…
On Uman,there were 4 Commission members with estimated spending of $400 or less for the whole meeting.. Compare to the Honolulu meeting..8 were present with estimated spending of.? Including everything..therefore, I called that “poor accountability” and zero managerial skills.” This is what we lack and this is our major problem in Chuuk.. We do not believe in;” Ask not what your Country can do for you,but ask what you can do for your country” JFK.
3) Chairman,Sabino Asor,is known as the Chhuk AG and once a servant of the SN people in FSM congress.
Taxi-Wom) Sabino’s well-known media name,on the other hand, sounds more “girlish” sassy,flirty teenage girl..not of a educated person with a high political position in our state..who we supposed to respect and follow his leadership..
Again,Sabino/CPSC abused and violated our “rights to vote” 03/2015, in their said,intention to exclude us chuukese living outside FSM to have a vote in the proposed Republic of Chuuk…calling us ” not real chuukese”
To prove him wrong,we,chuukese living abroad have tremendously contributed to our local economy..every week hundreds of us send money and goods back home and that’s help generate our local revenue..that local revenue/tax goes to your pocket and you lavishly enjoy it while thousand of chuukese suffer..!
4) our leaders (congressmen and locals) present and past are the ones held accountable for the chaos.!
We need change “NOW”..we need you.!
Fact #7 is somehow insulting!! Im NOT a REAL CHuukese because I live in Guam?!! That’s baloney!! On the bright side, Im laughing because the Commission feels intimidated by me & my brain! Lol!! Oh, I feel superior! Ha!
If i were any of those candidates seeking office this coming March who are also against this movement, i would use the next few months to use whatever man power i have to make sure every island, village, household and individual i visit will get every bit of information/document as those cited here or on other sites detailing or explaining the reason the only answer to this insanity move is to vote NO to secession/independence.
Yes, you ( as a candidate) may not reach every Chuukese household or have all the answers to their questions but one thing is certain-you can not walk away from a village, meeting or individual without explaining why voting YES is absolutely the last thing any voting Chuukese should do.
Yes, as a candidate, you may ended up losing but if you care enough for the future of Chuuk and FSM which you should, then losing now because you ruffle the feathers and make waves displaying resolute opposition and passionate resolve decrying this secession movement is a sacrifice you may have to take to keep sanity alive in Chuuk.
On the other hand, if your efforts pay off when all those Chuukese voters shut this initiative down..you will stand taller in validation of your fight for a just csuse.
Vid, no public settings/gatherings should be free of any related press, articles, docs, expressing ( of course in Chuukese) simply why we must select NO for independence comes March as you have eloquently done so.
On Parem and in the village of Sapore, I was asked to share my view on the separation issue during my kampein village-wide meetings. I made my position clear, as I’ve attempted to vividly state in other circles on the net. Start with saying, we need more time to fully understand the issue. Therefore, we should not vote on it this march. When the people insist further, then provide some more meat to your point. That has been my approach. Ultimately, I believe that anyone holding the position and vying for a seat at the FSM Congress should naturally protect the unity of the Nation. Otherwise, why run for that office?
Becuase they are now saying that the question will be submitted to the people during election on March 3, 2015, a candidate should now say, vote NO on the issue. We cannot vote YES to something that lacks clarity and and real basis. This is not something to experiment with in a vote. without absolute certainty.
I appreciate the substantial amount of information articulated by Vid here. I happen to be one who believes deeply in the need to further strengthen the merits of the federation as a more viable option for FSM citizens than to entertain self-centered and devisive agenda that guarentees nothing other than the derailing of desired progress. It is sad that those stubbornly promoting the separation objective get away with wasting direly needed public funds in a relentless manner. In spite of “clear message” they have already gotten from abroad, the officials and the commission members feel justified to embark on more wasteful trips, going through the exact same tactic simply to advance their take on the issue with little regard to what the people think. Under the guise of public education, they take these trips to advance the propaganda.. Anyone interested in holding Chuuk more responsible should feel free to empower a wave of counter-movement using valid information, statistics, and published reports in an organized fashion. In that regard, I thank Vid for blazing ahead with this, setting most of the tips and rationales that can further weave into a very strong voice in favor of making our home ultimately more responsible and leaders more ethical.
Akanoninen met, absolutely my vote is NO! Lack of inf. Of y chuuk wants to be indepentent……ita nikin nge pun neuj mwoni seni U.S sipwe recieve every yr. Nge sise nanaf pun e inet equally among the states…nge ika sa imuno iwe ajek kij won neujuna…ei? Nge epwe sipwe pwan jiwn reciev ika sa tou seni much uwe f.s.m m riri ngeni u.s non ekei fansoun? Ita nge oj kitir ei…tarepijipij me mwen epwe much..nge a ser nupwan….pun chuuk ese develope ese improve…we need new leaders io epwe tongei punun chuuk me aramasen chuuk…esapw uta juuk won muun nge pwan ekewe jek nouwis a pin fij…fokun tirow…fairo womi..aj noninen ren mwaj kan esepwan atinee…tirow sefan esapw pwan ngang nie mirit nge pokiten jek pwan tongenchuuk ina mine siapwan fito…vote No! to b an.indepentence… Sapino Asor tirow omw ren mefiomwuna nge si sa seni chuuk pokiten ngawen aj government, ika ifa? Tirow, tirow tirow womi…living outside of chuuk merei m pwan or am pung am aipwe vote and know more inf…thank uuu
Thanks to all info providers above…it definitely help enhance our understanding on this serious matter.
We definitely need more time to compare & contrast both sides ” pros & cons”.. To identify the consequences,to understand them and how do deal with them..
But I believe our CPSC and our Chuuk congress delegation fail to lay out a clear path for citizens to fully aware and understand the plan.
I would say our Chuuk congress delegation is extremely ineffective in dealing with US (OIA) and FSM national.
CPSC and Chuuk politician want us to secede from the federation because they think we’ve been mistreated? Why not fix it instead of abandoning..it really shows the weakness of our leaders..or maybe they’re not trained to handle things during taugh times..
They are not qualified professionals/leaders and they do not deserve to one.
“Abandon ship” is all they good at.!
What a shame.!
I am deeply disturbed by the way the commission go about doing their little dirty works persuading our citizens, especially the less informed ones about the movement. If this movement pass, it will be because too many of our citizens back home are not aware of the negative impact this issue will have on our lives especially Chuuk citizens live outside our state. It is a slap in our face no matter how you look at it. Many of us put a lot of work to establish a way to better ourselves and our families and all of a sudden, they decided to pull the rug out from underneath us to pursue their own greedy agenda with no remorse at all. Changing citizenship never crossed my mind before but maybe the time has come to do just that.
Make it short let’s not take a chance Vote No and start the right way. They got what they want and let us start thinking for our children future…….
Thanks god bless you all!!
I strongly disagree with proposal which the terminating the Compact of Free Association (COPA) because the so called leaders of our islands or our State of Chuuk are not honest nor educated and not knowledgeable. I’m sure they don’t even obtain any kind of educational or major degree. They misused the funds that U.S gave our government to better our islands. They use the funds for personal use, such as prostitution and etc., rather than helping our communities. Instead of better our hospitals, schools and our safety, they are trying to terminate the help of the LEADER OF THE WORLD which is USA, thinking that they can cover up the misuse and fraudulent use of the funds of our country that the U.S gives the Chuuk Government. They can’t even help those Chuukese citizens that are still back home, becoming ill of starvation and lack of medication and resources because of our corrupted leaders. How can they help all of us when they can’t even help that small population back home. Do not forget that we are secure and safe with the U.S. being on our side. Remember that our ancestors got killed by the hands of the Asians back then, so what had happened will happen again if the Asians step in. They will again brutally kill us and use us as slaves once again. Why should I vote against COPA and pick some other countries that can’t even help themselves but rely on the leader of the world which is USA.