Newly Elected National Delegation Briefs Yap State Leadership on Issues And Actions of FSM Congress

The following article has not been published anywhere else but here. After it was written at the behest of the Director of Yap State's Dept of Youth & Civic Affairs who oversees media, it was taken off of News Briefs, the state's weekly news update; removed from the state-owned radio newscast; and destroyed. The reason? The governor received a letter from the Council of Pilung the same afternoon that it was being posted and aired demanding that he communicate with the national leadership their request that I be thrown out of the country. More about that in my next post.

Newly Elected National Delegation Briefs Yap State Leadership On Issues And Actions Of FSM Congress

Joyce McClure / March 27, 2019

COLONIA, Yap — The first briefing by Yap’s newly elected two-man national Congressional delegation for the recently inaugurated Yap state leadership was held on March 25 to inform the members of the executive and legislative branches of the government about the work before the current and upcoming Congress.  Speaker Vincent A. Figir facilitated the discussion as Congressmen Joseph J. Urusemal and Isaac V. Figir, who make up the Yap delegation to the national Congress, informed and updated the assembled group about matters concerning the state and the nation.

The 21^st Congress will convene on May 11 in Pohnpei. The first topic receiving considerable interest from Yap’s leaders was the appointment of the next president, vice president, speaker, vice speaker, floor speaker and chairs of the seven standing committees. The members of Congress, all of whom are elected by popular vote, choose the national leaders from among their members with the president and vice president chosen from among the four at-large senators who each represent one of the four states and serve four years. All other senators serve two years.

The delegation noted that a caucus will be held in Pohnpei on May 6 to discuss the organization of the new administration. When asked by one of the members of the Yap State Legislature if they have a “point-of-view or insight” into what might be discussed, Senator Urusemal replied that they did not. Any rumors are just that, he said. Governor Henry S. Falan asked if the delegation has any preferences or suggestions about how the state leaders can support their vision for the national administration. Senator Figir replied that “experience” is their preference but would not commit to any further speculation since “everything is on the table,” adding that they are “hopeful that whatever decision is made, it will be for the best of the nation and not just an individual state.”

The discussion then moved on to a special session of the 20th Congress that convened on March 8 prompted by the most recent typhoon. Congressional leaders were informed by President Peter M. Christian that $1.5 million that was earmarked for Typhoon Maysak had been amended to include Typhoon Wutip with an additional $500,000 received from the People’s Republic of China for relief efforts.

Other appropriations mentioned were for MiCare, the FSM’s health insurance carrier; health services equipment; education; and $9.8 million for public projects that is awaiting the president’s signature within 30 days after the request by Congress.

Yap’s portion of the $9.8 million is $1.4 million that is designated for an array of programs ranging from the medical referral program for uninsured patients, fuel and other provisions for the Neighboring Islands served by the state and national field vessels, and smaller requests from the leaders of the state’s villages and municipalities.

Concern was expressed by members of the YSL that there is approved money that “has been sitting there for years” without being made available to the state.  Governor Falan stated that it has to do with the budgetary processes and allotting. “I would not hesitate to administer things that are allotted to my office,” he said, but when he has to sub-allot the money back to the president’s office, it “adds to delays and encumbrances.”

Speaker Figir noted that the governor can request a certain amount of the fund with a waiver, but there is a cap to how much can be requested.  Francis I. Itimai, Director of the Office of Planning and Budget, expressed frustration with the requirement by national “to spend funds and then get reimbursement. It’s harder and takes longer,” he said. This “bottlenecking” was discussed at length as the briefing moved forward with the national delegation being asked by the governor to work with the state’s administration collaboratively to resolve these problems. “If national allots funds to the states,” he said, “why not hold the states accountable rather than going back and forth for approvals. It’s worth pursuing.”

Process slow-downs were further cited by State Senator Nicolas Figirlaarwon that are created when the communities push for the disbursement of funds that are then taken from local revenue while payment is being awaited from the national government. “We have put pressure on [the national government] not to use limited local funds...” and to “expedite the way national distributes funds that the states need.”

The delegation then updated the state’s leaders on the pending proposal for changes to Social Security, airport upgrades and the work of the Joint Committee on Compact Review and Planning, which Senator Figir sits on.

The JCRP was mandated by law in 2016 to “coordinate the country’s preparation efforts towards effective and smooth post-Compact government upon expiration of the economic provisions of the Amended Compact of Free Association with the United States in 2023.”  The good news, Senator Figir said, is that both Houses of the U.S. Congress passed the resolution recently to continue the Compact and President Trump signed it. The bad news, he said, is that the U.S. State Department has not yet signed their side of the agreement. A meeting is being sought for further discussion with U.S. officials. “We are hoping to get back to the table this summer,” the senator said. But he is doubtful that it will happen by then. In the meantime, the JCRP has retained a law firm in Washington, D.C. to assist with the work ahead.

The committee is now working on an action plan consisting of three pillars. Pillar 1 has been completed and addresses the question, “What can the FSM and its States do in the near- and medium-term to improve the country’s financial outlook?” “Pillar 2 became available last Friday,” the senator stated, “and Pillar 3 will be done by the end of this month.”

Next, the briefing centered on foreign aid, primarily from China and Japan and, to a lesser degree it was noted by the delegation, from the United States and Australia. They asked that the state leadership “work with those governments to submit and indicate and make known our proposals for projects.”

As the three-hour briefing wound down, Senator Figir expressed the wish to “have regular meetings in the future.” He said that “[Palikir] feels Yap needs to move with speed. The economic reports that have been submitted say more and more what we have been discussing for years” with regard to plans for tourism, foreign investment and others. This year, he continued, the national government has brought “a lot of money for the FSM trust fund” through a “corporate scheme.” Recently, the law was amended to clarify and make it easier for the states to invest in their trust fund accounts, he added, referring to Micronesia Registration Advisors, Inc. that was formed in 2005 “to promote the FSM Captive Insurance Domicile and the FSM Corporate Registry Program to corporations in East Asia” by “1) promoting the various FSM program offerings; 2) organizing seminars for prospective corporations and, 3) conducting market research.” The senator reminded the state’s leaders that, after a board meeting in Yap some time ago, three of the organization’s board members wanted to establish an office in the state. “But we did not respond. It was a lost opportunity.”

Governor Falan asked when it will be “Yap’s turn.” We “keep getting the runaround like many other things we have with the national government. As far as we can remember, Yap’s turn has been overdue.” He said he is “wondering if it is worth considering a new objective or perspective for Yap in light of the pending discussion about our Compact relations” and recalled when “one of our founding fathers, who helped negotiate the first Compact and went on to be a national planner, came back to Yap after he retired and was interviewed by a magazine. He was quoted as saying that Yap has no choice and wondering if it is worth our consideration to consider a partner.” Yap’s newest governor, who has been in office for three months, ended by telling the leadership that he is “getting extremely frustrated by factors that are beyond my control.”