Pacific Islands Monthly

Micronesia: Out Of The Woods And

Into A Political Maze

Round six in the negotiations between the Congress of Micronesia and the United States on a free political association for Micronesia begins in Hawaii on September 28— amid uncertainty. After the fifth meeting in August, in Washington, it looked as if Micronesia’s political future was agreed upon, only needing the ratification of the Congress of Micronesia on the main points. The details were to follow at this September Hawaii meeting.

But the Congress of Micronesia, at its special session in Ponape in September, a meeting called primarily to give the Joint Committee on Future Status the go-ahead for Hawaii, gave the committee an un expected back-hander.

Congress took no action on bills to establish a Constitutional Convention, a Commission on Government Tran sition and a Commission on National Unity—all major requirements for change in status. Furthermore, it took no action to approve the vital sections of the Draft Compact of Free As sociation which the status committee had hammered out in Washington (PIM, Sept., p. 9).

The Ponape meeting directed Senator Lazarus Salii’s committee to continue to negotiate towards free association, but also to negotiate for independence. The committee now las to decide whether it can continue with the draft in Hawaii or ask for ;xtra talks to discuss the question of ndependence. What is US feeling on m independence alternative on any alebiscite ballot?

The draft compact proposes a ?eriod of self-government, followed ?y independence should the Micro icsians want it. Said Senator Salii in Jaipan, “We just have no choice but o take into account the growing sup )ort for independence. A lot of people vho sponsored the independence esolution were not happy about )ortions of the draft compact and leither were members of the district egislatures we met.”

Senator Salii has now created a üb-committee of the Joint Committee

on Future Status to review US military land requirements in Micro nesia, one of the objections made at congress. It is headed by Senator Amaraich, of Truk.

On the closing day of the Ponape session Senator Salii was bitter at the congress’s change of direction.

He said, “And what, may 1 ask, are we going to do without a govern ment For we cannot have a govern ment without a constitution. And we cannot have a constitution with out a constitutional convention. . . .

This situation will necessitate, at the

very least, the unnecessary expense of a special election for delegates some time next spring. At the worst, the failure to hold the convention could delay the resolution of our political status as long as a year”.

Senator Salii said he would con tinue to think about the problems caused by the congress’s lack of fore sight, planning and organisation, during the coming years, “when we are still a Trust Territory despite the efforts of some to the contrary, because others of us looked the wrong way at this session”.