Government of the Federated States of Micronesia

President Mori prepares to undertakes a streak of meetings in Guam

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): March 13, 2012 - President Manny Mori arrived on Guam the evening of March 10 to undertake a number of meetings, including the premier leadership summit in the entire Micronesia - the Micronesian Chief Executives Summit, which will take place on March 14 to 15 at the Sheraton Hotel, with the Guam as the sponsor. The hosting of the summit rotates among members, bringing together the four Governors of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Governors of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Presidents of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the FSM to address the interests and issues facing the region.

The kick-off for the President's week-long activities took place on the evening of March 11 at the Astumbo Gymnasium in Dededo where the President had an interactive forum with a number of FSM citizens and a few Guam residents.

The Honorable Melissa Savares, Mayor of Dededo, opened the meeting with a welcoming remark in which she stressed the importance of maintaining efforts in a diverse island community to achieve integration and move ahead together as one.

As a way of keeping citizens informed, President Mori spoke of some of the on-going efforts that the FSM has been pursuing since the last visit with FSM citizens on Guam in September, 2011. Specific mentions were made regarding the creation of the "FSM 2023 Planning Committee", the upcoming survey of FSM citizens in some U.S. jurisdictions to assess their net impacts and contributions to the communities where they reside, and the general need to bolster reforms in areas of education, health and telecommunications, among others, to drive much needed growth.

With regards to the Compact between FSM and the United States, both President Mori and Governor Ehsa stressed the special nature of the "rights and responsibilities" afforded to each party in areas of defense and security, financial assistance, and other programs aimed at infrastructure and social development.

The President also touched upon the purposes of the upcoming Micronesian Chief Executives Summit and spoke of the need for member entities to draw lessons from each other and strategically collaborate on a multi-lateral and regional front, while at the same time, being sensitive to the aspirations and challenges of each entity.

The Honorable John Ehsa, Governor of the State of Pohnpei, took time to attend the meeting, bringing a State perspective to the discussions as he commented on how he shared the President's views on a number of concerns. He also spoke of his observation that migrants and leaders are doing a good job in trying to address their challenges together compared to when he was a resident several years back. Additionally, Governor Ehsa expressed appreciation and gratitude to the people of Guam and their leaders for being good hosts to other Micronesians as they try to make Guam their "home away from home". The Governor also called on FSM citizens to uphold their responsibilities towards their new home and aspire to higher level of productivity and competitiveness in education, social and commerce while keeping strong ties with their families in FSM who depend on their financial support.

A number of citizens raised some concerns and posted questions for the leaders to consider beyond the timeframe of the meeting. These concerns border on State and National policies in determining the awarding of post-secondary scholarship; some policies of the FSM Social Security Program; regulations on minimum wage across all governments; possible assistance to the least capable citizens trapped in long-term unemployment and, in some cases, homelessness; outstanding difficulties in instituting an efficient passport processing procedure for citizens abroad; and the long term FSM foreign policy beyond the arrangements of the Compact of Free Association and in the context of current international relations that may have impacts on the Pacific countries and their relations to other countries such as the United States and China.

The President and Governor Ehsa took turns in answering questions depending on whether the questions were of State or National issues in nature.

A few hours prior to the meeting with citizens, President Mori had the opportunity to meet up with Governor Ehsa, Governor Lyndon Jackson and Mrs. Jackson of Kosrae , Governor Johnson Elimo and Mrs. Elimo of Chuuk, Senator Roger S. Mori and the Pohnpei State Delegation to the FSM Congress who were on their way home from a business trip.