Pacific Magazine > Magazine > March 1, 2001

Government Briefs

Government Briefs

By Fili Sagapolutele, Aldwin R. Fajardo, Eric Say and Radio Austral

American Samoa
Former American Samoa Associate Judge Afuola Kalasa and his wife Meloma, and Rep. Gaoteote Palaie Tofau, were recently sentenced to two years probation and fined $2,000 for their roles in a voter identification card scam. The three went before Chief Justice Michael Kruse for their role in an illegal scheme to obtain false voter identification cards for six members of a cricket team seeking to travel to the U.S. for a tournament in 1999. During sentencing, Kruse said it was "astonishing" and "unbelievable" to discover that false IDs are readily available and attributed the problem to negligence, ineptness and corruption among government employees. Meanwhile, on January 3 Rep. Gaoteote Palaie Tofau was sworn in to the legislature by Chief Justice Kruse, and just 24 hours later was sentenced by the same judge.

American Samoa Social Security recipients saw a 3.5 percent increase in their monthly benefit checks starting in January, according to local Social Security Officer manager Faiaoga Mamea. The increase is the result of federal legislation signed into law in 2000. "The increase will add an additional $500,000 a year to the local economy," said Mamea, adding that about $2.5 million comes to the Territory annually from Social Security benefits.

Federated States of Micronesia
Faichuk, a group of eight islands and home to 20,000 people, appears headed toward statehood in the FSM. Voters in Faichuk, Guam, the N. Marianas and Hawaii cast 90 percent of their ballots in favor of statehood following a plebiscite. If the FSM Congress appoves, Faichuk would become the fifth FSM state along with Chuuk, Pohnpei, Yap and Kosrae. Faichuk is currently part of Chuuk state.

Northern Marianas
An air of optimism pervaded among government officials in the Northern Marianas as Republican George W. Bush finally emerged as President. Island leaders believe they are now more certain than ever to prevent federal takeover attempts by the U.S. Commonwealth officials said it would ease efforts needed by the island government to thwart anti-CNMI legislation in the U.S. Congress. Bush’s victory is a setback to advocates of federalization, they said, noting that safeguarding local interests in Washington would now tend to be less difficult. Saipan’s Chamber of Commerce believes this is a welcome development but said the fight against federalization isn’t over yet.

The U.S. EPA claims that the level of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in samples of taro and yams tested from Tanapag village in Saipan is at least 10 times lower than the level considered toxic, but a citizens group has urged residents to avoid eating the root crops in the face of conflicting evidence. Environmental Protection Agency Pacific Insular area program manager Norman L. Lovelace said differences in the reporting units of concentration made by EPA and independent specialists resulted in confusion which made it appear that the level of concentration was about 1,000 times higher than it actually is. The CNMI Attorney General’s Office, however, citing a report on the results of investigation made by the Test Law Practice Group and Meridian Hydrotechnical Services, disclosed high concentrations of PCB in taro and yam tested from Tanapag.

Guam

Guam Rep:Robert Underwood

President Bill Clinton in December signed into law Guam Congressman Robert A. Underwood’s bill to designate the U.S.’s ninth time zone as Chamorro Standard Time. The new name is the only zone designation that recognizes a native people -- those of the Mariana Islands. "This time zone will bring increased recognition to our part of the world.," Underwood said. "It will draw a lot of attention in scheduling and mapping and in official federal announcements about changes in the times at various parts of the year." Prior to Underwood’s legislation, while the eight other U.S. time zones recognized and accepted as standards for purposes of trade and commerce are the Atlantic, Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Hawaii, Alaska, and Samoa, there was no official designation for the time zone that encompasses Guam and the N. Marianas.

The Guam Waterworks Authority faces thousands of dollars in local and federal fines for discharging raw sewage into the environment. Millions of gallons of raw sewage recently spewed out of manhole covers along the island’s main thoroughfare, Marine Drive, and along scenic Harmon Cliffline situated above the tourist belt Tumon Bay. The sewage spill is just one of many problems facing the water authority where officials say the aging system is in immediate need of a $200 million upgrade. Gov. Carl T.C. Gutierrez was able to locate and transfer over $325,000 in federal money to the water authority the day following the issuance of the EPA notice, but he said this wasn’t a long-term solution to the problem.

Guam Gov. Carl T.C. Gutierrez can be termed a "lame duck" because he is in his final term as the island’s chief executive but he began the New Year with a proactive outreach weekly radio program on each of the island’s three AM radio stations. In his first message Gutierrez said, "Now is a perfect time for all of our island’s leaders to channel their energies in positive ways that will bring our community together, not tear it apart." In his second address, the governor stressed that lawmakers need to consider a public/private partnership for the Guam Waterworks Authority similar to one that is in place for the electric utility so that the aging system can be repaired.