Letters
Think Small?
The December issue of Pacific Magazine had an article by Floyd K. Takeuchi about Washington’s chief negotiator (Albert Short) wrapping up Compact Talks.
It appears to me that Mr. Short has no idea about how to help the Islanders establish viable economies. This is nothing new. Our country fails to recognize the problems that exist in the region and to take action to remedy them.
- ADVERTISEMENT -
Under the terms of the first Compact, we gave the Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia some $2.6 billion to help get them established and economically independent. Our tax money was used to build new offices, buy nice cars with leather upholstery, take nice trips and do a lot of things except build the infrastructure to support viable economies.
If we want these islands to be economically independent yet closely associated with us, we must take action that will create industries and jobs that will help their failing economies recover. No jobs, islanders migrate to Guam, Hawaii and the U.S. and this costs us many more millions of dollars each year.
So, our ever-so-wise chief negotiator says that the immigration problem must be resolved, but he does not say how. He does say, “Think small.”
Think small? We are talking about an area the size of the (continental) United States! We are talking about the world’s largest renewable and richest tuna resource. We are talking about the need to establish viable industries that can create the thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in income that will enable our Island associates to lead their own lives. We are talking about a vital strategic area that will soon be dominated by Asian influence if we do not step in to help them achieve self-sufficiency.
Think small; that is what is wrong with the leaders in Washington. We are back to the early days of the Trust Territory when a congressional leader was asked by a reporter, “Senator, what are we going to do about the problems in Micronesia?” His astute answer was, “Mike who?”
If we are to help the islanders achieve strong economies that will create the jobs required to keep their people home, we must utilize the region’s greatest natural and renewable resource, tuna.
This region produces 65 percent of the world’s tuna supply. Yet it is hardly being utilized by any of the islanders. The tuna is taken from the region to some 85 canneries many thousands of miles away for processing and marketing.
For example, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community has stated there are 3,939 longline vessels and 628 purse seiners operating in the Western Central Pacific Ocean. A longliner spends over $150,000 a year on bait, fuel, provisions and supplies, but virtually all of these vessels are managed and operated by foreign fishing interests. Many of these vessels could be managed locally, if proper service facilities and trained personnel were made available.
The purse seiners spend over $400,000 outfitting for a fishing trip and they make about five trips a year. Yet virtually none of these vessels are serviced in the region. Despite the infusion of some $2.6 billion in Compact Funds during the past 15 years, FSM did not build a dock suitable for servicing purse seiners, nor did they or the Marshall Islands build the bulk fuel storage tanks or water supplies that could be used to service these vessels.
If 10 canneries were built in the region, each of which employed some 1,000 workers directly and another 500 in support industries, they would not use half of the tuna being taken out of the region each year for processing thousands of miles away
Peter Wilson
Maui, Hawaii
