Praise The Lord

Chuuk Governor Ansito Walter. Photo: Jason Aubuchon

When he first came to Chuuk in 1998, Ron Susek went generally unnoticed. Now, he is publicly described by two-term Governor Ansito Walter as "a friend of Chuuk, and a man with the heart of the people."

As head of the Pennsylvania-based Susek Evangelistic Association, and, in the words of Walter, "an evangelist and not a planning expert," Susek has worked with the governor to author the "2020 Vision Master Development Plan for the State of Chuuk," a document which maps the development of everything from state infrastructure and youth programs to health and education, over a 20-year period. The master plan aims to "utilize the incredible, God-given resources at [Chuuk's] disposal," and, less subtly, to "study ways that the church and state can coordinate efforts."

The latter component of the master plan has permeated Chuuk State government operations in recent months and, indeed, was at the forefront of Chuuk's "Vision 2020 Leadership Summit," held on Weno in mid-March. The Summit featured Susek, who said in his opening address that he came "as an ambassador of heaven, to bring the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," and as a man who "feels the call of God to assist the people of Chuuk."

While faith-driven economic development may be new to Chuuk, the state is certainly used to facing challenges. Having suffered from two major financial crises over the past eight years, Chuuk's infrastructure remains the poorest in the Federated States of Micronesia. Electrical power to the main island of Weno currently cycles off on a three-hour rotation; a sewage treatment plant capable of processing .75 million gallons per day sits inoperable leaving raw sewage to be discharged into the lagoon; health and education indicators consistently rank among the lowest in the North Pacific.

Since the beginning of the Compact of Free Association in 1987, the United States has infused $180 million into Chuuk's infrastructure. Inflated operational budgets, misspent money and, in many cases, outright corruption have all contributed to the lack of development. The governor sees a need to forgive the mistakes of the past and look to the future: "In leadership, all of us make mistakes. As governor of Chuuk, and as Chuuk's father, I can forgive what went wrong during the first 17 years."

It was with this goal in mind that the first day of Chuuk's Summit featured a reconciliation ceremony, during which the governor asked participants to forgive him for mistakes made during his administration.

Walter's call comes amid the prosecution of several high-profile cases, some of which involve Chuuk leadership and the misuse of public money. Moreover, the heated public response to the proposed FSM Congressional "Amnesty Bill," granting immunity to "citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, private citizens and officials alike, who are now, or may hereafter be, subject to investigations, prosecutions, but not yet convicted, of or for any alleged misuse, misappropriation, failure to make the required disposition of, fraudulent use or fraudulent appropriation of any government fund," gives political weight to the governor's petition.

Walter says that he "realizes this is an unpopular position, but we need to develop a way to set our goals and to move on. Yesterday is yesterday; tomorrow is a different story."

If Walter's willingness to forgive the mistakes of the past 15 years came as a surprise to conference participants, no less surprising was the follow-up announcement that Susek and he had found funding for Vision 2020. As Walter explained to Pacific Magazine, "members of Ron Susek's organization submitted a proposal to a family trust fund in Canada which has been approved for over $200 million." Susek gave little more detail when addressing the Summit, saying "the door is open also for a family trust. We applied for a $167 million grant. They came back with a vision bigger than ours. They came back with a package of $237 million. I want you to understand exactly where that is. The plan has been approved and accepted by the foundation. We do not know when they will release the money. It could happen in six months, it may take six years. We do not know."

The potential grant award from the unnamed Canadian family trust has prompted Walter to establish the 2020 Vision Center for Excellence, governed by a Board of Directors, to oversee the money. Current named board members include the governor's wife, Gardenia Walter, Ron Susek's wife, Diane Susek, and FSM Congressman Jack Fritz.

The Articles of Incorporation filed in November, 2003, define the purpose of the 2020 Vision Center For Excellence as "the promotion, cultivation, advancement, and maintenance of the honor, glory and service of the Almighty God by implementing his purposes as set forth in Isaiah 49:6…by strengthening the Christian church through support and assistance to biblical evangelism and biblical training with a view toward spreading evangelism throughout the State of Chuuk and throughout the entire Pacific region."

But while Walter and Ron Susek continue to endorse their theocratic vision of church and state cooperation, many in the FSM are awaiting the arrival of the promised $237 million-money that will not be spent by the State of Chuuk, but by the 2020 Vision Center. Meanwhile, Walter states very clearly "Ron Susek and I are not working together for financial reasons. We're interested in what's best for the people: to serve the Lord and not ourselves."

So while viable solutions to Chuuk's developmental challenges seem impossible to some observers, it is exactly this-the impossible-that Walter and Susek promise, perhaps most clearly in Susek's closing statement at the leadership summit:

"I'm asking you to join me in believing in God and the impossible. We are seeking God to take on one of the hardest hit states in the Pacific, and to see you become a leader of the free world."