Pacific Notes

Members of the Dekada group hold hands to express their solidarity, as they call for the passage of a bill in the U.S. Congress that would improve the immigration status of long-staying nonresident workers in the CNMI. PHOTO: JACQUELINE HERNANDEZ

Now that Democrats control both houses of Congress, Miller has succeeded in having the House pass legislation in early January that, if as expected is approved by the Senate and signed by President Bush, will raise the minimum wage nationwide, and apply that rate to the Northern Marianas. The Northern Marianas minimum wage will increase incrementally until it reaches $7.25 an hour.

Commonwealth political and business leaders support a minimum wage tailored to the prevailing economic conditions of the Northern Marianas.  “Our position is to have a minimum wage increase we can afford under current economic conditions,” Governor Benigno R. Fitial states. Officials also called for the creation of a wage review board to make a study and recommendations on local minimum wage.

The issue is raising concern in American Samoa as well, with Governor Togiola Tulafono saying if his territory’s minimum wage is tied to U.S. federal levels, it will “kill” the territory’s economy by the expected closure of its two tuna canneries. Those factories employ about 5,000 workers. American Samoa has a minimum wage structure that varies from $2.63 to $4.09 an hour, depending on the industry.

“This essentially will make American Samoa totally dependent on the United States for funding like it was a short 30 years ago,” Togiola warned.

American Samoa’s congressional delegate, Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, said after meeting with Del Monte, StarKist, and Chicken of the Sea officials to discuss the minimum wage bill, “All of us are in agreement that American Samoa’s economy cannot handle (U.S.) mainland minimums.  This would cause the collapse of our tuna industry and would devastate our local economy.  Therefore, we are working together to make sure Congress takes our concerns into consideration.”

CNMI’s Washington Representative Pete A. Tenorio, who is not officially recognized by the Congress, is cautiously optimistic about the CNMI’s chances of prevailing during negotiations between the U.S. Senate and House on the minimum wage bill.  He says despite the CNMI’s past association with a “notorious lobbyist,” local officials who visited Washington recently were treated with “civility and compassion” by members of Congress.

In his remarks on January 5th at the installation dinner of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior David B. Cohen warned that the CNMI is about to enter a “much stormier” season with respect to its relationship with the U.S. Congress.  He suggested that Northern Marianas residents speak with one voice and personally appear in Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress.

Another issue facing the CNMI is a possible takeover of its immigration by the federal government. As Pacific Magazine went to press, a public hearing was scheduled in the U.S. Senate on February 8th regarding that issue, which local authorities warned will have a much stronger negative impact on the Northern Marianas than the minimum wage bill.

There are some supporters of the measure in the commonwealth. On January 5 a group of Chinese, Filipino, Bangladeshi and Nepalese contract workers rallied in Garapan, heart of Saipan’s tourism district, to welcome the minimum wage bill, and the flagged immigration changes. The CNMI is the only U.S. territory that controls its own immigration.

 
French Polynesia
Gaston Tong Sang Replaces Temaru
French Polynesia’s politics have continued on thier tumultuous path with the election of a new president, Gaston Tong Sang, in early 2007.

Tong Sang comes from the former ruling party Tahoeraa Huiraatira, which is founded on anti-independence principles. The lord mayor of Bora Bora atoll beat former President Oscar Temaru with the backing of 31 of Assembly’s 57 MPs.

Tong Sang’s election was made possible through the support of four MPs from French Polynesia’s outer islands, who had been enthusiastically lobbied by both sides of the leadership tussle and have changed their allegiances several times. With a cushion of two seats, Tong Sang doesn’t have a wide majority, but it is a more comfortable margin than Temaru enjoyed during his tenure.

Tahoeraa Huiraatira is run by former President Gaston Flosse. He and the new president share more than a first name; Flosse’s willingness to stand aside more or less ensured Tong Sang’s ascension to president, reports Oceania Flash.

Tahoeraa Huiraatira is affiliated to France’s ruling party UMP, whose head, current French Home Affairs minister Nicolas Sarkozy, is contesting the French presidential elections in May. Oscar Temaru has called his removal a “coup” orchestrated from Paris but appears to be pinning his hopes on unconditional support for the French Socialist official candidate in the national elections, Ségolène Royal, reports local media. Gaston Tong Sang wasted no time in going to Paris for political meetings following his election. He met French President Jacques Chirac in mid–January, intent on restoring friendly relations between Papeete and Paris. He spoke about what he sees as the need for electoral reform in French Polynesia.

“I have explained to the president that this change is seen as essential for French Polynesia’s stability and the proper operation of its institutions,” he told reporters. But the real longevity of Tong Sang’s leadership will depend on his ability to manage the ruling coalition, which is now composed of three parties, each with two seats, and the four outer island Assembly members.
           

Women Of The House

Rep. Mary Lauagaia M. Taufete’e (left) and Rep. Fiasili Puni E. Haleck (right) the only two female lawmakers for the current sitting of the American Samoa House of Representatives. PHOTO: AUSAGE MATAITUSI

The 30th Legislature is making political history in American Samoa. For the first time, two female lawmakers are among the 21 members of the House
of Representatives.

The members were sworn into office on Jan. 3rd, following the Nov. 7th general election, where former House Speaker Matagi Mailo Ray McMoore was unseated. Veteran lawmaker Savali Talavou Ale is now House Speaker.

Incumbent Rep. Mary Lauagaia M. Taufete’e and Rep. Fiasili Puni E. Haleck are the only two females in the House.
“It’s been too long that I’m the only woman in the House,” says Taufete’e, who was first elected in 2000.  “I’m very happy that another woman, a mother and community leader, has joined me.”

“Women in American Samoa are well represented in the Legislature, especially the House for the next two years,” says Haleck, a former lawmaker. “I will represent the older generation of women, while Mary the younger generation.”
 
Haleck said she plans to raise awareness of the growing problem of violence against women.

“This issue has increased since I was last in the House and I have worked on it since I left the Fono, through various avenues such as local organizations and as director of the Department of Youth and Women’s Affairs,” says Haleck. “I want to continue raising this issue while in the Fono so it won’t be forgotten.” She also wants to see more public involvement in the prevention of suicide among young women.