President Mori Speaks at the 2009 Island Conference on Public Administration in Guam

Press Release #1109-38
Palikir, Pohnpei – FSM Information Services
November 30, 2009On Thursday, November 19th, FSM President Manny Mori gave a Special Guest Presentation at the 2009 Island Conference on Public Administration with the theme of “The Military Buildup and Beyond: Hinasson Taotao Guahan (The Guam Perspective).”  The invitation to speak at this event, which was held in the chambers of the 30th Guam Legislature, came from two Guam Senators, Senator Judith P. Guthertz, Chairperson of the Committee on the Guam Military Buildup and Senator Rory J. Respicio, Chairperson of the Committee on Rules, Natural Resources, and Federal, Foreign & Micronesian Affairs.

In his brief remarks, President Mori began by thanking the 30th Guam Legislature for sponsoring the conference and thanked Senator Guthertz and Senator Respicio for inviting him to participate.  The President noted that Guam continues to play an important role in the development of the Micronesian region and he thanked the people of Guam for being a gracious host to the FSM citizens living there.The President went on to say that these are extraordinary and challenging times and specified that the Micronesian region is experiencing a period of rapid growth, urbanization and migration, and is increasingly commanding attention in respect to issues of national and international security. 

He pointed out that it is critical that the region unite and work together in efforts to maximize the benefits and minimize the burden of these challenging times.President Mori recognized that there will be both positive and negative consequences from the military buildup in Guam, including economic expansion resulting in work migration and increased pressures on social and cultural integrity.  He stated that there is a need to prepare to respond in a proactive manner to ease the burden and take advantage of the benefits of this expansion. 

To this point, he commended the efforts by the many working groups and organizations in preparing for the buildup and stated that the FSM is prepared to contribute in any way it can in the areas of labor, trade and commerce, education, ports and customs and other areas.President Mori shared the fact that FSM’s four state governments have made much progress in the area of manpower development by creating alliances with the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to provide workers training, social services coordination, and employment. 

He also pointed to the need for re-aligning FSM’s manpower needs and priorities as workers will be expected to return home after the buildup where they should be able to contribute to the FSM’s infrastructure development through their skills and experiences gained abroad.
Since FAS citizens have been living in Guam since before the Compact of Free Association, the President commented that there are lessons to be learned from previous migration of the Freely Associated States citizens to Guam.  He expressed the need to not only look at the burdens and liabilities that FAS citizens impose on Guam, but that a study be done to look at the positive economic and social impacts from the FAS migration to provide balance to the picture.Another main focus of President Mori’s statement was to highlight the Micronesia Center for a Sustainable Future, created by the region’s chief executives and designed to ensure that there will be effective and coordinated sustainable development strategies and programs in our region. 

Currently, President Mori is the Secretary General for the center.  In his remarks, the President explained that the center is expected to play a pivotal role in the region as it will add value to other existing governmental and non-governmental regional arrangements.President Mori ended his remarks reminding everyone that the issue of climate change must not be overlooked and that in preparing for the buildup, he hopes that climate change is a prominent concern that commands the attention of the planners. 

He urged those present to base their decisions on vision, cooperation, information sharing, and most importantly, a real understanding that when the leaders of Micronesia speak together with one voice, they can create a future that benefits all the people of the region.

To see a copy of the President’s statement, please visit the following link:  http://www.fsmpio.fm/Speeches/mori/2009_Pacific_Islands_Administration_Conference.pdf