Northern Marianas Governor rejects legislation creating political status commission that would review dependency status

CNMI political status commission vetoed

SAIPAN TRIBUNE/PACNEWS

Governor Eloy S. Inos of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI) has vetoed a bill creating a new commission to examine whether the people desire continuing the islands’ current political relationship with the United States.

He said it is doubtful that such commission could “unilaterally” alter that relationship adding that one of the bill’s provisions is “almost certain” to be unconstitutional.

The veto comes almost two months after the CNMI marked on March 24 the 38th year of the 1976 signing of the mutually negotiated Covenant that made the Northern Marianas a part of the American political family, and paved the way for its qualified people to become U.S. citizens in 1986.

Rep. Trenton Conner (Ind-Tinian), chairman of the Federal and Foreign Affairs Committee that reviewed and recommended the bill’s passage, said he was disappointed with the veto.

He said other members are still reviewing the governor’s message to see whether they would try to override the veto.

“I am not in conformance with the opinion. There is uniqueness in the Commonwealth’s relationship with the United States pursuant to the Covenant,” he said.

House Bill 18-112, House Draft 1, authored by Rep. Felicidad Ogumoro (R-Saipan), seeks to create a Second Marianas Political Status Commission to examine whether the people of the CNMI desire continuing its relationship with the U.S. pursuant to the Covenant.

The proposed commission would also determine whether that continuation of relationship is in the CNMI people’s best interest, or whether some other political status would better enable them to fulfill their “aspirations of full and meaningful self-government.”

The governor cited these reasons for vetoing the bill: unconstitutional provision and a unilateral alteration of the political relationship between the CNMI and the U.S.

Section 4 of the bill states partly that anyone appointed to serve on the commission shall be, among other things, “a person of Northern Marianas descent as defined in Article XII 4 of the NMI Constitution.”

“Unfortunately, it is almost certain that the emphasized language violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I 6 of the Commonwealth Constitution,” the governor said in his May 9 veto message to House Speaker Joseph Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan) and Senate President Ralph Torres (R-Saipan).

Inos added that the equal protection clause prohibits the government from discriminating between similarly situated individuals. Importantly, he said, the equal protection clause’s prohibitions are not limited to discrimination on the basis of race or gender.

“A court reviewing HB 18-112, HD1 would almost certainly find the requirement that a commission member must be a ‘person of Northern Marianas descent as defined in Article XII 4 of the N.M.I. Constitution’ constitutes invidious discrimination in violation of the equal protection clauses of the United States and Commonwealth Constitutions,” the governor said.

Proponents of the bill said it “doesn’t hurt” to re-examine the CNMI-U.S. political relationship, while others said Covenant Section 902 discussions could be the better venue. Still, others said the Legislature should place the question on the ballot for voters to decide, before creating a commission.

The governor also vetoed two other bills: HB 18-87 and HB 18-1, HS1, SD1.

The first bill intends to punish public officials that issue unlawful orders to subordinates, which the governor said is already part of existing law, among other things. The second bill ratifies the adoption of the 2009 editions of the International Building Code and International Fire Code, but the governor said the measure violates the Constitution, among other things.

British Virgin Islands hosts Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories Council

BVI PREMIER TO CARIBBEAN COUNCIL: 

‘WE MUST WORK AS ONE’

British Virgin Islands Press Release

Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, OBE has just returned from a Meeting in Montserrat where he encouraged members of the Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories Council (COCTC) to strengthen the level of cooperation in the region, and unite to resolve common challenges.

In addressing the gathering on May 16, Premier Smith urged the Council to jointly assess political, economic and social situations and reflect on the needs as they relate to relevant programming priorities. He further rallied the leaders to work together as a region.

The COCTC meeting was held in Montserrat from May 15-16 to discuss the regional programming for the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). In attendance were officials from the Caribbean British and Dutch Overseas Territories of Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands, Saint Maarten, Curacao, Montserrat, and the British Virgin Islands.

Other topics discussed at the meeting focused on cooperation in the areas of food security, capacity building, waste management, health, tourism, renewable energy, transitioning away from fossils fuels, blending facilities to promote investment, and access to fisheries.

The Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories Council was established in April 2012 as a framework for discussions aimed at strengthening Regional Cooperation, enhancing international cooperation, addressing issues of mutual interest and concern, as well as sharing resources and overcoming common challenges among Caribbean Overseas Territories.

Ma'ohi Nui (French Polynesia) dedicates monument to United Nations re-inscription

Photo by OTR

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 17 May 2013

[without reference to a Main Committee (A/67/L.56/Rev.1 and Add.1)]

67/265.    Self-determination of French Polynesia

          The General Assembly,

          Recalling the Charter of the United Nations, its resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960 containing the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and its resolution 1541 (XV) of 15 December 1960,

          Taking into account articles 3 and 4 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples[1] regarding the right of self-determination and the recommendation of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at its eleventh session on the implementation of basic fundamental human rights articulated in the Declaration, particularly the right to self-determination,[2]

          Taking note of the resolution of the Assembly of French Polynesia, adopted in Papeete, Tahiti, on 18 August 2011, in which it expressed its will that French Polynesia be reinscribed on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, and the decision taken by the Council of Ministers of the Government of French Polynesia on 15 June 2011 to call for the reinscription,

          Welcoming the decision of the Heads of State or Government of Pacific States taken at the second “Engaging with the Pacific” regional meeting, held in Nadi, Fiji, on 1 and 2 September 2011, to support the reinscription of French Polynesia on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories,

          Taking note of the communiqué of the second Polynesian Leaders Group meeting, held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on 25 August 2012, in which the Group affirmed its support for the reinscription of French Polynesia on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories,

          Welcoming the decisions of the Pacific Islands Forum, taken at its meetings held in Apia, from 5 to 7 August 2004, Auckland, New Zealand, on 7 and 8 September 2011, and Rarotonga, Cook Islands, from 28 to 30 August 2012, to support the principle of the right to self-determination of the people of French Polynesia,

          Welcoming also the Final Document of the Sixteenth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries,[3] held in Tehran from 26 to 31 August 2012, affirming the inalienable right of the people of French Polynesia to self-determination in accordance with Chapter XI of the Charter and General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV),

          Recalling that French Polynesia, as the former French Establishments in Oceania, was originally considered a Non-Self-Governing Territory in General Assembly resolution 66 (I) of 14 December 1946, and noting that the Government of France has not transmitted any further information regarding French Polynesia since 1946,

          1.       Affirms the inalienable right of the people of French Polynesia to self-determination and independence in accordance with Chapter XI of the Charter of the United Nations and General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV), recognizes that French Polynesia remains a Non-Self-Governing Territory within the meaning of the Charter, and declares that an obligation exists under Article 73 e of the Charter on the part of the Government of France, as the administering Power of the Territory, to transmit information on French Polynesia;

          2.       Requests the Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples to consider the question of French Polynesia at its next session and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-eighth session;

          3.       Requests the Government of France, as the Administering Power concerned, to intensify its dialogue with French Polynesia in order to facilitate rapid progress towards a fair and effective self-determination process, under which the terms and timelines for an act of self-determination will be agreed, and to extend its cooperation to the Special Committee in the implementation of the present resolution.

82nd plenary meeting
17 May 2013

 

---

[1] Resolution 61/295, annex.

[2] E/2012/43, para. 39.

[3] A/67/506‑S/2012/752, annex I.

Ma'ohi Nui (French Polynesia) Commemorates 1st Anniversary of Re-inscription by United Nations as non self-governing territory

Worldatlas.com

"...In cases such as French Polynesia, an arrangement termed 'autonomous' can continue with political inequalities passed on from earlier dependency versions, and then projected as a valid form of self-government, notwithstanding the nature of the specific arrangement which in this instance has never been compared against internationally recognised self-determination criteria. The model which has been constructed for, and applied to French Polynesia is illustrative of a governance arrangement with its genesis in a dependency model which has been changed in form and nomenclature over time, but not in substance. This has served to perpetuate the political power imbalance which has led to a process of internalisation and de facto legitimisation of the political dependency model under the guise of 'autonomy.' It should not surprise that such a model would be inconsistent with international principles of full self-government." 

- Excerpt from the "Assessment of self-governance sufficiency in conformity
with internationally-recognised standards - Country French Polynesia."

*****

"

The re-inscription of the territory now provides an opportunity for the people to move toward an act of self-determination where the options of full political equality would be available. This right is guaranteed by international law, and will  now be watched closely by the United Nations.

U.N. re-inscription requires not only clear evidence of democratic deficiencies in the political arrangements of non sovereign countries, but also needs political support by member countries of the U.N. General Assembly for the process to succeed. There is ample evidence that the political status of this French dependency is far from what is considered under international standards, and the adoption of the resolution by the U.N. General Assembly, without a vote, on May 17, 2013 confirms this realisation."  

- an international decolonisation expert.

t

Political leader Oscar Temaru and Kanaky political leader Marie-Claude Tjbaou participate in commemoration marking the first anniversary of the U.N. re-inscription of French Polynesia. New Caledonia was formally re-inscribed by the U.N. in 1986.

Temaru and Tjibaou speak with the press during the commemoration.  

The two political leaders conduct press conference.

A few of the thousands of marchers in commemoration of U.N. reinscription.

Temaru provides information to the press during commemoration.

(Pictures by Overseas Territories Review)

Referendum ta derecho di Pueblo Boneriano (Papiamentu)

James Finies

 Presidente i kordinado Fundashon Nos Ke Boneiru Bek

Worldatlas.com

Pueblo di Boneiru a wordu inkorpora  i integra den estado Hulandes sin su aotorisashon legal kual mester tabata un eskoho i desishon di e pueblo liber i konsiente di  tur konsekwensia  previo di su eskoho, i for di despues di 10-10-10 a drenta un epoka di divishon i inseguridat ku nunka prome no tabata e kaso.

E desunion i divishon aki huntu ku tur kambionan ku a wordu i kada dia di nobo ta wordu desidi i ta traha ley pa e pueblo Boneriano pa e gobiernu di Hulanda situa na Den Haag i kaminda ku e pueblo su bos ku ta su poder demokratiko a wordu neutralisa a krea un situashon di desesperashon i sin salida pa e pueblo.

 Nos a  splika i roga na politikonan ku a soru pa e divishon aki ku ta ‘union” ta e solushon i pa kuminsa e kaminda di rekonsiliashon di e pueblo i restorashon di e pueblo su derechonan historikamente hereda i atkeri  pa por duna e pueblo ku ta desampara un speransa nobo.

Nos Rei nobo Willem Alexander a bini, a skucha, i a komprende e situashon ku su pueblo di su Reino ta konfrontando a priminti di lo juda i a duna e pueblo un speransa nobo.

Despues di esaki  gobiernu di Hulanda a kumpli ku promesa di Rei i resien a deklara ofisialmente ku “ ku nan ta respeta nos pueblo su derecho di autodeterminsahon konforme reglanan di Nashonan Uni i awor nos mes por bai referendum i hasi un eskoho estatal nobo den Reino i nan lo respete i ku nan tin deber di juda nos i ku nan lo renegosha ku nos den kuadro di ley internashonal di igualdat, rasonabilidat, integridat i buena fe”

25 di februari Konseho Insular a uni den e moshon i desishon den su totalidat i unaninamente tur miembro a bai akuerdo ku lo mester tene un referendum pa por trese pas i trankilidat bek den e pueblo Boneriano i esaki a wordu ratifika ofisialmente  atrobe unaninamente pa tur miembro di raad riba 1 april instalando e komishon pa duna un konseho prinsipalmente na e uniko puntu di diskushon o desakuerdo ku tabatin pa sea tene e referendum prome ku elekshon o despues di evaluashon.

E pueblo Boneriano a sinti un alivio i a rebiba nan speransa pa un solushon pronto pa por duna e pueblo e oportunidat pa eherse su  derecho di  disidi su mes riba su futuro kual ta su responsabilidat i su desishon. E union i kaminda di rekonsialshon a habri di nobo i un futuro briiante mirando ku Hulanda lo juda i kopera ku deseo di e pueblo a kuminsa bira realidat.

E reunion di konseho insular siman pasa 6 mei kaminda e komishon, konsisitiendo entre otro di tres(3) eksperto legal e duna nan konseho “awor o nunka” riba e mandato di konseho insular riba e  pregunta prinispal ki dia lo tene  e referendum sea prome ku elekshon o despues di evaluashon a wordu desaproba i silensia sin ningun pregunta o remarke riba e puntu di desakuerdo kual ta e momentu adekua pa tene e referendum sea prome ku elekshon o despues di evaluashon. Niun solo momentu so e diskushon o pregunta o moshon pa ku esaki no tabata na diskushon.

 I koalishon a disidi na final den un votashon pa para e proseso i asina para e referendum i a bira lomba pa e pueblo i traishona e pueblo ku a konfia den su representanten ku nan deber ta  di proteha e pueblo i su derechonan i a bolbe kita e speransa di e pueblo ku a kuminsa sinti i kere ku e solushon tabata na kaminda i ta kibra e proseso di union i rekonsiliashon ku a kuminsa kue forma i a bolbe dividi e pueblo un biaha mas i awor e pueblo a bolbe kai den un estado di desesperashon i ta insierto di su futuro i ta riska di entrega nos pueblo su futuro den man di otronan.

Un jamada ta bai un biaha mas na direkshon di nos miembronan di konseho insular pa por rekonsidera nan posishon i tene kuenta ku nan a wordu skohe pa sali na defensa di nos pueblo i su derechonan i no lo kontrali i no por entrega esakinan bek sin autorisashon di e pueblo.  Mester tene debidamente kuenta ku e rogamentu i sklamashon di e pueblo pa debolbe esakinan bek  si no ta duna e pueblo  tambe e derecho di por eksigihi su derechonnan bek  di kualke otro forma  kual nos no ta spera ku lo mester ta e kaso si miembronan di nos konseho insular tene kuenta ku ley i nan konsenshi i aktua konforme esey.

Virgin Islands' first Premier, former Chief Minister to retire from politics

Hon. Ralph T. O’Neal OBE will not seek reelection!

- Longest serving Virgin Islands Leader told his 9th District Committee that he had enough and will not seek reelection when term ends in 2015/16

VALLEY, Virgin Gorda, VI - In a history making decision that has sent shock waves throughout the political class both locally and regionally the Virgin Islands’ first Premier and longest serving elected Member of Parliament in the English speaking Caribbean Honourable Ralph Telford O’Neal OBE has called it quits.

READ THE FULL STORY ON VIRGIN ISLANDS NEWS ONLINE

Don’t Forget The Contributions Of Black History Giant Hubert Harrison

African Globe

Hubert Henry Harrison

AFRICANGLOBE – Hubert H. Harrison (1883-1927) is one of the truly important figures of 20th-century history. A brilliant writer, orator, educator, critic and political activist, he was described by the historian Joel A. Rogers, in World’s Great Men of Color as “the foremost Afro-American intellect of his time.” This extraordinary praise came amid chapters on Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, William Monroe Trotter and Marcus Garvey.

Rogers adds that, “No one worked more seriously and indefatigably to enlighten” others and “none of the Afro-American leaders of his time had a saner and more effective program.” Labor and civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph described Harrison as “the father of Harlem Radicalism.” Harrison’s friend and pallbearer, Arthur Schomburg, fully aware of his popularity, eulogized to the thousands attending Harrison’s Harlem funeral that he was also “ahead of his time.”

Born in St. Croix, Danish West Indies, on April 27, 1883, to a Bajan mother and a Crucian father, Harrison arrived in New York as a 17-year-old orphan in 1900. He made his mark in the United States by struggling against class and racial oppression, by helping to create a remarkably rich and vibrant intellectual life among African Americans and by working for the enlightened development of those he affectionately referred to as “the common people.”

READ FULL ARTICLE IN AFRICAN GLOBE

Inter-Virgin Islands Council meets to strengthen BVI-USVI ties

Caribbean News Now

USVI Governor John de Jongh (L) and BVI Premier Dr Orlando Smith
at Sixth Inter Virgin Islands Council meeting in Tortola

ROAD TOWN, BVI -- The British Virgin Islands (BVI) and United States Virgin Islands (USVI) continued to strengthen ties as senior government officials met and reported on areas of shared interests during the sixth Inter-Virgin Islands Council (IVIC) on Thursday.

Executive director in the International Affairs Secretariat, Sylvia Moses stated, “The IVIC is the formal side of the BVI-USVI relationship where our legislators and policy makers explore different ways to support or enhance the relations between the BVI and USVI, and monitor or introduce policies designed to improve the quality of life for the people of the two territories.”

At the House of Assembly meeting held on March 13, BVI premier and minister of finance, Dr Orlando Smith, stated, “Our territories’ mutual commitment to the Inter-Virgin Islands Council demonstrates that both our governments recognise the need to build an even more effective framework for continued meaningful and productive social, economic and political exchanges. It is a forum for mutual consultation and collaboration between the respective governments.”

Smith added, “Today our territories’ mutual interests and challenges are different than in 1951, but the spirit of family and oneness are the same.”

A number of initiatives have arisen from the council meetings. These include gang awareness sessions in the community and at the Elmore Stoutt High School and information exchange between law enforcement personnel in both jurisdictions.

Smith headed the BVI delegation which included permanent secretaries and relevant senior officers. 

The council received updates on law enforcement, pleasure boating, tourism and education. Also discussed were initiatives to explore the scope of cooperation in BVI musician work permits.

Other developments include: joint territorial training on newly acquired microfilm equipment to digitize historical documents and data; meetings to discuss a US Customs and Border Protection patrol facility at the Red Hook marine terminal on St Thomas instead of St John, a US pre-clearance facility in the BVI, earlier operating hours for Customs and Border Protection to accommodate BVI residents and visitors travelling on early flights from St Thomas.

USVI Governor John de Jongh said, “I welcomed the opportunity to meet with Premier Dr Smith and the BVI delegation to discuss these issues of great importance to both territories. Today’s meeting follows on previous meetings of the council held in 2012 and 2011 in which many of these same issues were discussed.” 

“These are core issues that affect the well-being of the people of both territories and I am pleased that through the council, we have developed a collaborative effort in addressing these various concerns ranging from law enforcement to solid waste management and the very important challenge of energy costs,” he added.

The BVI government’s representation at the Inter-Virgin Islands Council meeting reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional and international relations, as well as maintaining its close ties with the USVI.

The Inter-Virgin Islands Council was established on Saturday, 29 May, 2004, when former USVI Governor Dr Charles Turnbull and Chief Minister Dr Orlando Smith signed a joint memorandum of understanding. The Council’s first meeting convened on St Croix in April 2005.

Puerto Rico Resident Commission to the U.S. Congress comments on impact of political integration for territory

Pierluisi seeks hearings in Congress on GAO report on impact of PR statehood

By : KEVIN MEAD

kevin@caribbeanbusinesspr.com; cbprdigital@gmail.com

Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi is pushing for public hearings in Congress on the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) newly released report on the fiscal impact of Puerto Rico statehood on the federal government.

Pierluisi took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday to outline the GAO’s findings and blast commonwealth supporters’ interpretation of the long-awaited analysis.

The 134-page GAO study released this week found that statehood would mean billions of dollars in additional federal funding for Puerto Rico while also boosting Washington’s tax haul by hundreds of millions annually.

The study, “Puerto Rico: Information on How Statehood Would Potentially Affect Selected Federal Programs and Revenue Sources,” includes the budget impacts if Puerto Rico and island residents were treated like the states in more than two dozen federal programs and tax laws.

Pierluisi pointed to the November 2012 status plebiscite in which a majority of voters rejected the current territorial status and then picked statehood as the favored alternative on the two-part ballot.

Meanwhile, Puerto Rico’s longstanding economic problems have “devolved into a crisis” over the past year, according to the resident commissioner.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Mayor From Okinawa to Bring Surprising Message to Washington

wikitravel.org

OPED NEWS.com By David Swanson Imagine if China were stationing large numbers of troops in the United States. Imagine that most of them were based in a small rural county in Mississippi. Imagine -- this shouldn't be hard -- that their presence was problematic, that nations they threatened in Latin America resented the United States' hospitality, and that the communities around the bases resented the noise and pollution and drinking and raping of local girls. Now imagine a proposal by the Chinese government, with support from the federal government in Washington, to build another big new base in that same corner of Mississippi. Imagine the governor of Mississippi supported the base, but just before his reelection pretended to oppose it, and after being reelected went back to supporting it. Imagine that the mayor of the town where the base would be built made opposition to it the entire focus of his reelection campaign and won, with exit polls showing that voters overwhelmingly agreed with him. And imagine that the mayor meant it. Where would your sympathies lie? Would you want anyone in China to hear what that mayor had to say? Sometimes in the United States we forget that there are heavily armed employees of our government permanently stationed in most nations on earth. Sometimes when we remember, we imagine that the other nations must appreciate it. We turn away from the public uproar in the Philippines as the U.S. military tries to return troops to those islands from which they were driven by public pressure. We avoid knowing what anti-U.S. terrorists say motivates them, as if by merely knowing what they say we would be approving of their violence. We manage not to know of the heroic nonviolent struggle underway on Jeju Island, South Korea, as residents try to stop the construction of a new base for the U.S. Navy. We live on oblivious to the massive nonviolent resistance of the people of Vicenza, Italy, who for years voted and demonstrated and lobbied and protested a huge new U.S. Army base that has gone right ahead regardless. Mayor Susumu Inamine of Nago City, Okinawa, (population 61,000) is headed to the United States, where he may have to do a bit of afflicting the comfortable as he tries to comfort the afflicted back home. Okinawa Prefecture has hosted major U.S. military bases for 68 years. Over 73% of the U.S. troop presence in Japan is concentrated in Okinawa, which makes up a mere 0.6% of the Japanese land area. As a result of public protest, one base is being closed -- the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. The U.S. government wants a new Marine base in Nago City. The people of Nago City do not. Inamine was first elected as mayor of Nago City in January 2010 promising to block the new base. He was reelected this past January 19th still promising to block the base. The Japanese government had worked hard to defeat him, but exit polls showed 68% of voters opposing the base, and 27% in favor of it. In February U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy visited Okinawa, where she met with the Governor but declined to meet with the mayor. That's all right. The Mayor can meet with the State Department, the White House, the Pentagon, and the Congress. He'll be in Washington, D.C. in mid-May, where he hopes to appeal directly to the U.S. government and the U.S. public. He...(spoke) at an open, public event at Busboys and Poets restaurant at 14th and V Streets at 6:00 p.m. on May 20th. A great summary of the situation in Okinawa can be found in this statement: "International Scholars, Peace Advocates and Artists Condemn Agreement To Build New U.S. Marine Base in Okinawa." An excerpt: "Not unlike the 20th century U.S. Civil Rights struggle, Okinawans have non-violently pressed for the end to their military colonization. They tried to stop live-fire military drills that threatened their lives by entering the exercise zone in protest; they formed human chains around military bases to express their opposition; and about a hundred thousand people, one tenth of the population have turned out periodically for massive demonstrations. Octogenarians initiated the campaign to prevent the construction of the Henoko base with a sit-in that has been continuing for years. The prefectural assembly passed resolutions to oppose the Henoko base plan. In January 2013, leaders of all the 41 municipalities of Okinawa signed the petition to the government to remove the newly deployed MV-22 Osprey from Futenma base and to give up the plan to build a replacement base in Okinawa." Here's background on the Governor of Okinawa. Here's an organization working to support the will of the public of Okinawa on this issue. And here's a video worth watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzAw-jOQwME#t=0

Governor’s press release on GAO Report: Puerto Rican Statehood would bring fiscal & economic blow to the Island

Statehood would dramatically weaken Island’s economy, federal budget

Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study on the effects of Puerto Rican statehood on U.S. federal spending and revenues. The non-partisan report concludes that if Puerto Rico were to become the 51st state, it would cause the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, and would make it difficult for the Commonwealth to balance its budget. In addition, GAO concluded that the imposition of additional federal taxes in Puerto Rico would burden the Island’s residents, as well as harm the economy of both the U.S. and Puerto Rico. 

“The GAO’s findings are very concerning for Puerto Rico, our economy and jobs. The enormous tax burden that Puerto Ricans would be forced to shoulder as a state would be incredibly damaging to our economy, our businesses and the workers on the Island,” said Governor Alejandro García-Padilla. “This report also clearly states that statehood will make it very difficult for the Commonwealth to move its economy forward. Ultimately, statehood is a losing proposition for both Puerto Rico and the U.S. My administration is hard at work continuing our plans to grow the economy, create jobs, reduce crime, and keep our fiscal house in order.”

The report notes that: “according to tax policy experts at the [U.S.] Department of Treasury and the Joint Committee on Taxation, changes in federal income tax requirements under Puerto Rico statehood are likely to motivate some corporations with substantial amounts of income derived from intangibles (and therefore mobile) assets to relocate from Puerto Rico to a lower tax foreign location.” The GAO further states that the possible relocation of these corporations could result in federal revenue gains in the range of negative 0.1 billion to 4.3 billion, which hardly offsets the $5.2 billion in new federal spending under statehood.

While the report finds that Puerto Rican statehood would lead to increased federal funding, the broader implications are that the middle class will be eliminated by the increased tax burden and the loss of manufacturing jobs. And the economy of Puerto Rico will be increasingly dependent on federal transfers.

The GAO report published today comes at a time when Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi have introduced parallel bills in the House and Senate that call for a “yes or no” vote on making Puerto Rico the 51st state, despite the fact that a majority of Puerto Ricans have never voted in favor of statehood. On November 2012, 1.9 million Puerto Ricans voted on the Island’s status, with only 834,191 (44.4 percent) voting for statehood. The Governor has said he supports a fair and inclusive referendum following the guidelines of President Obama’s $2.5 million proposal, which was signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014.

###

Marshall Islands primed for climate fight for survival

RTCC/PACNEWS

From nowhere does the problem of climate change look more desperate than standing on the shores of the Marshall Islands. The tiny coral islands, seemingly idyllic, are slowly sinking into the ocean as sea levels rise. A 1.5C increase in global temperatures could make the islands virtually uninhabitable. So far, the planet has warmed by around 0.8C, and scientists warn that the CO2 already emitted means we’re already locked in for more.

Unsurprisingly, this means the Marshall Islands and other small island states have become some of the most progressive voices within the international negotiations around a treaty intended to limit the reach of climate change.This leaves Marshall Islands foreign minister Tony de Brum, who leads their climate change efforts, with a tough job, pushing for a climate change deal that is far beyond what less vulnerable countries would happily settle for.

“Carbon free should be the ultimate goal of everyone and if we concentrated in developing on that pathway it’s a win-win for all concerned,” he tells RTCC, during a visit to London. He has just come over from Brussels, where he met with EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard, and is about to fly over Abu Dhabi, where he will discuss with other politicians the potential for further pledges at a high-level meeting to be hosted by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in September.

The international climate negotiations may be notoriously tough, but with their target of limiting warming to only 2C, they are not stringent enough for some of the small island states, for whom even a successful treaty poses an existential threat. At present, even this modest 2C level of success is by no means a foregone conclusion; while the Marshall Islands are sinking, big emitters such as the US, India and China remain embroiled in largely ideological battles over who should bear the brunt of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions most and first.

Even if the Marshall Islands went carbon neutral today, it would barely make a dent on combatting climate change, where the impacts bear no relation to where the greenhouse gases are being emitted. In fact, it is usually those who have least contributed to the issue that suffer the most. While the Marshall Islands have a per capita emissions rate of 2 tons of CO2 for their 53,000 population in 2010, compared 17.6 in the US for each of its 317,000,000 inhabitants, they face a perilous future. But although the Marshall Islands are a speck on the map compared to these countries both in terms of size and emissions, their vulnerability means that they punch above their weight when it comes to the negotiations.

“I think that we have enjoyed relatively good rapport with development partners, the big states, the big emitters,” says de Brum. “We try and bring to the table what we consider to be the immediate and longer term concerns of the small islands states and to point out that our ambitions and goals are not that much different from those of the developed countries, that the idea of climate change leadership and working towards sensible climate change policies does not necessarily cancel out development.”

Rather than waiting for the annual UN climate conference to build these bridges, the Marshall Islands have been proactive in getting key players together in order to start forging the common ground that everyone needs to stand on if there is to be any chance of a successful outcome in Paris 2015, when the UN hopes a climate treaty will be struck.

Last year, they hosted the Pacific Islands Forum, where a focus on climate change saw participants sign a ‘Majuro Declaration’, designed to spark “a new wave of climate leadership”, which Marshallese president Christopher Loeak then presented to Ban Ki-moon as a “Pacific gift” at the UN General Assembly. More recently, they hosted the Cartagena Dialogue, bringing together an unusual selection of the global north and south countries with a progressive attitude to tackling climate change.

And Tony de Brum is about to make his way to a meeting of the Major Economies Forum—the second time the Marshall Islands have been invited to participate—which he says is a sign that other major players are starting to realise they play key role in facilitating progressive action. “We view that as America and the other big countries’ recognition of our ability to contribute to that debate and to come up with solutions that can be accepted and promoted by the big states as well,” he says.

He adds: “We also have been able to dialogue directly with the United States and also with Chinese officials throughout the Pacific and have been able to share with them what our concerns are. It seems to us in fact that is taking hold.” The conversations that he has had during his current diplomatic mission have left him feeling hopeful he says, as there seems to be a growing recognition among international leaders of the Marshall Islands’ predicament.

But there is one thing that this trip cannot do, which is allow foreign politicians to witness the destruction facing the Marshall Islands for themselves. “There’s nothing like seeing it,” says de Brum. “Landing on the airstrip in the capital city of Majuro and seeing sandbags on either side of the runway is a message that’s rather too powerful to forget.”

He explains how those who have attended events hosted by the Marshall Islands in recent years have been “awed” by the sight of the disappearing islands—a feeling which has contributed to the success of his meetings with the likes of Connie Hedegaard and UK foreign minister Hugo Swire. “It’s ridiculous the kind of climate displays that are occurring in small island states, but it was a powerful message that we wanted to share with the world, and I think it worked,” he says. “Our job as a bridge between the developed states and the small island vulnerable states is difficult, but it’s something that someone must do.”.

SOURCE: RTCC/PACNEWS

Claims British territory of Diego Garcia was 'used by US as a secret jail

Claims British territory of Diego Garcia was 'used by US as a secret jail to hold terror suspects' puts pressure on Hague

Leaked Senate Committee report says UK knew about CIA 'black jail'

Sources claim 'high-value' terror suspects were held on island

Operation was carried out with 'cull co-operation' of UK government

By MATT CHORLEY, MAILONLINE POLITICAL EDITOR

The British government is under pressure to answer claims it allowed the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to be used to hold Al Qaeda suspects in a secret jail. A leaked report in the US suggests the CIA held ‘high value’ detainees on the British territory with the ‘full co-operation’ of the UK government. The claims contradict repeated denials that Britain had ever let the US use Diego Garcia for the ‘extraordinary rendition’ of terror suspects.

The British territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean was used to hold 'high value' terror suspects in a secret black jail, according to reports in the US. A report by a Senate Intelligence Committee into the CIA’s kidnap and torture is due to be published in weeks.

But sources told Al Jazeera America it includes claims that Britain was aware of the use of Diego Garcia as a secret ‘black jail’.

US President George W Bush confirmed in 2006 that the CIA had operated a network of secret prisons around the world to interrogate terror suspects.

The Senate report claims that ‘the CIA detained some high-value suspects on Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean island controlled by the United Kingdom and leased to the United States’, Al Jazeera America reported.

‘The classified CIA documents say the black site arrangement at Diego Garcia was made with the “full cooperation” of the British government.’

Foreign Secretary William Hague is under pressure to answer questions raised by the reports

In 2011 ministers denied Diesgo Garcia had been used in this way.

Foreign Office minister David Lidington said: Aside from the two cases of rendition through Diego Garcia in 2002, the US Government has confirmed that there have been no other instances in which US intelligence flights landed in the UK, our Overseas Territories, or the Crown Dependencies, with a detainee, on board since 11 September 2001.’

However, Mr Hague now faces pressure to address the claims which have emerged from the Senate Committee report. Reprieve, a legal charity which represents victims of rendition, has written to Mr Hague demanding an explanation.

Reprieve strategic director, Cori Crider said: ‘We need to know immediately whether ministers misled Parliament over CIA torture on British soil.

‘If the CIA operated a black site on Diego Garcia, then a string of official statements, from both this and the last government, were totally false.

‘Were ministers asleep at the wheel? Or, as the report suggests, have we been lied to for years?

‘The Foreign Secretary must urgently clarify whether the CIA ran a secret prison on Diego Garcia, and whether our clients Abdel-Hakim Belhaj and his wife Fatima Boudchar were among its victims.’

A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘I refer you to statements we’ve made in the past on this issue.’

Women Call For Removal Of Military From Asia-Pacific Region

                                                                       Pacific Scoop

Peace campaigners release WILPF Auckland Declaration

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (Pacific Scoop, April 27, 2014) – Women peace campaigners from Aotearoa, Australia, Hawai’i, Japan, Philippines and Polynesia/Te Ao Maohi have called for the removal of military occupation and bases in the Asia-Pacific region.

Meeting at AUT University in New Zealand, the three-day conference organised by the Aotearoa section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom also called for the removal of military training and promotions that "normalise violence" in schools.

The women campaigners urged that military spending be reallocated to eliminate all forms of violence – domestic, social and military. The WILPF Auckland Declaration said:

* Military occupation and military bases must be removed from the Asia Pacific region.

* A call for the decolonisation and demilitarisation of the Pacific came from women at a regional gathering of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in Auckland April 25-27.

* Women attended from Rapa, Polynesia/Te Ao Maohi, Japan, the Philippines, Aotearoa, Australia and Hawai’i.

* They also call for the removal of military training and promotion from schools since this normalises violence. Military spending should be reallocated to eliminate all forms of violence: domestic, social and military, to meet human needs.

* People have been dispossessed of their land through military colonial forces and all forms of human rights violations.

* The meeting called for recognition of independent countries [which] are still under colonial military domination.

* "Militarisation in the past has caused the colonisation of countries which are still under domination," said Roti Make from WILPF Polynesia section. She specified Hawai’i under the USA, Rapanui under Chile, French Polynesia/Te Ao Maohi, Kanaky (New Caledonia), Wallis and Futuna annexed under France, and West Papua under Indonesia.

* "We call on the United Nations to accept our identity and recognise us as independent nations," she added.

* The women also called for an end to joint military exercises.

WILPF has its hundredth anniversary in April 2015 and they invite all women in the region to join their call.

The conference was held in partnership with Peace Movement Aotearoa and AUT’s Pacific Media Centre.