FSM Information Services
Press Release
The 5th Special Session of the 21st FSM Congress’ Committee to Wait on the President Discusses Extending the Declaration of Emergency, the FSM COVID-19 Response Framework, FSM Citizens Stranded Abroad, the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package, FSM Interstate Transportation, & When to Limit Civil Liberties
PALIKIR, Pohnpei—The 21st Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) began its Fifth Special Session on April 13th, 2020. After the opening session—which, in a historic first, was held remotely via teleconference across the FSM and the U.S. Territory of Guam—His Excellency David W. Panuelo and the Honorable Yosiwo P. George received the Committee to Wait, Chaired by the Honorable Esmond B. Moses, with committee members the Honorable Ferny S. Perman and the Honorable Dion G. Neth.
The meeting began with President Panuelo informing the Committee to Wait that he hopes to have the Declaration of Emergency extended. The President then updated Congress on the Nation’s actions in combatting the COVID-19 coronavirus, such as the FSM’s expected receipt of COVID-19 testing capability in the coming weeks, the expected receipt of ventilators from friends, allies, and development partners such as the United States of America and the World Health Organization, and the status of the States of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae in their development of quarantine and isolation facilities, among other COVID-19 protection measures.
“These ventilators will be donations?” asked Senator Perman, Chair of the Congressional Committee on Health & Social Affairs, in reference to the President’s suggestion the FSM will be acquiring ventilators for each of the Nation’s States.
“They’re a mixture of donations from the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention], the World Health Organization, and [the International Organization for Migration],” replied Dr. Livingston A. Taulung, Secretary of the FSM Department of Health & Social Affairs.
The bulk of the opening discussion focused on the COVID-19 Response Framework designed to support the Nation’s States during the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Included within the Framework is a twenty million-dollar ($20,000,000) budget, of which the President advised fifteen million is “forthcoming or being looked at as being available to [the FSM] shortly.” This funding is almost exclusively sourced from the Nation’s friends, allies, and development partners, including approximately seven million-dollars ($7,000,000) appropriated by the U.S. Office of Insular Affairs from the FSM’s Compact Sector Grants.
“Chuuk State has received two grants already for their isolation facilities,” said the Honorable Eugene Amor, Secretary of the Department of Finance & Administration. “We’re confident that we’ll start receiving [more] grants from [the U.S. Office of Insular Affairs] later this week.”
Following the discussion on the COVID-19 Response Framework, Senator Neth, Chair of the Congressional Committee on Resources & Development, asked: “Mr. President, what is the plan for [assisting] our Nation’s citizens stranded in Guam and Hawaii?”
The Executive Branch is aware that two Members of the 21st FSM Congress are amongst those FSM citizens presently abroad and wishing to return.
“For the citizens in Hawaii and Guam,” President Panuelo said, “We will open the Nation for the repatriation of our citizens when we have the infrastructure and capacity in place to properly accommodate them and maintain the security of our citizens’ health and wellbeing. I cannot give you a timeline for their return because I don’t want to encourage any false hope. But what I CAN assure you, Chairman Neth, is that we are working hard and meeting with the [FSM State] Governors and the [Government of the U.S. Territory of Guam] regularly. Shipping and cargo tankers are still allowed to come in, but we’ve made it so that they drop off goods without any person-to-person contact.”
The conversation then segued to the COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Package. President Panuelo emphasized that the Executive Branch’s goal is to divert funding intended for insertion into the FSM Trust Fund from the Nation’s fisheries fees be used to fund the bulk of the Stimulus Package. The main idea would be that these funds would be both more accessible than touching the money in the Trust Fund, as well as safer for the Nation’s overall financial outlook.
“I also want to let you know,” President Panuelo said, “That I communicated with [the Honorable Wesley W. Simina, Speaker of the 21st FSM Congress] that we are proposing under Title 54, in terms of taxation, some proposed amendments to allow the Department of Finance the ability to allow taxpayers relief from penalties and interests. Secretary Amor is a bright, conservative financial prodigy—he would ensure that it’s a measured response and not abused; he would also make the right decisions to help our affected private sector.”
To the knowledge of the FSM National Government’s Executive Branch, the FSM States of Yap and Chuuk, perhaps due to their States’ larger private sectors as a proportion of the total population, are faring particularly worse, economically speaking, than the FSM States of Pohnpei and Kosrae.
Vice Speaker Moses advised that the 21st FSM Congress looks forward to working closely with the Executive Branch on both protecting the FSM from the threat of COVID-19 as well as appropriately empowering the Nation’s private sector to survive and overcome the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Vice Speaker noted that the Congressional Committee on Ways & Means may call forth public hearings on the Stimulus Package to ensure the Executive and Legislative Branches have the same understanding.
The conversation then shifted to interstate commerce, and in particular the status of the MV Caroline Voyager followed by the status of Caroline Islands Air.
“The Voyager left last night [April 12th, 2020] to Kosrae,” President Panuelo said. “It’s primarily going to Kosrae to drop-off the Kosraean students from [the College of Micronesia-FSM]. When it returns, we plan to have it service the Southern Islands of Pohnpei State [i.e. Sapwuahfik, Nukuoro, and Kapingamarangi], followed by the State of Chuuk.”
It is the intent of the FSM National Government to ensure the Voyager begins its service to the Southern Islands of Pohnpei State on the 19th of April 2020, to be followed by service to the State of Chuuk.
“As for [Caroline Islands Air],” President Panuelo said, “We’ve [officially requested them] to come to Pohnpei, because we have to distribute all of these critical supplies that we’re receiving from abroad.”
The final topic of conversation was with regards to the Nation moving forward with limiting citizens’ civil liberties, specifically their freedom of movement, and to turn the contemporary suggested measures of social distancing into a mandated and enforced measure. It was described by both the Executive and Legislative Branches that several sakau markets remain open, Easter feasts were well attended, and in general the FSM public appear to be too comfortable in their knowledge that COVID-19 has yet to enter the Nation’s shores. Both the President and the Committee to Wait agreed that if the Nation’s citizens don’t practice social distancing as a new and true habit that, when the virus reaches the FSM, many of the current precautions and measures will have been for naught.
“I know the states have announced that [social distancing and home-quarantine] is voluntary,” President Panuelo said. “We’re reviewing this with the Department of Justice, where under the Constitution that the President has the power to limit civil liberties in an emergency. When you see a sakau market full of people, it defeats the purpose of social distancing. It’s a big decision to make, it’s a tough decision to make, and I will have no hesitation in doing it when it is necessary.”
“We can’t take the presumed knowledge of the FSM being COVID-19 free as meaning that we abandon all sense of precaution,” the President continued. “So often citizens look to their leaders to save them but, while we will do all we can to protect the Nation and all of its people, we will be much more effective if our citizens take this seriously. We need to obey social distancing now, so that we’ll be prepared for COVID-19 when it comes.”
The President did not suggest when or how he might remove citizens’ civil liberties, but noted that their removal remains an option being seriously considered by the Government, and would almost certainly be implemented and enforced in a profound manner the moment a confirmed case of COVID-19 arrives in the FSM.
The meeting ended on perhaps as positive a note a meeting about the COVID-19 Pandemic can be, with Vice Speaker Moses thanking the President for his time and transparent sharing of information, and a push that the National Government’s Executive and Legislative Branches move forward as one together.
“Thank you, Mr. President,” said Vice Speaker Moses. “We know that this is a…trying time; we haven’t been under this kind of environment—I think ever—and I know the way the FSM is setup is to have the States be autonomous. This is presenting a lot of challenges for your office and I think probably a lot of your staff to get everyone coordinated. …Now that we’re at the point where [we’re putting up the largest aid-related cash infusion the Nation has implemented, on top of implementing strict travel restrictions], a lot of questions have arisen of the constitutionality of a lot of the actions that have been occurring, especially at the State level, but I don’t think it’s the time to mess with anything that will prolong our efforts to [safeguard] the Nation and its citizens. I am glad to hear of the reports on the [COVID-19 Response Framework and the Economic Stimulus Package]; certainly we’ll relay our notes from our meeting today [to Speaker Simina et al.], and if we can extend our [Special Session of Congress] so that we can have a better thought-out process instead of rushing in five days. Thank you for your time, Mr. President.”
