REFORM IN CHUUK IS ALIVE BUT SPUTTERING - DISILLUSION WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KOLONIA 000045 SIPDIS CORRECTED COPY SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/27/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID FM SUBJECT: REFORM IN CHUUK IS ALIVE BUT SPUTTERING - DISILLUSION WITH MORI (CORRECTED COPY - ADDS SIPDIS) REF: 07 KOLONIA 448 AND PREVIOUS CLASSIFIED BY: Miriam K. Hughes, Ambassador, Amembassy Kolonia, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. During a recent trip to Chuuk, which is the most populous state in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Ambassador encountered a deepening spiral of economic and social deterioration. With reluctance, the state government has embarked on a mandated program of reform. A core component of that exercise, which was a commitment to cut some 380 state positions by October 31, has been delayed and subject to manipulation. Although many employees were abruptly terminated on March 7, the FSM Government and the U.S. Department of the Interior have still not received from Chuuk a final reduction-in-force (RIF) list. Beneath an amiable and disengaged exterior, Chuuk's Governor clearly resents the imposition of reform and infrastructure projects. He and others have begun to question President Mori's judgment. End Summary. GOVERNOR DALLIES WITH REFORM ¶2. (SBU) During a visit to the state of Chuuk March 11-14, Ambassador Hughes observed deepening decline. Chuuk is the largest state in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), containing more than half the nation's population. In the midst of electricity blackouts, social decay and rising out-migration, Chuuk's Governor Wesley Simina remains genial and popular. He recently launched a campaign for a second term in office for elections that will take place in March 2009. At this stage, he has no opponents. ¶3. (SBU) Simina reassured Ambassador that a reduction-in-force (RIF) and other reform measures, which the U.S. helped broker last July, were well under way. However, the RIF of some 380 state employees, which is a centerpiece of the austerity plan that is embodied in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Governor and President Mori, has proceeded erratically, with only partial engagement on the Governor's part and veiled resistance by the Chuuk legislature. Employees who arrived at work on March 7 received notices of termination for the same day. Simina claimed over 300 workers departed quietly, and he has received only one written complaint. Each employee will eventually receive three weeks' severance pay and a lump sum emolument equivalent to one year's salary as part of a `soft landing' cushion provided by a Compact agreement and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). Contrary to the reform agreement, however, Governor Simina hinted that he might reinstate some of the terminated employees in vacant Compact-funded positions, and then look for other volunteers to leave his government. Rumors abound that some of the lump sum compensation will be channeled to support the Governor's reelection campaign. ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador noted that although the U.S.-FSM Joint Economic Management Committee (JEMCO) had approved in principle a lump sum grant totaling U.S. $2.3 million, actual release of the money would depend upon receipt of a credible, final RIF plan and conforming proof of state severance payments. So far, composition of the list has fluctuated and it has not moved forward from Chuuk to the FSM Office of Statistics, Budget, Overseas Assistance and Compact Management (SBOC). The Governor said his Attorney General, who heads the reform task force and is known as a crony, was working on the RIF list. ¶5. (C) Meantime, the dedicated but struggling new Chuuk finance director whom President Mori installed, Gillian Doone (reftels),asserted privately to the Ambassador that he would personally check every state personnel action to ensure termination and to deny rehiring of the same people. The (American) Chairman of the Compact Finance Control Commission, Alan Burnham, whose independent oversight office is situated outside the government compound, additionally reassured Ambassador he would exercise the same vigilance. Neither of these capable officials has so far seen any personnel paperwork, however. ¶6. (C) While Director of Administrative Services Doone continues to enforce strict control on runaway spending ploys by all branches of the state government, he claimed that personal intimidation has intensified, motivated by Chuukese politicans. "They are trying to break me down," he said. Doone is now the subject of two lawsuits for supposed non-payment of services. The terms of his state contract have been repeatedly challenged. Owing to threats against his family, he has removed his two daughters from school. In spite of such obstacles, Doone asserted he has dug in his heels and committed to stay for the duration of his contract, which expires in April 2009. He has KOLONIA 00000045 002 OF 004 delivered three state radio broadcasts on the long-term benefits of austerity. If he succeeds in balancing the budget, it is conceivable that Gillian Doone could emerge as a hero and even make a run for office. (C) RISING SKEPTICISM OF PRESIDENT MORI ¶7. (C) Like other friends and supporters of President Mori, Doone (strictly protect),raised some quiet but probing questions about recent judgment calls that may reflect on the political skills of the FSM President. Early praise for Mori's concerted initiative to lift his home state of Chuuk out of debt now shows signs of souring. Mori has maintained that the wellbeing of the entire nation depends upon progress in Chuuk. He has publicly staked his political career on fostering improvement. However, the four FSM states cherish their considerable Constitutional autonomy, and Chuuk, which has suffered from chronic insolvency, is ultimately the Governor's territory. ¶8. (C) In general, Mori has exercised pressure on Governor Simina quietly and strategically. Publicly, the Governor continues to hail his collegial relationship and dialogue with the President, despite their differences. Recently, however, a strain has begun to show, reflecting Simina's pique that he may have lost control. When Ambassador asked about his priorities for Compact infrastructure projects, the Governor was vague. Then he suddenly launched into seething criticism of Mori's push to contract with a French company to undertake a preliminary survey of a Compact road construction project in the heart of Weno. During a visit to Chuuk the previous week, Mori and an FSM team vowed to compress the road survey timeline to six months. "And I don't even know that company. I didn't ask for this!" Simina steamed. He charged that Mori's initiative to centralize infrastructure projects "has done nothing for the states." ¶9. (C) Governor Simina directed deepest venom at Mori's administration of a U.S. $4 million grant that China provided last September to support stabilization programs in Kosrae and Chuuk. Under Mori's personal direction, Chuuk's entire U.S. $3.5 million share of the grant was applied to reimburse debts to the FSM Government, including payments to Social Security, life insurance, the FSM Bank and income tax. Simina confided that he and his Attorney General had argued forcefully with the President for a portion of the grant. Simina claimed he had intended to use a modest amount to begin to repay U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loans, whose default rate in Chuuk now exceeds 26%. However, the President ceded nothing. ¶10. (C) Gillian Doone shared his confidential opinion that Mori's hard line on the China grant had been a mistake that may have irrevocably alienated state leaders. Criticism of recent actions by Mori additionally emerged in conversations with officials of Chuuk's judiciary branch and the business community, who include some members of Mori's extended family. They expressed astonishment and concern about several of Mori's Cabinet appointments. In particular, the newly installed FSM Attorney General Maketo Robert (Chuukese) is a well known troublemaker in Chuuk, who has earned notoriety by reportedly profiting from illicit land deals. Robert authored a (failed) FSM Congressional bill that would have conferred amnesty on Congressmen who had been convicted of criminal conduct. Robert is currently suspended from the bar owing to other malpractice allegations. ¶11. (C) A leader of Chuuk's women's association told the Ambassador, "Everyone is whispering about Maketo, Maketo, Maketo Robert. He has done bad things in Chuuk. What is the matter with President Mori?" A seasoned state official opined that Mori seemed to have caved to pressure by some corrupt FSM Senators. He predicted that a bullying Congress, which carries preponderant weight in the FSM Government, now "has Mori over a barrel." Perceiving weakness, such a Congress might get its way with the President for the next three years of his term of office, with the potential to cause significant disruption, the official said. WHILE THE QUALITY OF LIFE UNRAVELS ¶12. (SBU) As political intrigue deepens at the national level, conditions in Chuuk continue to unravel. Chuuk's population of approximately 54,000 is concentrated in the capital island of Weno and additionally scattered among some 24 principal islands and more than 200 outer islands and islets, which are situated some 140 to 160 miles away from the capital. Political will is weak among these dispersed populations, with the possible exception of the island of Faichuuk, whose citizens have mobilized vociferously to support secession as a fifth FSM KOLONIA 00000045 003 OF 004 state. Faichuuk is located outside Chuuk lagoon, which is one of the largest lagoons in the world, where U.S. forces sank more than 60 Japanese warships in World War Two. ¶13. (SBU) Today, intra-island ship traffic within and beyond the lagoon has almost ground to a halt owing to the economic crisis and rising price of fuel, which costs more than US $5 a gallon. The Chuukese complained that construction material, food and basic medical supplies can no longer reach most of the islands. Small motor boats, which transport people and their sparse supplies, are dangerous outside Chuuk's protective reef, where weather is unpredictable. A sizeable vessel that China donated remains moored in Weno harbor. The `Chief Milo' makes only occasional runs because its outmoded engine consumes inordinate amounts of fuel. China's Ambassador Liu Fei told Ambassador Hughes she is frustrated by the ship's inoperability. So far, Beijing has failed to authorize a costly proposal of Ambassador Liu to return the ship to China to replace its inefficient engine, she said. ¶14. (SBU) While the Peace Corps has a few volunteers in Weno, they removed most all others from the lagoon islands following a 2007 inspector general's report. Three volunteers remain in the Mortlocks, about 140 miles from Weno, where a small landing strip can accommodate occasional flights by Caroline Air. The FSM Peace Corps Director described to Ambassador a trip he recently made with a female Peace Corps official to assess the inner lagoon island of Fefan, which is the birthplace of President Mori. The Peace Corps officials encountered excrement-smeared docks and aggressive harassment by Chuukese youths aimed at the female visitor. They departed immediately. ¶15. (SBU) In Weno, raw sewage extrudes along side streets, houses and disintegrating schools, most of which lack working lavatories. Water pipes and storage tanks are contaminated, including in Chuuk's sole, dilapidated hospital. The Public Safety Director's office will not receive calls after 5:30 pm, a `911' number rarely works, and the Harbor Master said he had not held port drills "in a long, long time," although he seems to keep a close eye on local traffic. Chuuk's Chief Justice, who said his department will lose 43 employees in the RIF, acknowledged a backlog of over 3,000 court cases. Many paper files were lost; nothing was automated. ¶16. (SBU) Telephone, telecommunications and electricity services have all begun to break down for protracted periods owing to lack of revenue collection. One of the hospital's two overworked surgeons commented that patients regularly contract diseases in the hospital that they did not have before they came in. Owing to the lack of an automatic switch on the electrical generator, surgical procedures are subject to brief but potentially mortal blackouts. "When that happens, we try to stop cutting," remarked a Philippino surgeon, who pleaded for immediate assistance with beds, doctors, an incinerator, stretchers and a sea transport ambulance. COMMENT - A DEPENDENCY SYNDROME IMPEDES PROGRESS ¶17. (C) In the face of a massive economic and systemic breakdown, the people of Chuuk seemed resigned. An inability to hold leaders to account and an attachment to aid as a panacea contribute to local immobilization. Ambassador spoke to the chamber of commerce and Chuuk's main women's organization about initiatives they could undertake at the grassroots level. Drawing upon remarks that Secretary Rice recently made at Georgetown University, Ambassador described how some countries had adapted to globalization and seized opportunities to strengthen the rule of law and generate income. In general, however, audiences responded with questions about Compact benefits, transit visas for Chinese, and international assistance. While reforms imposed from the top down may eventually advance reform in Chuuk, it is clear that they will also generate resistance aimed at protecting vested interests. Some observers maintain that Chuuk is inherently `ungovernable.' A crisis of confidence in President Mori could further exacerbate instability. ¶18. (SBU) Chuukese are now departing for the United States in record numbers. Some of those who remain behind fear that an unforeseen calamity, such as a cholera epidemic or a typhoon, could wipe out vulnerable island populations. Timing is propitious now to consider novel approaches aimed at inspiring civic engagement and empowering more citizens. The Embassy has discussed with DOI and others ways to think outside the box and engage the Chuukese in relevant types of transformational diplomacy. DOI's new financial management software for the FSM has begun to work in Chuuk. The hospital needs immediate attention in areas where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be able to help. From the ground up, other opportunities exist, including to: restore 24-hour radio KOLONIA 00000045 004 OF 004 service and increase public broadcasts; stimulate awareness of more practicable approaches to land ownership; and encourage small-scale business development. In a state that has descended close to rock bottom, progress will be gradual. However, the Micronesians note and appreciate American attention that is aimed at helping them build their own capacity. HUGHES