FSM REVISES METHOD TO SELECT JEMCO REPRESENTATIVES AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L KOLONIA 000034 DEPT FOR EAP/ANP INTERIOR FOR OIA E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/16/2019 TAGS: PGOV EAID FM SUBJECT: FSM REVISES METHOD TO SELECT JEMCO REPRESENTATIVES AND DISMISSES CURRENT REPS CLASSIFIED BY: Miriam Hughes, Ambassador, AmEmbassy - Kolona, State. REASON: 1.4 (b) ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Although no official announcement has been made, Evelyn Adolph and Fabian Nimea are no longer the Micronesian representatives on the Joint Economic Management Committee (JECMO). All signs indicate that Foreign Affairs Secretary Lorin Robert and Pohnpei State Governor John Ehsa will be named as their replacements. End summary. ¶2. (U) On December 8, 2008, the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) passed C.B. 15-62. The bill defines, for the first time, the method the FSM will use to name its JEMCO representatives. The legislation gives the President the discretion to name one representative, but the President must choose from a list of four nominees submitted by the state Governors (one nominee from each state) to pick the second. ¶3. (U) President Mori vetoed the bill a month later, writing that the federal government's prerogative will be "tainted" if the President must choose among the Governors' nominees. The President also worried that the three Governors whose nominees were not chosen would accuse him of favoring one state over another. However, Congress overrode his veto and the bill became law on January 28, 2009. 4.(SBU) Just a few days later, on February 2, the office terms of the FSM's two JEMCO representatives expired. Post learned that Evelyn Adolph of the Ministry of Finance and Fabian Nimea of the Office of Statistics, Budget, Overseas Devlopment Assistance and Compact Management (SBOC),will not have their terms extended, although both will retain their current positions in the FSM national government. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin Robert told Pol/Mil Specialist that he was appointed to JEMCO on February 3. Secretary Robert stated his government wishes to wait for the second nominee to be named before the the FSMNG makes it official. [Note: In fact, Secretary Robert's nomination had been an open secret for weeks. Last November the FSM Congress passed a resolution appointing him to the Committee. His official confirmation is on the agenda of this week's Special Congressional Session. End note.] ¶5. (C) It is also an open secret that the second JEMCO representative is like to be Pohnpei State Governor John Ehsa, who formerly served as Secretary of Finance during the Amended Compact negotiations. During the week of March 1 all four state govenors met in Kosrae to discuss taxation. Evelyn Adolph also attended the meeting in her capacity as Director of Tax Reform. Ms. Adolph told Pol/Mil Specialist that at one point during the meeting, the governors asked everyone else to leave the room while they met privately. Later, Governor Ehsa informed Ms. Adolph that all the states agreed to support his nomination as JEMCO Representative. [Note: Post believes that this statement indicates all four Governors will submit Ehsa's name to the President. End note.] Governor Ehsa's impending nomination has also been confirmed by Suzanne Lowe, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Jane Chigiyal, Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: Grumblings among a number of FSM officials portended the change. Many officials expressed their dissatisfaction with Ms. Adolph's and Mr. Nimea's performance at the last JEMCO meeting, believing that they did not present the FSM's side forcefully enough. Both Secretary Robert and Governor Ehsa are seasoned negotiators. Post predicts future JEMCO meetings will be more lively and substantial as Robert and Ehsa show their home audience how articulate they can be in defense of FSM national interests. HUGHESMK