I just returned from spending five weeks traveling throughout most of the Northwest islands campaigning, listening, teaching, reflecting, observing, dialoguing, and even surviving a typhoon…all on a political journey hoping to serve in the FSM Congress.
The FSM National Elections occured on March 5, 2019 for the 4-year at-large and 2-year term congressional leaders. I was on the ballot with four other candidates for the 2-year term seat representing the 13 remote outer islands in the Namonweitte, Pafeng, and Pattiw atolls known as the Northwest Election District #5. The following are some of my reflections on my political journey. Take it with a grain of salt.
Political Journey: My political journey began in my heart 20 years ago (I am 53 years old now) after I decided to leave the Jesuit training. The Jesuits formed me to be a “man for others,” but my upbringing in the remote, low-lying, small outer islands of the Northwestern most of Chuuk State provided the foundation of returning home to serve. Growing up in the outer islands I listened to the elders and chiefs encouraging students to work hard (arhorho), finish their education, and return to the islands to help. When I finally graduated in 2017 from University of Hawaii at Manoa with a doctorate in education I knew in my heart that I needed to give myself the opportunity to return home to serve my region.
Decision: After much soul-searching and discussions with friends and family, I made the decision in 2018 to formally to enter public service. I resigned from a full-time job as Director of a STEM-focused federally funded program at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) and shortly thereafter announced my candidacy for the FSM Congress to represent the Northwest region.
Platform: Over the last 20 years I have seen four key areas of need that became the pillars of my political platform: 1) educational reform, 2) sustainable development, 3) cultural preservation, and 4) regional unity rooted in faith. I felt that the current leadership had not adequately addressed these areas particularly as we approach 2023 when the economic provisions of the Compact with the US are set to expire. I wanted to help the region prepare for self-sufficiency.
Campaigns: I began the first part of the political journey facilitating community meetings with the Northwest citizens living overseas particularly in Guam, Saipan, Honolulu (HI), Corsicana (TX), Salem (OR), Kansas City (MO), Morristown (TN), Pohnpei. I deliberately waited until February to travel through the islands to hold community meetings. I wanted to visit the islands after the incumbent has done what most congressional incumbents do around the Christmas holiday of campaign season, i.e. blanketing the region with “projects,” cash, rice, etc…commonly known as “Christmas Drop.” I knew I couldn’t compete with millions of public funds used for campaigns, but as an educator I wanted to conduct public education to put things into perspectives for the voters. I wanted educated voters to be part of the movement of change in the Northwest.
Election Results: As of now it appears the incumbent has won again while I came in second in a field of 5 candidates. I take full responsibility for the unsuccessful results of this journey. My team members in the various locations deserve all the credit for everything positive about this journey. I take all the blame. I have learned so much from it …the good, bad, and ugly realities of politics in Chuuk.
Gratitude: First of all, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to step forward to ask the people of the Northwest to give me a chance to serve them in the FSM Congress. I remain ever grateful for every vote of confidence, every question asked, every tears shed, every requests during community meetings, every donation I received, every support through personal or communal campaigns. Even though our movement did not win the election this time, I know our vision for change resonated with many people. I am only a small part of a growing movement of a new batch of leaders abroad who are coming back to help our beloved Northwest.
Hopefulness: I embarked on the political journey with great hopes for a better world for the children of the Northwest region. In many ways, the children are the most vulnerable members of the island communities. Their future was being negatively impacted by the misuse of public funds and the lack of long-term educational reform efforts in the Northwest. That sense of hopefulness has gotten me through difficult days on my political journey. We adults have a duty to build a better future for the children.
Sacrifice: This political journey has made me appreciate my family…my wife Desha and my two beautiful and incredibly smart and respectful kids Keala and Keoni. I have missed them during any of my previous work trips, but on this difficult trip it was intense. Knowing that they were sacrificing so much more in order for me to pursue my calling to help my people in the Northwest made me miss and appreciate them so deeply. Every sunset, rough seas, high winds, cold rains, hunger, the aching bones, a typhoon made me think of them. Every reconnections with the incredibly wonderful people, the beautiful islands, the cultural celebrations, the laughters, the tears of hopefulness, and the questions for clarity made me appreciate the very real possibility that while a life of public service would have been so deeply enlivening, my own family would be suffering. Their support for my political aspirations meant also that they would have to survive the time away from each other, the financial sacrifice, and an absent dad and husband. As hard as it would have been, I believe we were ready to make that sacrifice as a family for the Northwest children.
Companionship: On any seafaring journey, our navigators always try to travel with companions (piloo). It was such a blessing to have my oldest brother Damian accompany me on my 5-week boat adventure through the Namonweite and Pattiw islands. He has been an inspiration to me throughout my life with his courage, strength, intelligence, wisdom, sense of humor, and commitment to social justice. He and I think alike on so many levels with a deep desire to help our beloved Northwest. Killisou rewe ren akiak meheion. My biggest surprise of a blessing was my navigator, Ildefon who humbly and quietly navigated our small boat from Piherarh to Tamatam with crew members Francis Elieisar and Manny Rosokow who spent the most time on our journey.
Support: Nothing speaks louder for support for my political journey than those individuals and groups who donated their time, energy, ideas, prayers, and financial resources to my campaign. Thank you to my sister Maggie who donated more than her share of tears, resources, and encouragement. I want to thank Team Guam, Team Saipan, Team Corsicana, Team Morristown, Team Hawaii, Team Salem, Team Saipan, Team KC, Team Weno, to name a few. I am deeply grateful to the islands that made up the base of my support in the region; namely, Houk, Onoun, Tamatam, and Piherarh. Please know your support means the world to me.
Faith: I am deeply grateful that my visit to the Weite and Pattiw islands happened during the first visit of my friend, Coadjutor Bishop Julio Angkel. He is a friend I have known and admired since my high school days when he was still a seminarian. I lived, prayed, shared laughs with him during my days as a Jesuit scholastic. His humility, faith, and caring attitude has always been an inspiration to me in my own life. It reminded me that at the very core of my political aspiration is my deep faith in God and the goodness of human beings.
Majority Voted for Change, Minority Won: Unofficially, a total of 2,834 votes were cast by Northwest citizens at the respective polling places in the Northwest region, Weno, Pohnpei, Guam, and Hawaii. It appears a mere 39.1% voted for the incumbent while 60.9% of our voters opted for change through the other 4 candidates. Yet, the incumbent may be declared the winner. In other words, the majority of citizens of the Northwest region did not choose the person who may be representing us in the FSM Congress. There is something undemocratically unjust about the end result.
Run-Off Election: To truly get the will of the people, the election laws of the FSM should require a run-off election when none of the candidates reach at minimum a 50% of the total votes cast. A run-off election between the top contenders would stand a better chance of determining the will of the majority of our citizens. Alas, no such possibility currently exists in the FSM.
Northwest Delegation Trust Broken: It was sad to see the Northwest delegation in the Chuuk State Legislature publicly campaign for the incumbent Congressman Romolow under the guise of unity. If they really wanted regional unity, then it would have been wiser for them to stay neutral and out of the campaign circuit to respect the will of the people. By endorsing one candidate, they showed a disregard for the constituents who may very well choose the alternative candidates. Now, based on the results of the election they essentially disrespected the majority (60.9%) of their constituents who did not vote for their candidate, Mr. Romolow. Their candidate squeaked out a win this time, but have Representative May, Senator Hetiback, Senator Mickey put their own political future in danger in the next election in 2021? Perhaps.
Northwest United for Change 2021: It’s painfully obvious that there were one too many opposition candidates running for the seat currently occupied by Congressman Romolow. I believe the people who voted for one of the other four candidates (Aichem, Konno, Raatior, Refilong) wanted a new direction for the Northwest. Sadly, those voices of change were not united behind one candidate resulting in the incumbent barely squeaking out a win with a mere 39.1% of the electorates. I believe the only way forward is for the opposition candidates (Aichem, Konno, Raatior, Refilong) to create a new coalition / movement, Northwest United for Change 2021, to support one candidate in 2021. If organized correctly starting in 2019, that base of support which currently comprises of the majority (60.9%) of the Northwest voters would be strong in the next elections. If it can unite behind a congressional candidate, it has the potential of also affecting the state elections to replace those who have tied their souls to the congressman.
Absentee Ballots By Mail: National election laws protecting absentee voting by mail were broken by the Chuuk National Election Office. Such law requires that absentee ballots must be sent out to absentee voters no later January 24, 2019 or 40 days before the March 5, 2019 election day. Based on the Chuuk’s own files provided to candidates, 90% of the voters my team registered in Saipan, Guam, Hawaii, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon, Missouri were sent as late as February 8, 2019 and quite possibly later…24 days before the deadline. There are reports of ballots received by citizens in the US mainland as late as February 3, 2019, i.e. 2 days before the deadline. In a memo I sent to National Election Director Tony Otto on February 7, 2019, I documented the injustice. In that memo I requested that citizens whose ballots were 20 days later than required be given 20 days after the deadline for their ballots to be received and counted. No response had been received by Director Otto so a follow up email was sent on March 4 to request immediate action.
Inexperience & Chaos: I’m not surprised that there were so many problems with this election. I witnessed a super chaotic National Election Office in Chuuk. The office lacked experienced and courageous leadership to make decisions to protect voters’ rights.
Voter ID: It is simply inexcusable for the National Election Office in the nation’s capitol to delay sending the all-important Voter Identifications (Voter IDs) to voters before the March 5th elections. Having that Voter ID would guarantee one’s ability to cast their votes even if their name is somehow omitted from the masterlist of registered voters. There were hundreds of Northwest citizens who applied for their IDs long before the elections but did not receive them in time. Many of those people did not have to fill out the all-important Voting in Another Polling Place (VAPP) confident they would receive their IDs in time. Many of them could not cast their votes on election day. There should be a congressional public hearing on this national crisis.
Masterlist: For the polling places in Guam, Hawaii, and Weno, there were reports of missing documents from the inventory. In all three locations, the important masterlist of eligible voters and the list of citizens who had requested for Voter IDs were not included into the polling boxes. In previous elections, those important documents ensured that voters be able to cast their votes particularly where their Voter IDs were not received yet by the individuals. Many voters had not requested Voting in Another Polling Place (VAPP) knowing that they had completed the Voter Registration and Voter ID request. In previous years, the national election office provided a separate list of voters who were eligible to vote based on their approved Voter ID request. In Guam where our team registered hundreds of voters for their Voter IDs long before the election day, those voters were turned away. Had the National Election Office provided the list of Voter ID approved, all of them would have been able to cast their votes.
Missing Names: Every national and state elections for Chuuk many people have complained about their names being omitted from the masterlist of eligible voters. I have no proof of fraudulent practices or if it’s simply levels of incompetence. I would hope the latter is the case because it can be solved with more training and experience. Fraud and incompetence is a potent combination. Interestingly my poll watchers in Guam, Hawaii, and Weno reported many missing names from the masterlist particularly from Northwest islands that had previously opposed the incumbent. None of the registered voters from the islands favoring the incumbent were reportedly missing from the list of registered voters.
Apathy: It’s deeply unfortunate that many of the citizens that our team registered to vote failed to show up to cast their votes on election day. Simply sitting on the sideline and complaining about the poor development back in the islands is simply inexcusable. It is also a waste of energy of those who volunteered to register voters.
Peaceful Concession: Although there were numerous issues beyond my control leading up to and during the national elections, I do believe the Northwest people have elected their representative to the FSM Congress. Without a national election law governing run-off elections, I have no choice at this time but to respect the results of the elections. On March 8, 2019 I submitted this radio announcement on the government radio station V6AK. In that message which was transmitted the same day, I peacefully and respectfully conceded to the incumbent, Mr. Robson Romolow. I also asked my supporters and all Northwest citizens who had not voted for the elected winner to peacefully and respectfully help him do his duties of serving all of us. Likewise, I asked the winner to do his best to serve ALL citizens of the Northwest regardless of who they voted for during this election. Furthermore, I prayed that the Good Lord blesses the winner with the gifts of wisdom, love, humility necessary to be worthy of the noble calling to be a public servant.
Regrets: Some may wonder if I have any regrets. I have no regrets about starting on this journey because I learned so much in the process. Instead of hoping for change, I was able to share some of my visions, my hopes and aspirations, my prayers, and some alternative ideas for the future of our beloved region. My one regret is that I was unable to visit all of the Northwest islands particularly the Pafeng islands, Pollap, and Polowat where I had no votes. I had intentions to do so, but nature and circumstances prevented me. I would be perfectly fine with getting no votes from an island after they have had a chance to hear me share my platform with them. At least I know that they have had a chance to reflect on the possibilities of progress and they chose other candidates with other alternative visions. But the fact remains that I did not make it to the islands that gave me no vote. I deserve to get no votes from those islands which had not heard my platform.
Hard Feelings: Some may also wonder if I have hard feelings for the islands that gave me no votes particularly the five Pafeng islands and Polowat. I absolutely have NO hard feelings for those islands. Why would I expect them to vote for me if I had not taken the time to sit down with the people and share with them my vision for change?
Pak-ness: Hard feelings is for immature and self-centered leaders who put their self-interest over the common interest of their fellow citizens. One of the four pillars of my platform was for regional unity. I made a commitment during my campaign talks about what I called “pak-ness” or the equitable sharing of resource allocations ensuring that there is “inet pak, tawe pak, lih pak, mwakut pak” in the region. I was hearing from communities that only a few influential people particularly mayors and clan leaders (mwan ainang) and the islands that voted for the incumbent were getting all the projects and financial resources while the majority of people got little to none. Nothing divides more people than the unequal distribution of resources. Had I won I would have made sure that every island that did not vote for me are visited first to assure them of my support, love, and service. ALL citizen in the region must feel included, respected, and honored regardless of their votes.
Healing: I believe that the healing of our divisions in the Northwest will begin when we all have shared interest in our common good. We deserve to have a leader who models that healing by his or her unselfish caring of all voices. I pray the next two years will lead to more healing, not division led by the newly elected congressman. I remain committed to be part of that healing.
What’s Next: Only God in Her infinite and great wisdom knows what She has planned for my future. For now I know that I will re-focus my attention on my family first and foremost. They have sacrificed much for me to give my people a chance to elect me to serve them; now they deserve a fully present, attentive and loving dad and husband. I always have a special place in my heart for my homeland. How I help the region moving forward will be in my own ways using whatever gifts God has given me without jeopardizing my family who are my first responsibility. I remain committed to whatever God has planned for me. After all, as I have shared many times over with my students at Xavier High School and elsewhere, “Who we are is God’s gift to us; what we become is our gift back to God.” Becoming the best we can is the greatest gift we can give back to our Creator. Amen.
