“Welcome to the Official Website of Pohnpei State Government,” the home page of the website at www.pohnpeimet.fm says. The website was published to the international web community on July 5, 2010, according to Pohnpei State Public Affairs Officer Heinrick Stevenson.
At the top of the screen, the words, “Peace, Unity, Transparency” and “Accountability” float by one at a time from left to right before they fade away, superimposed over the word,“Kaselehlie,” the beautiful and meaning filled greeting so often taken for granted by many of us who use it.
Though the website has been published for the world to see, it’s obvious that it is a work still in progress. The home page of the new website, along with several others pages doesn’t quite fit horizontally on a computer screen. The drop-down headings don’t fit in their spaces. Neither do the menus below the headings. Additionally, the website isn’t, in the fullest interpretation of what the word “government” means in FSM, the official website of the “Pohnpei State Government” since only the Executive Branch is represented.
“The website is designed primarily to inform and to share with the people of Pohnpei and the general public true and realistic information concerning what the government (executive branch) is doing, and at the same time to seek public input and guidance on how best we can improve delivery of public services to those that we serve,” says the message written by Pohnpei State’s Governor John Ehsa which dominates the home page.
Under the heading of “Latest News” on the home page are the words, “Welcome Governor Ehsa from your trip from South Korea,” followed by the words writ in blue, “Contact us…”
At least in its start up phase the website doesn’t have a great deal to offer yet and though “contact,” as Governor Ehsa said in his message, is the purpose for the site it is also a missing component.
While every page has an alluring blue lettered, “Contact Us,” clickable link, the link doesn’t work. I clicked the blue letters, filled in the requested information boxes including my name and email address and wrote a fairly long comment in the box provided for that purpose and clicked submit. The next page that came up said, “The contact form you are testing needs to be setup.” Apparently, the Allwebco template hasn’t actually been finished by the designer of the website so no contact can yet be made by the website without sending an email by other means.
I clicked the link that said
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
under the heading “email us” and the email address that popped up in my Outlook Express page showed the address
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Two days after writing to that email address there still has not been a response, which, I suppose is not too surprising given that there currently is little to no Internet access in the new Pohnpei State Government Complex.
Indeed, the spreadsheet formatted page that represents the Executive Directory lists the names of some of the people working at the top levels of government but contained absolutely no information as to how to contact them. Though the spread sheet implies that there should be, there are no recorded fax numbers, no home, cell or office phone numbers and, not a single email address.
News is currently scant on the new website. At press time one could find out which four bills were signed by Governor Ehsa last month but you can’t read the bills.
Some websites carry disclaimers and the new Pohnpei State website is no exception, “Any person who intends to use the information is hereby advised to confirm its accuracy with Pohnpei State Office of the Governor or the party to which the information is related, before acting on that information.”
I suppose that this means that whoever the webmaster is has carte blanche to post whatever he or she wants to post without having to worry too terribly much as to whether it’s accurate. It’s probably not what they meant but that was my immediate knee jerk interpretation.
Under the heading “Pohnpei Met” are the following words: “Our objective is to provide a better life for our people, to live in a healthy environment and to live a long prosperous lives in Pohnpei.”
There is a box devoted to “What's New in Pohnpei,” that takes up a good portion of the left side of the computer screen. The box below it says, “Click on the resources links in this website to find out more about opportunities, programs, projects and much more here in Pohnpei State.” Why not leave those boxes out and save the screen space?
Having said all of these things, the Governor’s office is to be congratulated for making the effort to have a new website. It seems like a natural thing to do since so many Pohnpeians rely on the Internet to get news about goings on their homeland. With the arrival of high speed communications in the FSM more and more Pohnpeians who still live here are connecting to the Internet for information.
I applaud the Governor’s office for making this effort and look forward to great improvements in the site in days to come. The website is miles better than the non-existent one that was available a few days ago.
It’s been a long time since the Pohnpei Governor’s Office has had a website. Former Governor Johnny David had one that can still be found online at www.fm/PohnpeiGov. The date of the last press release on that site was 2006.
The Pohnpei Legislature has a website (www.fm/PohnpeiLeg) as well but until today I had no idea that its use had been diverted for use by the now adjourned Second Pohnpei Constitutional Convention that began in 2009. Before that time the last update of the Pohnpei Legislature website had been in 2005 as far as I could see.
The Kosrae Legislature has a website (http://www.kosraelegislature.org/) but I didn’t see any updates on that site more recent than 2008. I did see a notice on the site saying that due to staff shortages the Kosrae legislature was behind in its updates of bills and other information. “We expect to have everything back to normal shortly,” the webpage says. Apparently that function is the responsibility of John McKenzie, who as the Attorney for Kosrae’s Legislature must be up to his neck in paperwork and has very little if any support staff.
I couldn’t find a website for the Kosrae Governor’s office. I also could find no governmental websites for Chuuk State.
By far, the most up to date and best produced State website I found for the FSM was the Yap State Government page (www.yapstategov.org.) It takes a while to load up on a dial up line but the information in it is practically up to the minute. Every link in it works. I was able to sign up for a daily news update from Yap State Government. Immediately after signing up I checked my email and there was a welcome message for the service for which I’d just signed up.
Larry Raigetal, who is in charge of Yap’s Department of Youth and Civic Affairs said that the website was started two years ago, using Compact Capacity Building Sector Grant money for the startup. Garrett Johnson serves as the webmaster for the site.
Though the Yap webpage has a disclaimer similar to the one on Pohnpei’s website I was able to find out how to apply for a foreign investment permit something that isn’t on the Pohnpei State website. The only mention of Foreign Investment on Pohnpei’s site is an incomplete sentence.
It would be petty to overly criticize a startup website because of typos or grammatical errors so I won’t do it. I did, however, find the description of Pohnpei’s economy to be quite informative even if I didn’t really quite understand what was being said despite having lived here for nearly 10 years. “Pohnpei has a typical mixed economy consisting mostly of government, households and businesses. The economy can best be described as a blend of subsistence and economic dependency.”
Perhaps in time, the Pohnpei Governor’s site will be just as good as Yap’s. They might have waited to release the site until it was fully functional but they didn’t choose to do so. But then, there is a website and that’s a very good start.
After two weekends of non-stop music action the 2010 Summer Jam also known as the Battle of the Bands came to an end on July 18th 2010 with the attendance of more than 200 people filling up the community center to enjoy great local music by our local artists. Performing were the TB Productions, 10-28, Island Brothers, R&BB, and many more young local artists displaying their talents of music and singing.
Only 1 band was able to come out and claim the first place although all of the bands put up a magnificent show for the audience, it was up to the fans and audience to decide which band was the best.
It was done by a secret ballot vote by the audience in attendance and at the end of the day it was TB Productions who came out on top with the most votes and claimed the grand prize of $300 while Island Brothers came out 2nd winning $200, and 10-28 placing third winning $100.
The event was organized by the Waab Music and Art Federation, a non-government and non-profit organization created to organize and promote local musicians. According to the organization, they are planning to do the event again next year and hope that more local bands and artists will come out and sign up to join.
Youth in Agriculture Strategy consultation begins
Written by Secretariat of the Pacific Community
Monday, 26 July 2010
This week begins the three-week consultation phase for the
Youth in Agriculture Strategy, developed by SPC Land Resources Division (LRD).
Adopting the participatory approach, a consultancy to develop
the strategy was conducted in November 2009 with visits to three countries –
Fiji, Tonga and Kiribati – talking to young people about the constraints they
face in undertaking agricultural ventures and their suggestions and those of
other stakeholders about actions on the ground that could encourage more young
people to view agriculture as a worthwhile undertaking.
The development of the Youth in Agriculture Strategy is in
response to a resolution in 2008 by Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry
requesting LRD to, ‘Develop, with relevant partners, a strategy to promote
agriculture among young people’.
Pacific youth (aged 15-24) comprise about 20% of the total
population of PICTs and their proportion is projected to grow at an annual rate
of 2.2%. This rapid rise in the number of young people will increase demands
for essential social services such as education and health, and for employment
opportunities.
The family, the community, the church and the state were the
most significant youth support groups identified in the study. Each provides an
enabling environment for active and increased participation of young people in
agriculture. The church, the state and NGOs as actors in the development sector
must constantly monitor and evaluate their roles and use of resources to more
effectively support the development of young people.
The youth in agriculture strategy is being developed to
identify actions and initiatives that all stakeholders can pursue to encourage
the active engagement of youth in agriculture across the region. Time and
resource constraints allowed field work to be conducted only in the three
countries. While not necessarily representative of the entire region, young
people surveyed had a good understanding of the importance of agriculture in
their lives. The rural-based youth surveyed were more aware of the role that
they as young people could play in the agriculture sector while urban-based
youth felt that agriculture was less interesting as a career. Young people in
rural areas were more aware of the importance of agriculture to household food
security, than young people in urban areas, for whom the link between
agriculture and food security was not as strong.
Social customs (e.g. some traditional values), lack of
support mechanisms and access to capital were obstacles identified to youth
participation in agriculture. In certain contexts, structural impediments
(institutional and governmental) severely limit opportunities for youth. Most
importantly, because youth numbers are growing faster than the rate of job
creation, there are too few reasonable employment opportunities available for
the vast numbers of youth pursuing them.Youth are up to three times more likely to be unemployed than older
people. Many are underemployed, with work only available seasonally or for a
few hours a week. Those who do find employment may have to work long hours for
little pay.
Following the three-week region wide consultation, the
finalised version of the Youth in Agriculture Strategy is targeted for adoption
at the Heads of Agriculture and Forestry meeting in Fiji in August 2010. The strategy
and action plan will provide a framework outlining key activities that SPC and
partners can undertake to support young people in their agricultural
initiatives.
The Pacific Agricultural and Forestry Policy Network
(PAFPNet) of SPC Land Resources Division is coordinating the development of the
Youth in Agriculture Strategy in partnership with SPC Human Development
Programme. CTA funds supported the consultancy.
Yap legislature acts on smoking bill and discusses secession legislation
Written by Bill Jaynes
Monday, 26 July 2010
July 8, 2010
Colonia, Yap—A daily press release provided as a news service
of the Yap State Government web page said that the Yap Legislature overrode a
Gubernatorial veto of Legislative Bill number 7-99that proposed to regulate smoking in all
public places in order to promote, protect and advance the health and welfare
of the people of YapState.
The Committee on
Government, Health, and Welfare was assigned the task of reviewing the
Governor’s veto of the bill and in their committee report concluded that the
Governor’s concern that “The Bill is laying down more restrictions than
necessary” in order to achieve a consistent level of basic protection from
second hand smoke was not convincing or compelling.
The YapState press release also said that
during today’s session a resolution was introduced that would urge the Congress
of the Federated States of
Micronesia to enact appropriate legislation
that would allow for secession from the FSM.
The resolution said that
the FSM was historically established as a loose union of states vested with
their own individual sovereignty and will, to work collectively towards the
development of the nation.It said that
the determination and the free will of the states should be inherent in the
laws governing the nation.
The Yap
legislature deferred action on the measure to tomorrow’s session.
U.S. donates computers to agriculture students
Written by Embassy of the United States of America, Kolonia
Monday, 26 July 2010
On July 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural
Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) donated approximately $5,000 worth
of computer equipment to the College of Micronesia (COM-FSM) Agriculture
Department. COM-FSM Agriculture students will have better access to computers
to complete assignments and conduct online research over the Internet.
Moreover, they can research other higher education institutions, scholarships,
and employment opportunities.
The Agriculture Division might utilize the computers to
develop brochures advertising compost for sale from its piggery waste
management system. All proceeds from the sales go into a student fund.
Attendees at the donation ceremony included U.S. Ambassador
to the FSM Peter A. Prahar, USDA NRCS Resource Conservationist Paul Lake,
COM-FSM Vice President Ringlen Ringlen, Agriculture Division Chair Professor
Kiyoshi Phillip, and Instructional Affairs Director of Academic Programs Karen
Simion.
In his remarks, Ambassador Prahar noted that USDA-NRCS offers
technical assistance “free of charge, to FSM residents through their national,
state, and local governmental agencies and organizations.” The Ambassador also expressed
his “hope [that] this event and this donation remind us of the twenty-five year
partnership between the FSM and the NRCS - a partnership that has worked to
ensure a sustainable future for all FSM citizens.”
NRCS has a history of partnership and providing technical
assistance to COM-FSM’s Agriculture Department, including assisting in the
design of a piggery waste management system, soils training for COM-FSM and
high school students, and raised bed gardening training. COM-FSM Agriculture
Professor Kiyoshi Phillip is a longtime supporter of NRCS and was active in the
Pohnpei Soil and Water Conservation District.
U.S. supports conference on domestic violence in Chuuk
Written by Embassy of the United States of America, Kolonia
Monday, 26 July 2010
On June 24-26, the U.S.
National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) conducted a conference titled
“Domestic Violence and its Impact on our Community” at the Truk Stop Hotel in
Weno, Chuuk. Sponsored by the Chuuk State Attorney General’s Office through the
U.S. Compact of Free Association, the three-day training included participants
from Chuuk State Departments of Public Safety, Health, Legal Services, the
religious sector, Chuuk Women’s Council, and other interested community groups.
Chuuk State Attorney
General Joses Gallen remarked that “domestic violence is a major problem in
Chuuk, and it affects everyone in the community,” and noted that his office is
increasing its focus on family-related issues. Management Officer JoEllen Gorg
of the U.S. Embassy in Pohnpei thanked conference organizers “for their courage
to bring this issue out in the open” and conference participants “for their
courage to be associated with this sensitive issue.”
The conference included
sessions on the impact domestic violence has on victims (especially children)
and communities. Participants also studied the characteristics of abusers, the
importance of collaboration between law enforcement, the legal system, victim
and legislative advocates, and victim sensitivity. The conference also
discussed action plans and coalition building among community and
state-advocacy groups.
At the conclusion of the
training, Supreme Court Chief Justice Camillo Noket urged participants to
assist in community awareness and lobby for domestic violence legislation. To
date, no state in the FSM has enacted anti-domestic violence legislation.
In addition to Legal
Trainer Bill Minkley, the training included presentations by NDAA Director of
Programs Candace Mosley, Senior Attorney Kristina Korobov of the NationalCenter for the Prosecutions of Violence
Against Women, Police Lieutenant Mark Wynn of Wynn Consulting, and Valerie
Wynn, Executive Director/Founder of The Mary Parrish Center for Victims of
Domestic and Sexual Violence.
News 
