James T. Stovall, III
1725 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
January 1, 2013
His Excellency Manny Mori, President
Federated States of Micronesia
Palikir, Pohnpei, FM 96941
Subject: New Year’s
Letter
Dear Mr. President:
I write this on the occasion of the New Year, in celebration
of the astonishing progress of the FSM during the more than forty years I have
been so privileged to serve your people.
We all struggle over the current issues on a daily basis, but I think it
is right that occasionally we pause to recognize how far the Nation has come in
the relatively short period since 1965 when your visionary leaders of that time
first conceived the idea of a new Pacific Nation.
This could be considered an open letter to the people of
FSM, but I leave it to you, Mr. President, to determine its distribution, if at
all. It is written strictly from my
personal viewpoint as a huge fan of FSM, with no pretentions of special insight
but more than a little fond nostalgia.
My earliest work for Micronesia was done in Washington
through several of the early Compact negotiations, and I did not actually come
out there until 1975. The Pohnpei runway
was still unpaved then, and the terminal was a beautiful thatch structure
(which I still miss). Street paving
consisted of bumpy remnants from the Japanese time, and the main downtown was
out of an American wild West movie. But
the island was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen, the people were
wonderful, the excitement of nation-building was palpable and I was hooked!
Later, on a bus ride at negotiations in Molokai, Andon
Amaraich said to me, “Why don’t you leave that fancy law firm and come work for
us?” Eventually I did, and I still
consider it the best decision I ever made (except, of course, marrying Lou Ann,
my wife of fifty years!).
I celebrated my 75th birthday this year, and I
have no illusions about how much longer I can stay in the game. Don’t get me wrong, my health is almost
unnaturally good for my age and I want to continue my involvement as long as
you will have me. But I am as anxious as
you are (as we have been discussing) to find and support the best way to pass
along the body of knowledge I possess, especially to best position the Nation
for 2023 and beyond. This is obviously
open for a discussion I’d like to have, but first I’d like to mention just a
few great things about FSM today that I find remarkable.
It is not said often enough that FSM’s Constitution and its
governmental structure is the envy of the Pacific and beyond. Who would have thought it possible for four
distinct cultures over such a vast region to come together in unity and
self-determination that has now lasted for 35 years and keeps getting stronger? And who would have predicted in 1979 that a sovereign
FSM would quickly grow a set of both bilateral and multilateral relationships
capped by full UN Membership?
Not only that, but when this all got started there was a
relatively small core of people to run the new governments at the State and National
levels, and it depended too much on expatriates. I am thankful that God has allowed me to live
long enough to see a virtual explosion of educated and increasingly experienced
Micronesians in place and capable of meeting the challenges of an increasingly
complex government AND to see more and more smart and capable women
taking up roles at the highest levels both administrative and diplomatic.
Of course, your greatest challenges are and will remain on
the domestic front as you gradually and necessarily transition toward a private
sector-driven economy. There are no
quick fixes here, and easy living within the accustomed envelope is not a plan. Among other things, this outsider is very
impressed by the highly collaborative process of regular summits that you
convene to address common issues in the uniquely Micronesian way. It does not solve all problems, but it goes a
long way and has evolved steadily as the Nation has progressed.
There is a great deal more to be said, but I don’t want to prolong
this. In short, I just hope that in the
midst of problems and politics of the moment you the leaders of FSM never lose
sight of the priceless thing with which you are entrusted. I am confident in holding a strong sense of
pride in the FSM, and also for all of you whose combined effort has created the
most important island nation in the Pacific.
During 2013 let us all pray for God’s continued blessing and
support for the leaders of the FSM, and for the Nation.
Jim
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