FSM President Mori addresses Congress and the Nation on the State of the Federated States of Micronesia, his last of such speech

President Mori during
State of the Nation address

FSMIS (May 30, 2014): Yesterday, the Federated States of Micronesia President Manny Mori presented his last State of the Nation address before the 18^th Congress of the FSM.  Quoting from the Preamble of the FSM Constitution, the President stated “Micronesia began in the days when man explored seas in rafts and canoes.  The Micronesian nation is born in an age when men voyage among the stars; our world itself is an island”. Referring to the spirit of the FSM Constitutional Preamble, President Mori reflected on his presidency and the state of the FSM.

In setting out where we were, President Mori recalled his words to the nation during his first inaugural address stating, “we hope that after we leave office, we will have left behind a better foundation for those who follow.”  The President acknowledged that both he and the Vice President had done their best to achieve the goals of his administration. He also indicated that not all the goals were yet achieved. However, he said during his remaining one year, he would continue to tackle the nation’s most difficult challenges, including preparing the FSM for the expiration of the financial assistance under the Amended Compact of Free Association with the United States in 2023.

The President provided a brief overview of the state of the world when he first took office in 2007.  He noted that the global economy was sluggish and in a state of crisis.

President Mori stated that although seven years was too short a time to fully implement all necessary infrastructures, with the assistance of  Congress, policies for energy, Overseas Development Assistance, Information Communication Technology, medicine, and agriculture had been created.  In addition, key policies and programs had been developed such as the creation of the FSM Petroleum Corporation (FSMPC) and the Corporate Registry Program managed by the Micronesian Registration Advisors, Incorporated (MRA) that support efforts promoting the development of the nation’s priority sectors.

“The winds of change are blowing our way,” President Mori stated, as he depicted “where we are” today.  Current world events such as climate change, advances in technology, and geopolitical issues in our region dominate the global agenda and bringing inevitable challenges to the islands, the  President noted. 

Efforts in reforming financial systems have produced positive results showing a slight increase in per capita income.  Additionally, the value of our investment funds more than doubled since 2007, President Mori noted.  Growth of the operational budget of the Executive Branch previously averaged 5% but was reduced to around 2%.

As his final appeal to Congress in the context of the State of the Nation, President Mori used these words:

"Realizing that this is my last State of the Nation address, I wish to leave you with these parting words: I humbly ask that we renew our efforts and work together to allocate our limited financial resources to the priority needs of this nation."

Here is the entire speech: http://fsmpio.fm/Speeches/mori/SN_message_2014.pdf