Marshalls may lose APIL membership

Marianas Variety
Monday December 10, 2007

By Mar-Vic Cagurangan Variety News Staff

THE Republic of the Marshall Islands, which has been a no-show in the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures meetings, is likely to lose its membership in the regional organization unless it expresses its intention to stay with the group.

APIL secretariat Walden Weilbacher said Nitijela, RMI's legislative body, has not sent delegations to APIL meetings for five years. But just the same, he added, APIL continues to send pertinent information to Nitijela since it has not formally withdrawn its membership.

At the 48th APIL meeting in Kosrae late last month, Yap State Legislature Speaker Charles C. Chieng suggested that APIL set a deadline for the RMI to decide whether or not it still wants to be a part of the organization.

"The leadership of APIL will continue to reach out to the RMI. APIL must move forward, and we should know if the Marshall Islands still wants to participate in this regional body," Chieng said.

If the RMI has not made a decision when the APIL General Assembly convenes in May, then its membership "will be considered lapsed," Chieng said.

Weilbacher said APIL earlier this year sent its vice president, Hawai'i Sen. J. Kalani English, to the Marshall Islands for consultations with the government on their membership.

At last month's meeting, English told the delegates that "the Marshall Islands leadership told me they will seriously consider returning to full membership in APIL. Yet, they also recognized that they were heading into an election, and wanted to wait until after the elections so that the new members of the Nitijela can be a part of this decision."

APIL president Sabino Sauchomal said even if the RMI decides to quit the organization, APIL will always keep its doors open to Nitijela if it wishes to rejoin the organization at any time.

Formed in 1981, APIL is comprised of legislative representatives from 12 island legislatures: Guam, American Samoa, the CNMI, the Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap), the RMI, Palau, Hawaii, Nauru and Kiribati.

Guam Sen. Jim Espaldon, R-Tamuning, said it wasn't fair to the Marshall Islands if APIL continues to include the republic's name in the organization's official letterhead and communications when "they did not take part in our deliberations."

Copyright YAS,Inc. 2007

Original article URL: http://www.mvariety.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=3729

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