Journal 10/9/1987
P1 Marshalls G-Man
John Otto, Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced on September 25 that the law enforcement officers of the 150th session were honored at a graduation ceremony at the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. Among the graduates was Wilson Lokeijak, Detective Lieutenant, Marshall Islands Police Department.
P11 Privatization: Time for ripe policy
Privatization is a hot topic these days across the Pacific. In developed as well as developing countries it is being talked about as a means to cure a variety of economic ills.
A couple of years ago, I did some research on entrepreneurship in the RMI attempting to identify obstacles to indigenous business success. One of the findings was that the government planned to take the lead in commercial development and expected local entrepreneurs to take advantage of the “spinoff” opportunities that emerged.
Many of the business people I interviewed were not supportive of government’s position and expressed the opinion that the government had already involved itself too heavily in commercial activities and thus limited their business opportunities. —John Carroll
Journal 10/9/1998
P1 Correct N-injustice
Marshall Islands leaders appealed to the US Congress for an immediate ex-gratia payment for the victims of US nuclear tests who are dying or radiation-related illnesses, saying in testimony before a joint oversight committee last Friday in Washington that fully one-third of islanders eligible for compensation have died without receiving full payments.
Although the US provided a $150 million trust fund in 1986 to pay nuclear test victims, Foreign Minister Phillip Muller said the compensation program “is inadequate to the point of becoming dysfunctional.”
P3 PRC Embassy marks 49th anniversary
The Chinese community, headed by the People’s Republic of China Ambassador to the Marshall Islands, celebrated the 49th anniversary of the founding of the PRC at a reception held at the Chinese Embassy on September 30.
P10 Thousands honor Robert
Robert Reimers was laid to rest Tuesday in Majuro in a burial ceremony attended by many hundreds of relatives and friends.
Robert’s remains had arrived with family members on last Saturday’s Continental Micronesia flight from Hawaii and were greeted by a local government police honor guard.
Journal 10/9/2009
P2 What price a baby’s life?
News item: Premature baby born at Majuro Hospital. Requires incubation and other life-sustaining support to survive, which is provided. Power outage one morning last week shuts off electricity to the hospital. Hospital’s backup power system does not come on immediately putting the child’s life in jeopardy.
Hospital has no further backup plan in case of power outages. There is power in other parts of the facility, but no extension cords available. Clock is now ticking on baby’s life: it is a few minutes to death.
Family member of baby runs out of hospital ward, jumps in car and drives to nearby hardware store, quickly buys long extension cords, jumps back in car, races back to hospital so staff can connect to power in another part of the hospital and power up life-sustaining equipment so the baby won’t die. As he returns with cords, hospital backup power finally comes on. Story has a happy ending: baby is still alive.
The Nitijela this week focused a day of discussions on MEC, holding a special “Committee of the Whole” to address the looming power crisis. What about our health system? It could be your or my child facing this situation next.