VZCZCXRO0702
RR RUEHKN RUEHKR RUEHMJ
DE RUEHKN #0140 3100543
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060543Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY KOLONIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2382
INFO RUEHKR/AMEMBASSY KOROR 0359
RUEHMJ/AMEMBASSY MAJURO 0473
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEHKN/AMEMBASSY KOLONIA 2751

UNCLAS KOLONIA 000140 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/ANP 
INTERIOR FOR OIA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL FM
SUBJECT: POHNPEI STATE CONCLUDES ITS CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION 
 
REF: KOLONIA 47 
 
¶1. (U) Summary. Pohnpei State concluded its Second 
Constitutional Convention after ninety days of deliberations. 
Delegates considered fourteen proposed amendments to the state's 
twenty-five-year old constitution and approved ten.  Voters must 
approve the proposals in a subsequent referendum in order for 
the amendments to be ratified.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) In 2007, Pohnpean voters approved a ballot measure 
calling for a constitutional convention.  The impetus arose from 
strong secessionist sentiment; many Pohnpeians feel that Chuuk 
receives a disproportionate share of Compact funds and other 
revenue at Pohnpei's expense.  Voters chose 29 delegates to the 
convention in the March 2009 general elections. 
 
¶3. (U) The 2007 ballot measure also created a Pre-Convention 
Committee to identify the issues to be considered.  The 
Committee looked at 166 proposed constitutional amendments 
before narrowing it down to fourteen. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Proposals to secede from the FSM, one of the main 
issues that drove voters to approve the convention in the first 
place, did not make the final cut.  The largest municipalities 
on the island, Madolehnimw, Kitti and U, each submitted 
amendments giving Pohnpei the right to secede.  Committee 
Chairman Hainrick Stevenson (whose day job is Director of Public 
Affairs for Pohnpei State) stated publicly that secession became 
an issue after the national legislature decided to pay Chuuk 
state's Social Security arrears (reftel) and passed other "bail 
out" legislation favoring Chuuk.  However, all three of these 
proposals failed to pass the first reading.  Delegate Ferny 
Perman told CDA that "it is not yet time to address the issue 
[of secession]." 
 
¶5. (U) The Convention passed ten proposed amendments that would: 
 
- Provide legal aid to indigent Pohnpeians; 
- Give original jurisdiction to the Pohnpei Supreme Court over 
all civil and criminal cases; 
- Add the following to the Constitution: "If conflicting 
constitutional amendments are submitted to the voters at the 
same election and are approved, the amendment receiving the 
highest number of affirmative votes shall prevail . . ." 
- Limit proposed constitutional amendments to one subject only; 
- Impose a 180 day minimum time and a 365 day maximum for voters 
to ratify a proposed constitutional amendment; 
- Require the state government to ask the voters whether they 
want to convene a constitutional convention every third general 
election (i.e. every four years); 
- Require Judges and Justices to accept a percentage reduction 
in salary if other government employees must do so; 
- Clarify future impeachment proceedings brought against state 
officials; 
- Require candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor to run on a 
single ticket; and 
- Make the Public Auditor position an elected position, rather 
than a post appointed by the Governor. 
 
¶6. (U) The proposed amendments are not ratified until they pass 
muster with the voters.  The date for a referendum has not been 
set. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Conclusion.  The national government dodged a bullet 
when the Convention refused to consider secession amendments. 
Legitimately or not, Pohnpeians definitely think that national 
government policies favor Chuuk.  However, their resentment 
cannot overrule the high cost of separation, i.e. the loss of 
Compact funds.  When Delegate Perman spoke of a "right time" to 
secede, he might have been thinking of a future date when 
secession would not be so costly: after the Compact expires in 
¶2023.  Once the economic incentives to stay together are 
removed, the Federation's wide cultural and linguistic 
disparities may lead to a break-up.  End conclusion. 
 
DOUGLASS