Transcription by: Marlynn Larron and Melanie Carbine
Lujeran, āinwōt an taktō e jemed wōj ilo jukjukin in pād in ba, juon meletlet naan eo aorōk. Ej ba: Beran ilo tōre ko repen. Kajoor n̄an debļo̧k ṃakūtkūt ko. Im ilo Kajin Pālle ne, translation of the motto for the celebration of the Constitution Day, in general, it says: Brave during difficult times, and be courageous and be resilient.
I think the community tries their best when they are here, especially during COVID-19. So I want to congratulate the doctor and the rest of the team for assisting our community at large and, indeed to our Honorable Mayor Doug Sprouse who is present with us and gracing us with his presence. Thank you again, Honorable Mayor. Jen bar leḷọk kabokbok n̄an Mayor in adean̄. Ikōnan kile ijeḷọkin Anij maantata. Ikōnan kile irooj rein ad im karejaren, kab rikaki in kab eo karejeran, kab aolep rej repād ijin, taktō in im kab eo karejaren, aolep kōjwōj im jepād ijin, im juon kile eo aō ejonoḷọk n̄an Consul General in jemedwōj President, ej Minister, ej Speaker, ej Vice Speaker im ej Senator n̄an kojwoj ilo jukjukin pād in, ej mejemwōj ri tōl ro ami ilo jukjukin pād eo im ko men jouj im jerbal wōt ippān im karejar ippān juon wōt ami maron̄. Ikōnan kōṃoole kōn jerbal kein aerro. Let me make a brief statement in English and then I’ll have a very short remark in Marshallese.
I should be used to this cold weather. I was in Utah and Colorado for many, many years, but I’m still shivering even right now. Basically, what I’m trying to say, I still love our country, the good, warm climate back home in the Marshall Islands, but it’s good to visit here every now and then. The Preamble of our Constitution — Let me first congratulate the young boy for reading the Preamble of our Constitution quite eloquently. It’s stating the facts of who we are as Marshallese.
There are 14 articles in the Constitution of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. And the Preamble is setting the framework and showing and letting others know who we are. The third paragraph says: “The society has survived, and has withstood the test of time, the impact of other cultures, the devastation of war, and the high price paid for the purposes in international peace and security.” This is where I’m going to focus my two-minute statement. Peace and security of the world. Enduring the nuclear testing bombs in the Marshall Islands, we are doing this so we will have peace and security. And prior to that, if you look at the same part of the Preamble where it talks about “devastation of war”. That was during the World War II between the United States government and its military and the Japanese Empire. Our scouts then played a major role in showing our US armed forces at that time where the Japanese were, so we could win the war in the Marshall Islands. Later on the military came in 1947 and tested 67 bombs in the Marshall Islands. That’s for the peace and security of the world. The immense power and might that was displayed to make the USSR, the former Soviet Union, withdraw from the Cold War was displayed in the Marshall Island Bravo Shot with 15 megaton strength along with the other 66 bombs.
I am mentioning all this especially for our English audience today. To let you know this is why the Marshallese are here, not only in Arkansas, but Honolulu, Oklahoma and other states. Tomorrow I will be departing to the Tri-state area to meet our Marshallese community in Dubuque, Iowa. We are here because of the 67 bombs tested. Some of us can no longer return to our homes because they are highly contaminated. We are here because the cause of death in the Marshall Islands, aside from diabetes being the first cause, is cancer, radiogenic diseases, as a result of the 67 bombs tested on Bikini Atoll and Enewetak Atoll. So, if anybody, our friends here in Arkansas, and the 50 states of the United States, ever wonder why are Marshallese here. We love our country, but we are here for this very reason. Our socio-economic status, our culture, the very fabric of our society is greatly linked to our land. It’s no longer there, because we had to move away from our land. Where we used to live off the land for agriculture is erased. We no longer can do that. We depend on imported foods, because we’re no longer on our land.
Let me put some numbers in perspective here today, as we celebrate the 43rd Constitution of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. In the great and unique and special friendship between the two countries, as embedded in the Constitution and Compact of the Free Association, that was enacted in 1986, and then amended again in 2003, and will now be amended again. We hope, this year to extend the treaty, Special Economic Provision. That’s why I was in Washington DC, to meet with the National Security Council, meet with President Biden’s Envoy to the Special Compact Negotiation. We met with the State Department, met with the Department of Interior, and many others. Nevada Test Site, although there were over 100 bombs tested in the Yucca mountains versus Marshall Islands 67 bombs only. In Nevada Test there was only 1,403 kilotons strength from the bombs tested in the Yucca Mountains. Marshall Islands get this 108,886 kilotons strength from the bombs tested in the Marshall Islands. During the test of the Bravo Shot 150 million curies of exposure from Iodine 131. This is the iodine that affects the thyroid greatly when you’re exposed to it. 150 million curies of Iodine 131. In the Marshall Islands, there was 6.3 billion curies, you shouldn’t be surprised that a lot of these folks have their thyroids removed because they have cancer. And some are still living with thyroid nodules and thyroid abnormalities. That’s why we’re here.
My own island, which I represent in the Parliament, Rongelap Atoll, we no longer live on the island. It’s highly contaminated. University of Washington scientists and students, who were there a couple of years ago, have reaffirmed what we have always believed that these lands are contaminated. That’s why we’re sick. A recently released report shows that even Rongelap Atoll is as contaminated as Bikini Atoll where the bombs were tested. That’s why we’re here.
I believe, and I have looked at it and tried to understand the whole geopolitics of the United Nations and the entire world. And I can genuinely say tonight, that there are no other committed friends to the United States than Marshallese. Let me put some record in perspective. Aside from what I just mentioned now, and everything that we still continue to struggle today, and the injustice that has yet to be fully addressed from the nuclear legacy, we are still your friends. We are still committed to this relationship that we have written in 1986. Look at our voting rights in the United Nation. So-called great friends of the United States sometimes vote no and other times cowardly vote abstain. Marshall Islands voted yes. Look at those records. The highest serving per capita military in the US armed forces, over the 50 states enrollments, are from the region in Micronesia, that includes Republic of the Marshall Islands.
I’m saying all this as we celebrate this Constitution, because our Constitution is recognizing this relationship. It’s embedded in the Preamble. So, if anybody, our friends here, ever wonder, why are these Marshallese here, I just briefly run through a five-minute quick history of facts of why we’re here. So, as we celebrate today, let’s remind ourselves, my American friends and Marshallese colleagues, that we are here together, we are here to stay. There is a geopolitical shift in the Pacific Ocean now as we understand it, and I believe the military personnel will understand this more than the rest of us. I like to recognize their presence here, thank you for joining us. Jemaron̄ kabokbok er.
Let me make my remark in English by saying this for those of us that may not understand. Kwajalein Atoll is in the middle of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Kwajalein Atoll is where the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Defense Missile Testing site is. Should anything come out from North Korea, a rogue nation that is trying to flex whatever muscle they have, if there is any, which I want to say without having to be politically correct. I’m just going to state the facts. You have Mainland China on the other side and Russia next to it. Look at where the Marshall Islands is. It’s right in the middle of it between the US and these three countries. Guess what they do in the Marshall Islands, Kwajalein Atoll. They blow up missiles that will come in the direction of Hawaii, Guam, California, even Arkansas, or Washington DC where I was just at. Marshall Islands would be the first shield of defense. That’s Kwajalein Atoll. So when I talk about sacrifice, you better believe what I mean, when I say sacrifice. Then, now and tomorrow, we continue with the Indo-Pacific Initiative Strategy versus the Massive Belt and Road. Marshall Island endorsed the Indo-Pacific Initiative Strategy. That is the United States’ strategy to keep peace transparently in the region. We are over 1 million square miles of water. That is an important pathway through that water. So I want to just to remind us, why we’re here. And to encourage our friends here to work with your friends, the Marshallese that are here. That’s why I went to many, many different offices including the Honorable Mayor’s office, to share with our community here in Arkansas why we’re here.
N̄a ij lewōj wōt ilo lujaron naan in kōjeraṃṃan n̄an koṃwōj aolep. Lukkun unin aō itok, iaar jibadek tok ri-pālle rā ṃōttamiean̄ n̄an aō kōnono ilo etamiean̄ bwe en walōn̄ḷọk etamiean̄ jidrik ilo jukjukūn pād in koṃ ej pād ie. Āinwōt aō kar kōṃṃane ilo Washington, DC. Ikōnaan kwaḷọk ke kweḷọk eo Washington, DC eḷap aer eṃṃan. Ijab tōmak ke kiiō Amedika ej atreej e kōnono kein ad ikijien paijin, climate change, im kōnono ko jet jaar kōnono kaki. Bwe ewōr juon mejatoto oktakḷọk jān tōre ko ṃoktaḷọk. Eḷaptata ilo ad kwaḷọk n̄an er ke “we are here to stay with you,” kōm ej pād ippami, Amedika. Ak iien aṃ reitok kiiō im lale aikuj ke kab ban ke am n̄an tok kōnono kaki ilubiden iiō ko bwe ren bojrak ilo tōrein. Jen kōnono kaki kiiō im kōjeṃḷọki kiiō. Im ej juon message eo eḷap an allikar n̄an er im tōmak enaaj bōk jikin. Kajjitōk ippamiwōj bwe koṃwin continue to be a law abiding citizen. Wōnṃaanḷọk wōt im kōjparok ami ṃakūtkūt im kaṃṃoolol bwe koṃ pād ijin im āinwōt jeraṃṃan ko koṃ ej iooni ijin im jab kōṃṃan ṃanit ko jet me ejab ṃantin ri-ṃajeḷ. Kōj ri-ṃajeḷ jej armej in lale doon, jej armej in kōjparok, jejeḷā kautiej rūtto ro ad, jejeḷā kautiej ri tōl ro ad. Kwōmaron̄ kōnono n̄e kwōj kōnaan n̄an anemkwōj eo aṃ -eṃṃan – ij ba eṃṃan kwōn kōṃṃan. Ak at the end of the day kwōn pād wōt ilo aṃ jeḷā kautiej. Kwōn pād wōt ilo aṃ jeḷā kwe ri-ṃajeḷ. Kwōn pād wōt ilo aṃ jeḷā juon ṃanit emour. Unin aṃ ri-ṃajeḷ kōnke ewōr juon aṃ ṃanit ejonoḷọk. En̄in jaar kūrtok im Counsel General e ad kūrtok irooj e kab eṃṃaan rein, rā an organization e bwe en tōn kōnono n̄an kōjwōj. Koṃean̄ kōjparok. Koṃṃoolol Irooj bwe kwopād ijin, elōn̄ jeraṃṃan ko kwōj iooni kwomaron̄ kar jab iooni ilo aelōn̄ ko. Ilo etan kien eo lewōj naan in kōjeraṃṃan n̄an koṃean̄ aolep im ba ke Anij en kōjeraṃṃan komwōj im Anij en kōjeraṃṃan laḷ jidikdik kein ad.