President Panuelo spoke at both the ribbon-cutting as well as a reception dinner last month on April 23-24, 2022. Everyone was glad to hear that the FSM continues to be COVID-free with 80% vaccination rate among adults and 65% overall. He also reported the Nation’s sovereign trust fund now exceeds half a billion dollars in addition to the US trust fund established 20 years ago which is now $1 billion. Also, having just come from Washington, D.C., he reported on the negotiations of terms to renew their Compact of Free Association with the United States. He also addressed the recent conflict in the Ukraine and made a strong statement for peace in cutting official relations with Russia. He echoed the Nation’s Preamble: “We extend to all nations what we seek from each: peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our common humanity.” President Panuelo has cautioned neighboring countries against entertaining the competing interests of China in the Pacific, remembering how WWII left lasting damage to Chuuk lagoon and the other island nation states in Micronesia.
At the dinner reception, President Panuelo answered questions about the country’s priorities for education of citizens living in the FSM as well as in the US. In his remarks, he recalled his personal journey in the State of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, both when he was a student at Eastern Oregon University and later in life as a private citizen. Consul General Joe Enlet has also spoken before about wanting to pursue doctoral studies in fishing and wildlife management. Acknowledging the accomplishments and achievements of many guests in attendance, one in particular was commended for just now completing his Master’s degree. Chikin Melele briefly spoke with this soon to be Master’s graduate, who very humbly acknowledged the opportunities he had in the US going to school part time while he working and eventually running his own construction company. He received a scholarship through Marmet University for his graduate studies. Though it may seem that there are only scholarship opportunities for those living in the islands, President Panuelo directed people to the Consulate for opportunities to continue their education.
John Duffy, a once Majuro Co-op student and current pilot in the FSM, also specifically asked about the issue of dual citizenship. Unlike the Marshall Islands, FSM citizens born in the US must decide at age 21 between FSM citizenship and land rights and their US citizenship. President Panuelo explained the referendum process to change the Constitution to allow for dual citizenship, similar to what Marshallese citizens have. The FSM Constitution requires 75% of the voting population in three out of the four states in order to pass a proposed constitutional convention. While dual citizenship is very popular, it has failed to pass the last three attempts. President Panuelo has promised to call a special referendum with a lower threshold for approval. The FSM Constitution says : “The seas bring us together, they do not separate us. Our islands sustain us, our island nation enlarges us and makes us stronger.” Like the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the people of the Federated States of Micronesia are a transnational people spanning the largest of oceans.
The FSM Consulate General in Portland overlooks the affairs of the FSM’s citizenry in Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and all other U.S. States on the U.S. mainland west of the Mississippi River. The Consulate provides assistance on topics ranging from passport applications to navigating both FSM and U.S. Government bureaucracy (e.g. I-94 documentation, drivers licenses, social security numbers, employment support, and other essential documentation and useful information). The FSM Consulate General in Portland can be reached by email at [email protected], by telephone at +1 (503) 483-7149, or engaged in person at 2625 SE 98th Avenue, Portland Oregon 97266.