Marshall Islands leaders appear clueless about U.S. convention process

Free association and relations between the Marshall Islands and the United States should always be a bipartisan issue in the U.S. Congress so that the Marshall Islands can work constructively with both major political parties in the United States to strengthen the alliance and ensure the success of both countries. Therefore, it is very important that free association is recognized in the platforms of both parties as a national interest of the United States.

U.S. political party conventions are attended by representatives from other countries who participate in programs designed to educate and inform the international community about the bipartisan political process in the U.S. In addition, close allies or EU member states such as Israel and Japan often have representatives or organizations based in the United States who seek to ensure that party platforms recognize common bilateral or multilateral interests and goals.

With the U.S. Congress enacting the Compact of Free Association Amendment and having it in place since the last U.S. national party convention in 2004, this year is a good opportunity for the FMI and other Free Association coalitions to seek recognition in the U.S. party platforms. Perhaps this goal can be achieved in 2012, as FMI lobbyist Johnston was unable to achieve this in the 2008 Democratic platform, despite being a former Democratic senator.

Again, this was probably because Tony DeBrum was at the Kwajaleinkawa Club at the time and did not ask Johnston to finish the job in Denver. Tony was too busy making sure more of the money the US was providing to the RMI would go to Imata Kabua, which was Tony’s priority for the RMI as de facto head of state. This was because, as everyone knew, Tony was at the beck and call of “King Kabua”, who wanted more money if Tony was to keep his seat in Parliament.

The Democratic Party platform does not recognize freedom of association:

The current government of the Marshall Islands has paid a $90,000 bonus to former U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston and his son Hunter, and $1 million to promote the interests of the Marshall Islands in the U.S. political process. Shouldn’t the bonus paid out of Marshall Islands funds be paid only after the lobbyists have achieved at least some results?

According to reports from the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, the retired Democratic leader and his son failed or did not attempt to include any policy statements on free association, Kwajalein Atoll, nuclear claims, or recognition of Marshall Islanders’ residency in the United States in the 2008 Democratic platform.

In contrast, the Republican convention in Minnesota adopted language in its platform, in the Asia-Pacific section of the national security chapter, that identified relations with the relevant states as a national priority. It reads as follows:

“We value our ties with the freely associated nations of the Pacific Islands.”

Even such a simple statement could become a historic entry in a national party platform, a roadmap that a new president or members of that party’s Congress could pursue.

Why it matters: Providing contextual analysis of the national party platforms in the United States for RMI readers

As the people of the Marshall Islands, the American people, and the world know, the Democratic Party held its national convention in Denver last week, and the Republican Party will hold its national convention this week local time. Party representatives from all over the United States attended the conference. Every four years, the two major national political parties hold a national convention for two reasons.

First, party delegates adopt a platform that states the principles, policies, and goals that each party will follow for the next four years. The platform is what the party asks the President of the United States and the United States Congress to do over the next four years, no matter which party is in power.

The second thing Republican and Democratic delegates do at their national conventions is select their party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates. The candidates selected by the delegates will be nominated to run in the United States national election on November 4, 2008.

The candidate nominated by the congress becomes the leader of his or her political party, and the candidate elected president becomes the leader of his or her political party during his or her term as president. As president, he or she will also be responsible for acting in the best interests of the entire country, not just his or her party. U.S. policy is determined by the U.S. Constitution and U.S. laws, not by party platforms.

But the political party platforms are very important because the parties and the platforms they adopt are the promises of the candidates to their party and the country. Therefore, these platforms have a huge influence on Congress and the president. Each political party requires the president and members of Congress to fulfill the promises of their party in the political platform, and if these promises are broken and not done with the best efforts to fulfill them, then the members of the party may not support the president or member of Congress who has not fulfilled these promises at the next convention and the next election.