Record number of women elected as lawmakers in Palau
Weekender #51
You’re reading The Husk's Weekender, a countdown/roundup of miscellanea from Micronesia, Guam, and Earth.
stories from the Micronesian region
The last mature håyun lågu on Guam has died, her obituary came via military press release late last month and her seedlings are growing and will be transplanted in ungulate-free fenced areas within the military bases. A memorial was held, per the PDN. She only exists in two places in the entire world: Guam and Rota.
The anticipated transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam has been many years in the making. This month, in the first phase of that transfer, 100 Marines arrived on the island, per the Pacific Island Times. This news came after the U.S. military conducted its first ballistic missile defense test from Guam.
The Pacific Island Times also reported a record number of women were elected to Palau’s Olbiil era Kelulau, the country’s national congress:
Six out of 31 seats will now be held by women, with four elected to the House of Delegates and two to the Senate. Among this group, five are first-time lawmakers, making this a monumental step forward in Palau’s political landscape.
videos worth watching
Grand Master Navigator Sesario Sewralur talks to reporter Jill Senior for ABC Pacific about how climate change is impacting his voyages.
For those of us who won’t be able to see Micronesia’s Kai Edgar on Broadway yet, at least we have this clip from “The View” in which Kai performs live. Goosebumps!
quote from attorney Julian Aguon
“The conduct responsible for climate change has unleashed unspeakable suffering upon the peoples of the Pacific. From climate-induced relocations to the collapse of ancient cultural practices, our communities are paying the steepest price for a crisis we had no hand in creating. That is the definition of injustice. And that is why we've come to this Court. Because we believe - rather, we know - that the conduct responsible for this suffering is unlawful. And it must cease,” Julian Aguon told the Marianas Press’ Thomas Mangloña II.
As the Marianas Press reported, the International Court of Justice has taken on a massive climate change case. Aguon’s law firm, Blue Ocean Law1, represents Vanuatu and the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
Per Anita Hofschneider’s2 excellent reporting for Grist | The world’s biggest climate case begins in The Hague:
The court will now decide what, if any, legal consequences such countries should face for contributing to climate change, both from what they’ve done and what they haven’t done. That could include affirming that big polluters have a legal obligation to pay reparations.
The campaign to bring the case to the ICJ was initiated in 2019 by 27 law students at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. It has now grown to be the largest case in the 77-year history of the ICJ and will consist of oral arguments from 98 countries and 12 international nongovernmental organizations.
For more, this RNZ report also includes additional background | https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/536826/oral-submissions-wrap-in-climate-court-case-opinion-expected-2025
In other Vanuatu news, a devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the country this week. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/537167/rescue-teams-continue-hunt-for-survivors-after-vanuatu-earthquake
Every week (that the Weekender comes out) we’ll leave you with a send-off song (not necessarily from a Micronesian artist) curated by my brother, Henry, whose musical tastes have left a lifelong impression on me and, now hopefully, you.
This week’s send-off song is an all-time classic, “Island Girls” by Fiji and O-shen.
We’re building a send-off song playlist on Spotify that includes the songs mentioned in past Weekender posts. Check it out.
Thank you for reading! This is the last Weekender of the year. What a year it’s been. As you are, I’m praying for Vanuatu as the country recovers. So many of us in the Pacific are familiar with recovery from disaster — in every sense of that phrase. Like many of you, I close the year reflecting on how much has changed. Without question, this has been a banner year for The Husk, and I cannot thank you all enough. I probably would continue to write my little newsletter if no one read it but it makes this work so much sweeter knowing that you read. I do not know how this space will change over time3 but for now, while we’re all here, I just want to thank you for hanging out. Thank you for being here for this curious little side quest. Thank you for spending even a second with The Husk. Your time is priceless so any iota of a moment you spend on the newsletter is infinite ROI for me. I think that I am rambling now, so I’ll leave you here. God willing, we make it to 2025 and beyond. See you then.
- Jasmine4
Blue Ocean Law has also uploaded written testimony for the ICJ on its website, which I think is worth a peruse. https://www.blueoceanlaw.com/blog/bols-written-submissions-for-the-icj
Bonus Anita link: I just read her piece on Nemonte Nenquimo and enjoyed it. https://grist.org/article/a-qa-with-indigenous-leader-nemonte-nenquimo-who-fought-oil-drilling-in-the-amazon-and-won/
As change is the only constant in life.
A final note: James Perez Viernes’ new book “Every Day I Dream of Sumay” is a great read. You should buy it: https://pacifichistoricparksbookstore.org/products/200468.
As marines relocate on Guam do you know if there will be an expansion of medical services as well?