The conference called for a regional think tank to mentor regional ideas that will provide guidance for leaders within the region.
Conference presenters UOG Professor Ron McNinch and David Louis Bell presented a research paper, which outlined several points such as a 15-year agreement for trade, development and services between islands with compacts of free association and the United States.
These islands entered into a contract known as the Compact of Free Association and defines the relationship that the three sovereign states — the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau — have with the United States.
McNinch said Guam’s population has approximately 11 percent regional residents or about 19,000 people, the third largest population in the region.
This translates into economic benefits to Guam since the island’s labor-intensive economy is very dependent on these residents. In certain labor areas, 40 to 60 percent of positions are filled by migrants from the FSM states of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap.
The bottomline, Bell told conference participants, is that regional residents are a cornerstone of Guam’s current economy and without them, inflation on Guam would be higher.
“This is the business reality: Without their labor source, inflation on Guam would be much higher and one must remember that these positions are open and hard to fill,” said Bell. Bell said this fact is often overlooked.
The two outlined challenges that Guam faces such as migration tensions between FAS citizens and local residents.
Another challenge is the lack of a policy regarding acculturation which outlines Guam’s role, the U.S. and regional governments.
Bell used as an example the Guam Police Department, which hardly has FAS police officers within the department because police officers have to be U.S. citizens. Bell acknowledged that there are other factors that contribute to this, but if this requirement were removed, it would at least give residents the opportunity to join the police force.
