President Litokwa Tomeing is expected to name a new cabinet after receiving a demand letter signed by nearly his entire cabinet to reinstate former Foreign Minister Tony deBrum, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
DeBrum publicly criticized the president in a speech in parliament that was nationally broadcast in early February. Three weeks later, Tomeing dismissed him from the cabinet.
DeBrum, who represents Kwajalein in the parliament, is critical of the president’s conciliatory approach to the United States on future use of the Army’s Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein, saying his statements show that Tomeing is “supporting the past government’s position” on Kwajalein, which the landowners rejected. Kwajalein leaders have refused to ratify an agreement between the two government for the U.S. to use Kwajalein through 2066 because they say the U.S. is not paying enough rent.
The sacking of deBrum caused a blow up in Tomeing’s party, as all but one of the members of parliament in the ruling party signed a letter to Tomeing earlier this week calling on him to “please listen to our request for Minister Tony deBrum to continue on as your foreign minister, and you to continue being our president.”
They said removing deBrum from the cabinet would weaken the Marshall Islands in relations with the United States, its key ally that provides about 60 percent of its annual national budget.
“The United States and many others who work to undermine the Marshall Islands have wanted Tony removed from day one so that he doesn’t stop their attempts at taking away our sovereignty and our traditional rights,” the MPs said.
The leadership battle caused parliament to suspend its scheduled session last week as the wheels of government ground to a halt.
Speaker Jurelang Zedkaia called off the parliament session indefinitely, saying he needed to have direct communication from the president concerning changes in the cabinet.
Tomeing, who was speaker of parliament for eight years under the previous government but defected to his current coalition party just days before the late 2007 election brought the current government to power, is also being courted by his former party members, now in the opposition.
Opposition chairman Sen. Ruben Zackhras has held several meetings with Tomeing, according to his party members.
Kwajalein Sen. Mike Kabua, like the president a powerful traditional chief and a member of the ruling coalition, said Friday the situation was “still in limbo.” But “if there’s a willingness to resolve it, there’s a way,” he said.
But the president is not rescinding his decision on deBrum and in response to the letter from his coalition government colleagues is expected to shake up his cabinet further, sources said.
