Should Kosrae, Yap and Pohnpei encourage Chuuk to secede?

What could possibly go wrong with Kosrae, Yap and Pohnpei be the Federated States of Micronesia? Are there dark sides to the idea of Chuuk leaving the Federation? Are there any bright sides to it? Let’s get to work and see if we can find some answers.

One of the very first thing comes to mind when thinking of this is the fact that Chuuk has the population which means a little tighter human resources to man the operations of the FSM National government. I can guess Chuuk is a very close 2nd behind Pohnpei in terms of numbers of its citizens employed by the National government. But this can be offset by the amount of work required since the state of Chuuk would no longer be there and thus reducing the size and scope of workload needed to get done.

Another issue the FSM National government would have to find itself in is how do they disperse the money the federation currently have when and if Chuuk secedes. Or would the FSM National government even consider it since Chuuk decides on its own to leave? No clue what will happen but I am sure something has to be done. It probably is going to be easier if Chuuk secedes after 2023 since there will be no more Compact fund coming in. Would the FSM National government give Chuuk its share of the TRUST FUND? I have not a clue. This is a huge topic someone has to explore in its entirety and hopefully convey the findings to the citizens of Chuuk so they can be in the knowing of what’s going down.

Third, the state of Chuuk is a very popular tourist destination which means the FSM will loose the revenue coming from the tourism industry in Chuuk. How much the National government would loose depends on how much they currently receiving at this point. Let’s assume there is some revenue lost here, how would the FSM National Government makes up for it?

Downsizing the number of employees or basically take out everything the National government does in Chuuk will alleviate having too much personnel for less revenue and less workload, would be my guess.

Speaking with people in my circle and some strangers off the streets, I get a feeling that some are actually hoping for Chuuk to secede from the Federation. I’ve heard lots of reasons floating around in our little Micronesian universe and as a blogger, I felt it’s important I bring them to the forefront for our readers to chew on and decide for themselves. What good will come of something if it remains hidden in the closet, right?

Here we go, some argues that Chuuk is a drag on the Federation and if it secedes, the FSM will actually do better, economically and socially. I will try my very best to see where this argument lead us to.

I guess the idea is that if Chuuk secedes, it will free up resources that can be used to strengthen the economic viability of the other states. Some feel as if the FSM spent too much time, effort and money keeping Chuuk out of bankruptcy that if it were to secede, all that time, effort and money can go to other states and move the federation a lot faster toward self sustainability.

Socially, everyone thinks Chuuk is a curse on the whole Micronesia and that Guam and Hawaii put all the blames on everyone else too. I’ve argued that Chuukese are the nicest people you will ever encounter and that only a few did horrible things but my efforts are against a strong current of negative media campaigns/coverage where the perception is against all of us Micronesians. I am not so sure if Guamanians and Hawaiians can tell Chuukese apart from citizens of the other states but this is something that is out there and people thought that if Chuuk were to secede, it can have a positive impact on this perception.

The point is, either way the FSM goes, there will be challenges and opportunities to face and take advantage of. I hope I have, at least bring some views out there for you to consider as you try to make a decision for yourself, for your neighbor, family member or to advocate for what you believe in. Whether you are hidden behind the curtain cheering or out in public yelling YES OR NO, Chuuk seceding is a very interesting and crucial topic we should explore from every angle and hopefully help lessen the burden and most importantly educate those that will eventually decide.

God bless you and God bless our nation, the Federated States of Micronesia.