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Editorial

GUAM ‘INDIGENT’ HEALTH CARE SHOULD GO PRIVATE

Pacific Daily News

HAGATNA, Guam (April 3) – Last week, a legislative round-table discussion again took on the topic of the long-troubled Medically Indigent Program, which has been in sore need of reform for years.

Senators seem to be leaning toward changes that would make MIP coverage standards mirror those of the federal Medicaid program, as was the case when MIP was first established. Proposed alterations to the program include requiring a year of residency for eligibility instead of the current six-month standard, and limiting coverage only to residents who are at or below the poverty line.

Sen. Adolfo Palacios said the changes will allow the government of Guam to reduce the amount spent on MIP payments. This year that adds up to about $11.6 million, and Public Health is on a pace to expend that MIP appropriation before the end of the fiscal year.

Peter John Camacho, administrator...

Editorial

Marianas Variety

SAIPAN, CNMI (April 3) – The fiscal mess in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands didn’t start yesterday.

It started years ago, with small acts like deferment of payments to the Retirement Fund, and escalated in recent years with nonpayment of government utility bills.

Chronic mismanagement of government assets, sadly, continues to be tolerated, but all this bad management has consequences.

The government is bloated, and now after many years of indiscriminate hiring and mindless spending binges the bubble is about to burst.

It is a symbol of the times when many well-intentioned and generally hard working government employees retired last year to take advantage of the 30 percent bonus, and then reupped for contract work, seemingly oblivious to the self-serving nature of the act.

In the case of the Commonwealth Ports Authority, for example, the executive director earned a good salary, to which he...

NUKUALOFA, Tonga (Matangi Tonga, April 3) – It was the most emotional farewell that His Excellency Paul Nessling and his wife Kathryn had ever experienced during their 30-years in the British Foreign Service, when they left Tonga in the dead of the night, at 2 a.m. on April 1 - having softly closed the doors on over a century of British representation in Tonga.

But Nessling, the last British High Commissioner to Tonga, believed that the closure of the High Commission after 105 years would be more beneficial for Tonga, because its interests would now be taken care of by a British High Commissioner in Suva, who will be in touch constantly with European Union, the Asian Development Bank, and World Bank representatives.

"But unfortunately the next British High Commissioner to Tonga will miss getting to know the Tongan people and their culture, which is very different," said Paul with watery eyes. "I am leaving feeling very positive about the future of Tonga, but with a...

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, April 3) – The Solomon Islands police commissioner has confirmed that an investigation is under way into allegations of fraud against Prime Minister Allan Kemakeza.

This follows the tabling of a report by the auditor-general in parliament last year, raising questions about missing money from compensation payments when Sir Allan headed the Ministry of National Unity and Reconciliation, which was responsible for disbursing the funds.

The report stated that more than US$5 million went missing, and that many of the compensation claims, which included one submitted by Sir Allan, were excessive or falsified.

Sir Allan has previously denied any wrongdoing and said he would welcome an enquiry.

The police commissioner, Shane Castles, says the issue is being looked at after the matter was referred to police.

"Yes, the issue has been reported to the police," Castles said. "It’s with our corruption...