President Hilda Heine delivering her state of the nation address August 3 at the opening of Nitijela in the International Conference Center. Photo: Chewy Lin.
GIFF JOHNSON
People who attend opening ceremonies of Nitijela are used to listening to presidents deliver what might be called a “laundry list” of accomplishments and plans. Sometimes the speeches talk about plans; other times, there are a variety of completed activities to announce.
Our observation as one of the people who regularly sit through Nitijela openings is that while President Hilda Heine did indeed follow this pattern of listing her government’s accomplishments during Monday’s opening, the highlights she described were both substantive and significant.
“These accomplishments reflect a government focused on delivering results, and a people whose courage, resilience, and resolve continue to guide our national journey,” said the President.
Among a selection of points she made:
- Security: We strengthened our regional partnerships through a new Memorandum of Understanding with Pacific nations and Taiwan… and Australia’s gift of the Jelmae patrol vessel has expanded our marine patrol capacity…significantly.
- Climate: Through the ACWA (Addressing Climate Vulnerability in the Water Sector) Project, we expanded national water security with the installation of 161 climate‐resilient Flatpack Modular Tanks systems, adding 2.7 million gallons of new storage — a critical investment as drought conditions intensify…Nearly one thousand households — almost 4,700 people — are already benefiting from improved and more reliable water access…We completed the first Nature‐Based Solutions designs for Arno and Mili, fully aligned with our National Adaptation Plan and reflecting global best practice in climate adaptation.
- Judiciary: We strengthened the foundations of justice through the re‐appointment of acting Supreme Court justices, ensuring continuity at the highest level of our courts. We also advanced judicial leadership, as women judges continued to elevate their qualifications through LLM and LLB studies — a powerful step forward for representation, professionalism, and the long‐term strength of our judiciary.
- Social protection: MISSA delivered three months of Social Support Scheme payments to 1,239 senior citizens and persons with disabilities, expanding assistance for vulnerable households at a time of rising costs. Later this month MISSA will have completed the first‐year (four quarters) Enra distribution to over 40,000 beneficiaries, reaching more than 95 percent of our resident population.
- Education: We improved student well-being by providing universal breakfast and lunch across all 86 public schools, making the Marshall Islands the only Pacific nation to do so from preschool through grade 12.
- Health: We recognize that meaningful reform requires confronting long‐standing challenges within our main hospitals…we are now assessing a transition toward third‐party administration, a model used successfully across the Pacific to stabilize operations, strengthen accountability, and improve care. Our goal is simple: A hospital system that is modern, well‐managed, and fully responsive to the needs of all patients who rely on its services.
