Almost Paradise Pt 42 The Mayor of Ebeye

(28 June 87) I joined a dozen Marshallese on the Spartan for the early afternoon run to Ebeye. After two months of effort I finally got a constable to obtain a pass from Justine DeBrum’s office. Constable John arranged an appointment for me with Alvin Jacklick, the mayor of Ebeye at Kwajalein Atoll. The mayor has been called a radical by a few in the American community because of his dedicated efforts on behalf of his constituents, the Marshallese of Kwajalein Atoll. (Click on images to enlarge.)

As we approached the crumbling pier built by the Japanese during their occupation, I detected the odor of burning wood and the musty smell of aging, used lumber, a common construction material on Ebeye; purchased as surplus from the U.S. Army on Kwajalein.

A half dozen cars and trucks, Toyotas and Nissans, waited on the pier for the few passengers to depart the Spartan. Young Marshallese boys and girls, most under ten, teemed around the pier, swam in the water or played around the entrance to the pot-holed street that circles the island. There was no adult supervision.

John drove me south to the Mayor’s office. On the way we passed a Toyota dealership and three churches before arriving at the two-story government building on the south side of the curve where the street headed north again. Beyond the fence in the back of the RMI (Republic of the Marshall Islands) office is a new giant blue steel structure that provides Ebeye with electricity and as much fresh water as the residents need. As I approached the building I passed by construction workers making additions to the government offices. A group of women and children squatted in the shade provided by the wall, reminding me of the time I spent in Southeast Asia.

The reception area on the second floor is paneled and carpeted. The latest in computers and office furnishings provide sharp contrast with the rest of Ebeye. And the large air-conditioner keeps the interior very comfortable. A young man, the only worker present, alternated between typing and answering the phone. He informed me that the mayor would arrive soon and that I should have a seat. While I read from a fairly current issue of U.S. News and World Report, an American came in and sat across from me. His arm was in a sling and a bandage adorned his forehead. His appearance was much like other Americans who had taken up residence on Ebeye. His ruddy, weathered skin looked unwashed, his clothes like they had been slept in.

But unlike the others, his body appeared worn, with sagging skin as the muscle tone had years ago weathered away. He was, I realized, the definition of Kwaj -condition. The man introduced himself as Thomas Watkins*, a former Kwaj worker who had quit his job and opened a bar on the other end of the island.”

“How did you get that?” I pointed at his injured arm.

“Marshallese.” he said. “There ain’t a single Marshallese I can’t whip, one on one. but the bastards ganged up on me. Hit me with a two by four. Didn’t want to leave at closing time.”

The mayor arrived and Thomas talked with him briefly about a business matter, then turned for the door. Before leaving, he invited me to visit his bar for a free drink. I assured him that I would, the next time I was in that part of town.

Alvin Jacklick, thirty-eight years old, stands about six feet tall with a medium build. Fluent in English, this well-traveled mayor is culturally at ease in the islands or abroad. He has presented the Marshallese case before various legislative bodies, including the U.S. Senate. As mayor of Kwajalein Atoll, Jacklick is one of the more powerful politicians in the Marshalls, with responsibility for almost thirty percent of the population.

The atoll also provides  a disproportionate share of the country’s tax revenue because of its special relationship with the U.S. Army. This disparity in income is a continuing friction between the capital Majuro and Kwajalein. I sat down in front of the mayor and asked him the first question, observing the brief look of surprise on his face.

RK : Some publications have referred to Ebeye as the slum of the Pacific. Is that a fair assessment?

Jacklick: “I would not have any problem with that assessment although I feel that Ebeye is a lot cleaner than other places, like Harlem in New York.

“I think the reason why people compare Ebeye and label it ‘slum of the Pacific’ is that the other islands within the Marshall Islands are very nice and beautiful and Ebeye, on the other hand, is not like islands in Majuro and Namu and Ailinglaplap. They have beaches and all that. They are not crowded. I think that’s the reason why.”

RK: Just too many people?

Jacklick: “Too many people. Yes.”

RK: Is there a lot of unemployment on Ebeye?

Jacklick: “Yes. The unemployment is a major problem in the sense that it does create dependency on the part of other people with respect to members of the family who are employed on Kwajalein. It does create a major problem because the head of the family tries to support forty people. It’s incredible. It’s just impossible.”

RK: Is that part of the culture – that dependency on others? If you happen to be on an island and you need help, it’s expected of those who have to share with those who don’t.

Jacklick: “You must understand that our Marshallese culture is very unique in its own way. People here, Marshallese people, believe in the extended family. By extended family I mean brothers and sisters and everybody else within the family all very closely related to one another. And the land tenure system here allows people to share whatever they have.

“So when you talk about a money economy, the tendency of depending on other people is greater than the ability of that person to produce the necessities – supply and provide for the family. The expectation on the part of the people who are being supported by one individual is far greater than the resources available for that  family member to support the whole family.

“So I would say that it’s part of the custom, part of the culture. It has been like this for many, many years.”

RK: The police blotter of the Marshall Islands Journal indicates that practically all crimes and accidents result from the abuse of alcohol. Is there a government program designed to prevent underage drinking or to encourage others not to drink so much?

Jacklick: “I agree with you 100 percent that alcohol is a major contributing factor to crimes in the Marshall Islands. While the Journal doesn’t report the incidents on Ebeye, only Majuro, it is visible here on Ebeye  and Kwajalein that a lot of young people under the age of twenty-one, which is the legal drinking age, are going around drinking beer.

“The Marshall Islands government has not set up any program that would prevent young people from drinking. We do have social services programs like youth organizations in Majuro, but they are not here on Kwajalein Atoll. So rather than trying to come up with solutions to the drinking problem immediately, the Marshall Islands government seems to put more emphasis on economic development. Inviting foreign investors to come here. And sending people to the United States to promote the Marshallese customs and culture.

“But we, the lower government of Kwajalein, are very concerned about the situation with the drinking problem here. Especially now that the KMR (USAKA) Ordinance number 23 has been lifted (Unauthorized Removal of Goods From USAKA). We are having problems with bootlegging from Kwajalein to Ebeye and selling it for $US 20 a bottle (rum, vodka, etc.).

“We are trying to resolve that problem because while the Kwajalein government feels that it was in the interests of both communities to lift some of those restrictions from being enforced, we, the lower government, feel that we should have been consulted.

“While we can control the selling of alcohol on this island through businesses who are authorized to sell booze, we cannot control the removal of goods from Kwajalein Island unless we are given the opportunity to man the customs office there at the checkpoint.”

RK: You don’t have a customs office here?

Jacklick: “We do not have one right now. We are at the moment not geared up for programs like that.”

RK: Sanitation seems to be a problem, also. There was an anti-Pamper campaign in which people were warned about the dangers of throwing used Pampers (disposable diapers) on the beach or in the water. Have you restricted the sale of Pampers here?

Jacklick: “I believe most of my colleagues on the city council expressed their concern about the spreading of Pampers, which in turn have created all kinds of sicknesses to the young people, especially those who are playing around the island. They wanted to impose a restriction on the importing of Pampers.

“But at the same time I, as an individual and a member of the council, believe in laissez faire. I do not think that the national government or the local government, should interfere with the development of any economy of a country.

“But the problem is the automation age. Modern technology has created situations where mothers don’t want to go out there and buy this cloth because (she thinks) why should I buy cloth when I can just discard them.

“We have that campaign. We’re still fighting and a lot of people are learning. Unfortunately, they are learning the hard way. Parents are complaining about their children because they go to the hospital for skin rashes, diarrhea, and all kinds of sickness.

“And we are telling them the reason why your children are going to the hospital is because they don’t have a clean environment. The reason why we don’t have a clean environment is because the parents on this island do not participate in cleaning it up. And that is the problem we are facing right now.”

RK: You’ve had a few improvements here in the last few months, like this power plant that just went on line. How is that working out?

Jacklick: “Well, it’s very dependable. This power plant not only produces electricity, it also produces water (through desalinization.) And we are negotiating to provide power to Kwajalein. The negotiations are technical. We have agreed in principle that the United States Army will buy electricity from us. It’s a matter of setting the price – how the electrical lines will go to Kwajalein, overhead or marine cable. But we have the green light.”

RK: What about the highway project from Ebeye to Ningi Island (on the east reef)?

Jacklick: “We are at the stage of waiting for the completion of our dragline. The dragline is on the other side of the island. As soon as the line is completed we will start working on the causeway.

RK: How long will the project take?

Jacklick: “We are looking at about twenty-eight months.”

RK: The purpose of the causeway is to encourage Ebeye residents to move and thus reduce overcrowding here, right?

Jacklick: “Yes. That’s the idea. That would give the people the ability to move. If they have land rights on the northern islands, all they have to do is buy the material and build their houses. Provided that they comply with the building and zoning requirements.

RK: Since the compact was signed in October of 1986, has it changed the funding for these projects? Is it better or worse now?

Jacklick: “Well, you know that Kwajalein is somewhat different from the rest of the Marshall Islands. We have land that is very valuable to the military for the defense of the United States. Under the compact we are being provided at least three million dollars a year for public projects.”

RK: That’s for the projects but isn’t there also money paid to land owners by the U.S. for the use of their property?

Jacklick: “Yes. There is more money for the land owners to be compensated.”

RK: Has the dispute between the land owners and the U.S. government been settled? Wasn’t there a problem with the amount of money paid and how it was distributed?

Jacklick: “Well, we did not worry too much about the amount of money. We were concerned about was how the money was distributed among the land owners.”

RK: Is that still a problem?

Jacklick: “That’s the major problem because about 99 percent of the land owners are not receiving any money.”

RK: Just the iroij (chiefs)” They aren’t distributing it fairly?

Jacklick: “Some of them do distribute the money but most of them do not. We are trying to figure out how to resolve it.

RK: What about the relationship with your American neighbors on Kwajalein.?

Jacklick: “Our relationship has improved drastically. We even have a social exchange program.”

RK: Is there anything you would like to see changed in the relationship between Ebeye and Kwajalein?

Jacklick: “Oh yes. You know I wouldn’t mind having the Marshallese live there (Kwajalein) and work on Ebeye. And have American families live here and go to work on Kwajalein. Without Kwajalein there wouldn’t be any other financial assistance to the Marshall Islands because the United States government is not obligated under any circumstances. As long as the United States remains on Kwajalein, then they feel obligated to fulfill certain responsibilities. But not all the responsibilities.

“So I would like to see more involvement on the part of the American people on Kwajalein to come here and do their shopping, to get  involved with the social activities.

“If we are to establish a permanent relationship with the United States government, we should start from here. It begins in Kwajalein and then spreads throughout the Marshall Islands.”

With the interview completed I looked at my watch and found I  barely had enough time to make the boat to Kwaj. The next run would not be until midnight. I thanked the mayor and hustled up the street. One thought stood out in my mind. This mayor was about as radical as a mayor from Iowa. And he is sincere about helping his citizens. But the odds are overwhelmingly against things improving here. With half of the population children and one of the  the highest birth rates in the world, the situation on Kwajalein can only get worse.