Courage is what the OEK needs

By Kambes Kesolei

Most of the Eighth OEK members did not win their seats as a culmination of years of cultivating mental strength and developing their policy making skills and or defeating incumbents along the way. They won as a result of the opportunity presented by the referendum in 2004 that forced the seasoned veterans to retire. The reapportionment commission aided by adding four more seats to the Senate, raising the total number of seats to thirteen. All together the current term has 29 members, including six holdovers and 23 new faces. Thus, putting into motion the law of unintended consequences.

The republic now owns a timid congress at this most crucial time. A fact that was exposed by President Toribiong during the briefing last Wednesday in the House Chamber to the members of the two houses, state governors, and traditional chiefs.

Most that listened to the radio or watched tv later of the briefing tuned in well aware of the week’s major breaking news, found themselves stunned. But rather embarrassing, the lawmakers largely knew early on exactly what was going on. The outrageous silence of the week’s dominating issue. The arrival of Uighurs held for years in detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as terrorists but ruled non-enemy combatants of the United States by a US court and therefore released. It doesn’t help that OEK leadership tried their best to ignore the obvious that since June 8, after five months of being informed of their pending arrival, not one concern was ever raised within that time.

Enter Senator Raynold Oilouch, he who has been accused of being anti-American for raising questions regarding the Uighurs legal status. And who dared to ask details on behalf of the citizens who have been left in the dark. His colleagues must have flinched at every question that they couldn’t bring themselves to ask. An embarrassing situation common to those who are oversensitive and lack the fortitude to resist the pressure. A flawed character of this 8^th OEK that the members would have been happy to have kept hidden.

As the Uighurs are getting around town, OEK members are now mentioning oversight and setting aside time for the president for more details well after the fact. House Speaker Idechong apologized to his colleagues in Friday’s session for failing to take control of the floor during the briefing.  At the same time, he never touched on his unwarranted statement categorizing Oilouch’s questions as “low level”.  For the many citizens who listened and have seen the briefing by now beg to disagree. They were not low level questions. They are true and practical questions and concerns that have waited for answers for almost five months.

As a policymaking body, the Olbiil Era Kelulau should begin its oversight by referring to its powers vested in Article IX, Section 5 (4) has the duty to regulate immigration and establish a uniform system of naturalization. It is with this authority that the OEK should take proactive steps to establish the legal immigration framework to better handle similar cases in the future.