PALIKIR, POHNPEI - The Honorable Resio S. Moses, Vice Speaker of the new Sixteenth Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia was called to his eternal rest on June 22, 2009, at the Pohnpei State Hospital where he was undergoing medical treatment.
In accordance with the wishes of the family, the body of the late Vice Speaker laid at his residence in U Municipality. The family set funeral services and burial arrangements for June 23, 2009, at 1 p.m. at the family residence. Vice Speaker Moses was 65.
The family arranged for the National and State Governments to be part of the funeral services on June 23. Both governments coordinated a short service to pay homage to a man who contributed much to the establishment of the FSM as a sovereign nation and who was instrumental in building the foundation of the Government of the FSM and most especially, the Government of the State of Pohnpei.
Resio S. Moses is a name in Micronesia that has become synonymous with words such as independence, statehood and leadership, but the name is most especially revered as that of a man of strong and unwavering principles.
His rich background spans two major eras in Micronesian history, the era during which the island nations in the Micronesian archipelago was a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands under the United States' administration as well as the current Micronesian era, where each Micronesian island nation chose its own destiny to either remain with the US or became a sovereign, self governing nation. Resio S. Moses played a major role in both.
His rich background is rivaled only by his varied experience which encompasses a range of fields that include being student service coordinator to an educator to a College President; an administrator of community services to District Administrator of Pohnpei District to Governor of the State of Pohnpei; a member of the Micronesian Commission on the Future Political Status of Micronesia to top diplomat of the FSM as a sovereign nation to being FSM's Ambassador to the United Nations; representing Pohnpei as a District in the Congress of Micronesia to representing the entire State of Pohnpei in the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia.
While Moses' background and experiences are extraordinary for one individual, his main legacy may well be the pivotal role he played in the foundation of the Federated States of Micronesia as a nation. During the US Government's Administration of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Moses served as a District Administrator for the Pohnpei District and eventually as one of Pohnpei District's representative to the Congress of Micronesia - the leaders who envisioned independence and sovereignty for the Micronesian islands. They laid the foundation for the inception and eventual realization of the Federated States of Micronesia.
When FSM became a self governing nation, Moses was again at the frontline of nation building, first by being a Governor of the new State of Pohnpei and serving his duty in two consecutive terms.
Completing his gubernatorial tenure, Moses moved to the National Government where he took on the position of Secretary for the Department of External Affairs. He went on from Secretary of External Affairs to become FSM's Ambassador to the United Nations where he was instrumental in the establishment of diplomatic and bilateral relations with numerous countries and world organizations.
Moses moved from the Executive Branch and became a member of the 10th FSM Congress in 1997 and has since then been a member. Throughout his parliamentarian years, he has been a Chairman, Vice Chairman and a member of the various Congressional Committees at one time or another. During the 15th FSM Congress he was seated as its Vice Speaker and was recently reelected to the same role during the re-organization of the new 16th FSM Congress on May 11, 2009.
A month after the re-organization, Vice Speaker Resio S. Moses was called to his eternal rest.
Both the FSM Government and the State of Pohnpei each declared a Period of Mourning with their flags at half-mast.
Vice Speaker Moses is survived by his wife Susan and their four children: Esmond, Tanya, Resio Moses Jr. 'Sammy' and Rachel and of course many lovely grandchildren.