[Oe List ...] Marshall Islands (share button didn't work, so there may be a lot of white space before the article that I couldn't remove)

[Sunny Walker]

Marshall Islands picks up the pieces after fire destroys its ‘heart of
democracy’

The slow process to rebuild parliament, the Nitijela, begins as the Pacific
nation confronts the loss of a vital cultural landmark
Jon Letman <https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jon-letman>
Mon 1 Sep 2025 20.50 EDT

In Majuro, a day after fire ravaged the national parliament, the full
devastation became clear. The building known as Nitijela
<https://rmiparliament.org/cms/> had been reduced to a blackened shell,
littered with debris. Among the objects lost to the fire were archive
documents, original journal transcripts of daily sessions going back
decades, and artworks that once adorned the walls.

Flames had engulfed the building by the time the only functioning fire
engine in the Marshall Islands arrived to fight the blaze on 26 August
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/26/marshall-islands-parliament-fire-burns-down>.
Firefighters were joined by residents and government officials, furiously
trying to extinguish the flames and salvage any hard drives storing digital
documents, including a copy of the country’s constitution
<https://www.un.int/marshallislands/marshallislands/country-facts>.

Yet despite their efforts, the building could not be saved. Now the people
of the Marshall Islands
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/marshall-islands> are
confronting a loss of a landmark that holds deep cultural significance.

“It was the heart of our democracy – a place where the Marshallese voice
was heard, our sovereignty upheld, our future shaped,” says the minister of
foreign affairs and trade, Kalani Kaneko.

“The Marshall Islands has overcome many trials. This tragedy will not
define us. Our collective response and resilience in the face of it will
demonstrate our strength.”
[image: The entrance to the cabinet floor in the parliament building after
the fire]View image in fullscreen
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/02/marshall-islands-picks-up-pieces-after-fire-destroys-parliament-nitijela#img-2>
The entrance to the cabinet floor in the parliament building after the
fire. Photograph: Chewy C Lin/The Guardian

Clearing the parliament’s ruins is expected to begin almost immediately,
according to local media, and the rebuild could take up to a year. President
Hilda Heine said the “foundation of our democratic spirit and cultural
strength remains firm and unshaken”.
[image: A Golden West explosive ordnance disposal technician carrying a
Japanese projectile for destruction on Taroa Island in September 2023]
How hidden WW2 bombs across the Pacific are found and destroyed, decades
after war
Read more
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/05/ww2-hidden-bombs-clearing-disposal-pacific-marshall-islands-unexploded-ordnance-uxo>

Located in central Majuro, the parliament was connected by a corridor to
the former capitol complex, which had been slated for rebuilding. The
complex had been unoccupied for more than 10 years until its demolition
last spring. Both buildings were 32 years old. Reconstruction of a new
capitol complex will be delayed as the government works to first rebuild
the parliament.

Less than a week after the fire, a local construction firm
<https://www.piimajuro.com/> brought heavy equipment for demolition to the
site. Construction is expected to begin soon after clearing the ruins, and
is aimed to be completed by August 2026. In the meantime, parliament will
convene next door at the International Conference Centre.

Kaneko says the cost of reconstruction is expected to reach millions of
dollars but that what was lost cannot be measured in money. He calls the
Nitijela the symbol of Marshallese democracy and “the space where the voice
of our people shaped our nation’s journey”.

The Pacific archipelago lies between Hawaii and Australia and has a
population of 42,000, with about half in Majuro. It had previously been
colonised by Spain, Germany, Japan and the US.

The name Nitijela means “the coming together of those who know” and is
based on a proverb once used to describe forums held by *irooj* (chiefs).

“The building gave a platform for the people of the Marshall Islands to
story their own issues and chart their own course as Marshallese … without
filter by colonial powers,” says Desmond Doulatram, a social science
instructor at the College of the Marshall Islands.
[image: Heavy machinery is used to fight the fire that destroyed the
national parliament]View image in fullscreen
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/02/marshall-islands-picks-up-pieces-after-fire-destroys-parliament-nitijela#img-3>
Heavy machinery is used to fight the blaze that destroyed the national
parliament. Photograph: Chewy C Lin/AP

When the Nitijela is in session, key votes, debates and public hearings are
broadcast on national radio and livestreamed
<https://www.youtube.com/live/lAKyb5mGTQY?si=n4LuaYcyXDtTEwv1&t=4535>,
connecting Marshallese communities around the world.

Doulatram describes the Nitijela as a “symbol of a reciprocal relation
between leaders and the people” where plans are developed and debated, and
cultural memory and oral traditions preserved.

What the Marshall Islands needs most now, Kaneko says, is “solidarity and
support from our friends and partners”, including technical expertise,
financial assistance, and guidance in design and preservation.
[image: Locals watch as fire destroys the Nitijela parliament building in
Majuro]View image in fullscreen
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/02/marshall-islands-picks-up-pieces-after-fire-destroys-parliament-nitijela#img-4>
Locals watch as fire ravages the Nitijela building in Majuro. Photograph:
Chewy C Lin/AP

Under a recently renegotiated compact of free association
<https://www.state.gov/marshall_islands-24-501.2> with the United States,
the Marshall Islands may be eligible
<https://www.fema.gov/hi/locations/republic%20of%20the%20marshall%20islands> to
receive disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Fema, which the Trump administration has threatened with drastic cuts
<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/25/fema-trump-hurricane-katrina>,
did not respond to requests for comment.

Kitlang Kabua, a senator representing Kwajalein Atoll, tells the Guardian:
“Although our hearts are heavy … I believe that Nitijela is still alive and
strong through the survival of our people. So long as we remain and exist,
we will always have Nitijela.

“We will build another Nitijela chamber that honours the legacy of our
forefathers, our culture and the Marshallese of today and tomorrow.”
*Sunny Walker *
*She/her/hers*
*On **Arapaho, Cheyenne, Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute), and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux)
tribal land*

Certified Facilitator (Also Certified ToP Facilitator)
ToP Methods Mentor Trainer - Upcoming Courses
<https://www.top-training.net/w/>
Virtual Facilitation Collaborative Senior Facilitator
sunny.sunwalker at gmail.com
303-587-3017

For diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging inquiries:
sunny at diversityinnovators.com
www.diversityinnovators.com

For virtual facilitation inquiries:
sunny at virtualfacilitationcollaborative.com
www.virtualfacilitationcollaborative.com
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