The Alaskan Independence Party (AIP) held their convention on Saturday at Mat-Su Resort in Wasilla.
Bob Bird, Chairman of the Alaskan Independence Party, spoke to KSRM, saying that the Alaskan Independence Party will always adhere to the founding principle that the condition of Alaska’s statehood placed it on unequal terms with other states and needs to be remedied, “We are a state’s rights party that has confirmed our historic platform, which is the statehood vote in the mid-50s needed to give us four options as a U.N. treaty designated the United States Federal Government should offer both Alaska and Hawaii, and which were offered to the Philippines and Puerto Rico. We’re not a succession party. We are a party that believes that Alaskans have the right every ten years, just like Puerto Rico, to vote on four different options. We confirmed our historic platform, but we also addressed many of the issues pressing us from the unconstitutional action of the federal and state courts and affirming a less government platform in all aspects of state and federal government.”
According to the party’s website, “The AIP believes that the 1945 U.N. Charter and Treaty ought to have compelled the federal government to offer Alaska the same options as other former colonies, identified as ‘Non-Self-Governing Territories’: continued territorial status, statehood, commonwealth or independence. The list included Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Guam, Dutch East Indies, French West Africa, British Guyana and many more.”
The party has been growing in recent months and is the third largest political party in the state, holding a membership that is fully 25% the size of the Alaskan Democratic Party. According to Bird, “I think with the growth spirt that has happened over the last six months, we’re now polling 25% of the enrollment that the Alaska Democratic Party has, which means it’s got a huge and growing strength. We were told by many people who switched from the Republican to the AIP Party that the Republicans have squandered their chance to roll back the encroachments of government and they need a new home. They look at the party’s platform and they like it.”
2-time U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller, Dr. Nick Begich, current AIP U.S. Senate candidate John Wayne Howe, and AIP State Senate candidate Greg Madden spoke at the convention. A moment of silence was also held for the late Joe Vogler, the Alaskan Independence Party founder and for former AIP chairman Lynette Clark, who died in May.
