Political Reviews 0LFURQHVLDLQ5HYLHZ,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV-XO\ WR-XQH david w kupferman, kelly g marsh, donald r shuster, tyrone j taitano 3RO\QHVLDLQ5HYLHZ,VVXHVDQG(YHQWV-XO\ WR-XQH lorenz gonschor, hapakuke pierre leleivai, margaret mutu, forrest wade young 7KH&RQWHPSRUDU\3DFL²F9ROXPH1XPEHU¥ E\8QLYHUVLW\RI+DZDL©L3UHVV 127 142 the contemporary pacific 25:1 (2013) NYT, New York Times. Daily. complaint and questioning and even a RMI, Republic of the Marshall Islands. lawsuit. But he endured to take other 2011a. The RMI Census of Popula- positive steps, and with the advice tion and Housing: Summary and High- and consent of the Palau Senate he lights Only. Majuro: Economic Policy, appointed a new five-member board Planning, and Statistics Office. to oversee the Palau Public Utilities http://www.doi.gov/oia/reports/upload/ Commission. Electricity was fully RMI-2011-Census-Summary-Report-on restored by Christmas Day. -Population-and-Housing.pdf In November, President Toribiong ———. 2011b. The RMI Census joined other Pacific Island leaders and Progress Report. Majuro: Economic Policy, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Planning, and Statistics Office. for a series of meetings on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Coop- eration (apec) Leaders’ Meeting in Republic of Palau Honolulu. The official White House photo from the Pacific Islands leaders’ President Johnson Toribiong is the meeting with President Barack Obama Republic of Palau’s eighth president shows President Toribiong standing since 1 January 1981. To date, he to Obama’s immediate right. The has traveled abroad extensively and sessions addressed fisheries, natural achieved much overseas, and this resources development, climate-change may have diverted his attention from threats, disaster management, and the local problems and issues. He is in the Pacific region’s growing health crisis. fourth year of his presidency and in Secretary Clinton took the occasion to 2012 must stand for reelection during announce a major US policy shift: a September’s primary and November’s pivot away from the Middle East and ninth general elections. toward America’s Pacific Century in On 5 November 2011, a small the Asia-Pacific region. What impact fire in Palau’s main Aimeliik electri- this may have on Palau is unknown. cal power plant raged out of control, US congressional approval of the destroying the facility and its capacity Compact Agreement II between Palau to generate electricity. This in turn and the United States would be an endangered the water supply to Koror excellent step. That agreement has and Airai, impacted Koror’s waste- been languishing in Congress for over water system, and threatened not a year. only the operation of the National President Toribiong greeted New Hospital but also operations at public Year’s Day 2012 with an ecumeni- and private schools and even the cal “Sunrise Prayer Service for the activities of the Palau International Nation” at the magnificent national Airport. President Toribiong declared capitol in Ngerulmud. All of Palau’s a national state of emergency and churches took part, and High Chief took quick and positive action to Reklai closed the services with his restore full electrical power. Like many advice that what each leader wants dramatic actions in Palau, the presi- must give way to both what is right dent’s responses were the subject of and what is their responsibility. political reviews micronesia 143 Two weeks later the president was Remains from that island, south of in Kayangel, Palau’s only atoll, to Koror, were repatriated to Japan for identify the best locations for twenty final burial at the Chidorigafuchi solar lights. Kayangel’s solar lights are National Cemetery or to be returned in addition to those installed at the to Japanese families. Palau’s ambas- capitol, the International Airport, the sador to Japan, Dr Minoru Ueki, National Hospital, the Department of assisted in these repatriation efforts. Education, and along Koror’s cause- President Toribiong paid his sincerest ways—a step toward reducing Palau’s respects to Japan on the occasion of greenhouse gases. Toribiong also the one-year anniversary of the Great participated in the Palau Unity Walk East Japan earthquake and tsunami. in Ngatpang State, which launched the The country suffered enormously with republic’s campaign against non-com- the tragic loss of many lives and dam- municable diseases. This first unity age amounting to billions of dollars. walk was organized by the alumni of In February, Toribiong was in New Belau Modekngei School as part of the York City for meetings with other school’s thirty-eighth annual anniver- world leaders on the immensely dif- sary activities. ficult issue of climate change. The Also in the New Year, President president presented a petition to the Toribiong and Japan’s Ambassador International Court of Justice seeking Yoshiyuki Sadaoka celebrated the an advisory opinion concerning trans- tenth anniversary of the Japan-Palau boundary emissions. His case rests on Friendship Bridge. Completed in the basic concept that “international January 2002, this magnificent struc- law compels states to insure that their ture, which links the large island of territories [and industrial activities] Babeldaob with Koror State, was built are not used to violate the rights of with a $25 million grant from Japan. other states” to a clean environment. The event was marked with issuance The day before, New York University of commemorative postage stamps and Law School honored President Toribi- a reception. Besides the bridge’s great ong for his climate-change efforts symbolic value, it is critical to Palau’s including this petition. future efforts at achieving economic Also early in the year, President self-sufficiency. Also contributing to Toribiong welcomed a visiting party that goal is Japan’s ongoing Overseas from the US Congress consisting of Development Assistance program. senators John McCain, Joseph Lieber- Ambassador Sakaoka presented a man, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Kelly blueprint of Japan’s assistance to Ayotte. The group laid wreaths at the Palau for the next decade. war monument on Peleliu in honor Soon after the bridge celebration, of the US troops who lost their lives Mr Toribiong signed a “Memorandum there. The president reminded the on the Collection Activities of Japa- visitors that Palauans will never forget nese War Dead,” obligating a ministry that sacrifice. He also expressed his in Palau to work with a ministry in gratitude to Senator McCain for the Japan to restart their efforts to collect warm welcomes given to the Toribiong remains in Palau, especially on Peleliu. delegation during each of three past 144 the contemporary pacific 25:1 (2013) visits to Washington dc. McCain has ing the 2012 budget to $63.78 million. been an active supporter of Palau’s This included $325,000 for a cost-of- compact agreement with the United living allowance of $20 biweekly, to States, but the agreement is stuck in be disbursed beginning 1 July 2012 the US House of Representatives. for all employees making less than Assistant Secretary of State Kurt $25,000 annually. Also, the legisla- Campbell was scheduled to be in tion increased Palau’s minimum wage Palau in early June to update President to $2.60/hour beginning July 2013, Toribiong and Palau’s congressional with further increases in the minimum leaders, but his visit together with wage every six months until it reaches Admiral Cecil Haney, Commander $3.50/hour by January 2015. US Pacific Fleet, was postponed to Significantly, a second supplemental the near future because, reportedly, budget bill was passed by the con- Campbell was hospitalized. Although gress in early May and signed into the compact has not been approved by law. Many of the ministries received the US Congress, Palau has received additional funds, but, more important, direct annual economic assistance of the law included special language $13 million since Compact I ended on designed to excuse overspending: 30 September 2009, consistent with “Any over expenditures by the Gov- the terms of Compact II. ernment . in Fiscal Year 2011 shall The president and the National be deemed to have been ratified by the Congress (Olbiil Era Kelulau or oek) oek . subject to Ministry of Finance had their traditional skirmish over the [that] shall submit . itemization of 2012 budget, which was signed into every over-expenditure to the oek” law some six months late. Toribiong (TB, 15 June 2012). The president’s also had to intervene in order to over- opponents see this language as a blank come congressional infighting. The check for further indiscretions, but approved budget authorizes $60.85 his supporters interpret it in positive million and appropriates $59.93 mil- terms. lion. The measure included $75,000 By midyear, Mr Toribiong was in in assistance to no-income families, Okinawa, Japan, for the sixth Pacific including a $100 monthly stipend for Alliance Leadership Meeting (palm such families. Furthermore, language 6). Prime Minister Noda welcomed in the budget law requires that funds President Toribiong and mentioned designated for the HealthCare/Medical that he hoped the four electric gen- Savings Fund will in fact be placed in erators that Japan donated to Palau that fund alone. Prior to the inclusion had helped Palau resolve its electrical of this important language, the Palau power shortage. Toribiong, his wife Social Security Administration had Valeria, and the other Pacific Island been using HealthCare funding to pay leaders, together with representa- Social Security Fund obligations. tives from the United States, met the Soon after this action, Toribiong emperor and empress of Japan. The strongly urged the congress to pass a two-day summit focused on five major supplemental budget bill, which he issues: responding to natural disas- signed into law in early April, increas- ters; environmental issues and climate political reviews micronesia 145 change; sustainable development; from the president’s office contacted people-to-people exchanges; and mari- the Chinese Embassy in the Federated time issues.