Sen. Rukebai Inabo has urged the Palau Election Commission to reject former President Tommy E. Remengesau’s nomination petition for the Office of the President. In a letter dated July 30, 2024, and written on the Senate Ways & Means Committee letterhead, Inabo addressed her concerns to Election Commission Chairwoman Ush Luii.
Sen. Kerai Mariur, Vice Chairman of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, clarified to Island Times that the letter represents Inabo’s personal opinion and not the committee’s stance. “The Palau Supreme Court is the proper body to interpret the constitution. The Senate does not dictate what the law means, especially when there is a difference of opinion,” Mariur stated.
“When Sen. Inabo raised this issue at the July 9 session, I told her to bring this issue to court to decide. Every citizen has a right to challenge a decision, but the court is the right body to interpret the law, not Congress. We represent the people through lawmaking; that is our role as congressmen,” Senate President Hokkons Baules said in a phone interview with Island Times.
Inabo issued a brief statement on Facebook regarding her letter to the Election Commission, emphasizing her intent to be “responsible and accountable to the Palauan people who voted for me.”
In her letter to the Election Commission, Inabo stated that her intention was not to denigrate former President Remengesau but to have the commission “defend our nation’s constitution and preserve democracy.”
When reached for his response yesterday, former President Remengesau said, “We abide by the laws and the decisions of the Palau Election Commission. We know that the Palau Election Commission conducts its due diligence according to the laws and the information before them. We followed their decision in 2012 when they reviewed the same documents.”
Former President Remengesau also addressed the issue of his eligibility to run for office in a July 12 interview with local media, saying they had researched extensively and consulted an attorney on the matter.
Remengesau said that the Constitutional Convention Committee reports reflect the framers’ intentions to limit the President to two consecutive terms, but it “does not stop a person from running again if the people choose to bring you back.”
The Palau Election Commission had certified Remengesau’s nomination in 2012 after he had served two consecutive terms.