Category: Opinion

When Silence Becomes Normal: How Acceptance Becomes the Problem The Silent Majority/ by Alonzo Kahalic/ alkahalic6801@gmail.com Dear Editor, There’s a famous psychological experiment involving a dog placed on an electrified floor that delivered a mild but persistent shock. At first, the dog would jump and whimper, trying to escape the pain. But when the experimenters […]

June 17, 2025 I’m heartened to see other Palauans expressing these sentiments. I share your concern deeply, and I stand in solidarity with you—and with any others who feel the profound betrayal of our government’s failure to condemn the genocide committed by the State of Israel against the Palestinian people. I offer these reflections not […]

The Silent Majority by Alonzo Kahalic alkahalic6801@gmail.com Dear Editor, “When the missionaries came, they had the Bible, and we had the land. They said, ‘Let us pray.’ We closed our eyes. When we opened them, they had the land, and we had the Bible.” – Often attributed to Jomo Kenyatta (1st President of Kenya). This […]

Dear Editor,     10 June 2025-    This coming week-end, traditional leaders, community members, and youth will welcome the Alingano Maisu with a diverse crew back from its historic voyage from Palau to Taiwan. I wish to thank the Micronesian Voyaging Society for their support in making this happen. I wish to congratulate and commend the […]

by Alonzo Kahalic alkahalic6801@gmail.com Dear Editor, Anchoring Ourselves: A Palauan Reflection on Colonial Drift and Cultural Return One day, a man from the village of Ngerchemai went out fishing. As he prepared to anchor his canoe, he saw a hawksbill turtle, the largest he had ever seen. In Palauan culture, the hawksbill shell is valuable, […]

by Alonzo Kahalic alkahalic6801@gmail.com Dear Editor, Living Beyond Survival: A Call for Proactive Leadership in Palau In Palau, we are being asked to tighten our belts again—this time over the rising costs of water, waste, and electricity. Our leaders are quick to speak on these utilities, and rightly so. But where is the same outrage, […]