Category: Opinion

The Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) expresses deep concern over the Government of Samoa’s decision to ban the Samoa Observer, one of the country’s longest-serving independent newspapers.This action represents a serious threat to media freedom, public access to information, and democratic accountability in Samoa and the wider Pacific region.PINA urges the Government of Samoa to […]

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s European Parliament speech affirms shared democratic values — and rebuts Beijing’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758. By Jessica C. LeeAmbassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Palau On November 7, 2025, Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim stood before lawmakers in the European Parliament and spoke with clarity […]

By J. Ngoriakl11/06/2025Koror, Palau. Voter rights or suffrage, a paramount feature of our democracy, hinges on the accessibility and fairness of the voting process, and polling places are central to this sacred democratic principle. Even seemingly innocuous changes, like last-minute closures or consolidation of polling places, can have profound consequences. Such disruptions disproportionately affect voters […]

By Mark Moran CANBERRA (DEVPOLICY.ORG) —The notion of “locally led development” should be reserved for leader-led development through local communities, civil society, churches, small businesses and Indigenous NGOs; something that pre-exists and endures independently of external aid, regardless of the benefits it derives from such aid. DFAT released its Guidance Note on Locally Led Development […]

[Richard Salvador response to Mr. Surangel Whipps’ UNGA statement] September 25, 2025 What profound hypocrisy and mendacity Palau displays at the United Nations General Assembly! It professes lofty ideals about war and peace while endorsing the escalating American militarization of the western Pacific, alongside its deceptive and dishonest stance at the UN on the Palestinian […]