The Council of Chiefs is requesting Palau Congress and President Surangel Whipps to provide them additional funding to be able to undertake a traditional leaders forum in 2024.
The traditional chiefs, in a letter to Whipps and Olbill Era Kelulau (OEK) leaders, said that since the 2022 traditional chiefs forum, they have made visits to different states in the country and discussed pressing issues with the public.
The council also aims to create a working group to look into how traditional and democratic principles can work in society.
They said that the recurring issues with each state visit are that they are asked about the role of traditional chefs and “are often overshadowed by Western ideologies such as the judicial system.”
The Council said it would need an additional $75,000 for the Fiscal Year 2024 to schedule the forum and create the working group.
They said the working group is aiming to make recommendations, which they will submit to the OEK and the President’s office. (Island Times)