Overview:
In The Silent Majority, Dudalm Kelulau challenges Palau’s decision to accept U.S. deportees for $7.5 million, arguing the deal exposes a dangerous breakdown in sovereignty, transparency, and respect for traditional and constitutional governance.
The Silent Majority
by Dudalm Kelulau
alkahalic6801@gmail.com
Dear Editor,
The Palau U.S. memorandum to accept up to 75 deportees for $7.5 million has exposed a fracture in our nation’s decision making. What began as a policy announcement quickly became a national crisis of trust: online forums filled with anger and fear, leadership meetings held without the OEK or Rubekul Belau, and a people left asking whether their leaders still consult tradition, law, and common sense before making choices that shape our future.
Online, the tone is raw and urgent. Palauans call the deal a threat to sovereignty, a sign that our nation is being treated as a “dumping ground” for unwanted deportees. They worry about strained housing, healthcare, and jobs, and fear the damage to Palau’s image as a pristine island home. Young people, especially, see this as a generational betrayal: trading long‑term independence for short‑term cash. These are not idle complaints. They are the voices of citizens who understand that every agreement carries symbolic weight, a road, an airport, or a memorandum is more than infrastructure; it signals who we serve.
In the halls of power, the debate took a different shape but reached the same conclusion. The leadership meeting notably missing the OEK and Rubekul Belau. Supporters framed deportees as a labor solution; opponents warned that accepting them without broad consultation weakens our constitutional and traditional checks. Equally unanswered is how deportees would integrate into communities bound by custom and obligation.
This split between online outrage and institutional unease reveals a deeper problem: a breakdown in the covenant that once bound chiefs, congress, and the people. Palauan governance has always balanced modern institutions with traditional authority. When that balance is ignored, legitimacy evaporates. The bai teaches us to stoop in humility, to seek consensus, and to endure the elements together until agreement is reached. Decisions made in isolation betray that tradition.
We must think deeper about solutions. If labor shortages exist, build a plan that brings Palauans home: wage incentives, targeted training, housing for returning families, and partnerships that prioritize Palauan hires. Use foreign aid to build capacity, training centers, healthcare expansion, and programs that raise incomes, not to import a temporary workforce that answers to another nation’s priorities. Transparency matters: publish the MOU, disclose hiring plans, and explain where deportees will live and who will employ them.
People deserve a voice. The Senate has considered a national referendum on whether Palau accepts deportees, so the nation can decide its own fate. And Surangel must answer plainly: after signing the MOU, what consultations did you seek, what alternatives were considered, and how will this deal benefit ordinary Palauans?
This is not merely policy; it is a test of character. Will our leaders protect sovereignty and honor tradition, or will they trade our future for a quick check? The deportee’s deal has fractured Palau’s governance process. We should wait for the Senate bill that demands a national referendum so Palauans can choose whether to accept deportees.
But we forgot, Surangel already signed the MOU so why ask for the Leadership meeting?
Your Humble Servant
Dudalm Kelulau