Overview:
Politics in Palau is under the microscope in Dudalm Kelulau’s sharp critique, “The Silent Majority.” From double standards in government salaries to soaring living costs, Kelulau calls out leaders who perform for cameras while ordinary citizens struggle. The question is clear: will our leaders act, or continue to feed off the people they serve?
Dear Editor,
In Palau today, politics has become theatre. Our leaders appear on television during hearings, or show up at funerals, acting as though they are serving the people. But behind the cameras and ceremonies, they are playing politics in the worst sense of the word. Poli means “many,” and tics means “tiny blood‑sucking pests.” Playing politics, then, is nothing more than many parasites feeding off the blood and sweat of the people while pretending to care.
The hypocrisy is glaring. Elected officials can hold two jobs, like doctors, lawyers, and other professionals and still collect their government salaries. Meanwhile, ordinary Palauans who clean roads or work low‑paying jobs are told they cannot hold two jobs at once. The rules are bent for the powerful, but rigid for the poor. This double standard reveals the truth: leaders are not sacrificing for the people; they are protecting their own privileges.
The cost of living continues to rise, yet there is no relief for basic necessities like electricity and food. Leaders love to blame PPUC for high electricity costs, but none of them dare to confront Surangel or WCTC about the soaring prices of food. They point fingers at organizations, but never at themselves. Excuses about global inflation and transportation costs are easy to say, but excuses do not feed families. Excuses do not lower bills. Excuses do not build trust.
As Frederic Bastiat once said: “Everyone wants to live at the expense of the state. They forget the state wants to live at the expense of everyone.” In Palau, this is painfully true. The government is living off the expense of its people, not providing the services that allow citizens to grow and thrive in a global economy. Leaders act like ticks, sucking the life out of the people, forgetting that most Palauans do not earn the salaries they do, yet still carry the weight of customary obligations with limited resources.
The job of government is simple: provide services so the people can thrive. That means lowering costs, creating opportunities, and ensuring fairness. It means confronting the real issues; food, fuel, wages not just blaming utilities or hiding behind excuses.
So, the question is not whether leaders can appear on TV or at funerals. The question is: what will they do? Will they continue to play politics, feeding off the people, or will they finally act to relieve the burdens of everyday Palauans?
Your Humble Servant
Dudalm Kelulau