President Tommy Remengesau Jr. urged the senators to reveal the reason why they rejected his two ambassadorial nominees.
Remengesau told reporters on Wednesday that he was baffled by the outcome of the voting on his two nominees, Honorary Consul Nguyen San Mien Nhuan as Palau Ambassador to Vietnam and Rabih Reaidy Palau Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The president said the rejection was a surprise, as the senators did not give any indication during and after the confirmation hearings that they will vote against his nominees.
“We are all baffled at the inconsistencies of action of the members of the Senate,” Remengesau said.
Remengesau also noted that most of the senators have assured the nominees of support during a dinner prior to the vote.
‘The people of Palau are feeling the same thing, they are also trying to understand the inconsistencies of the action of the Senate,” he added.
He said his office will make an assessment as to why the nominees were rejected before taking a further step on the matter.
The Senate rejected on Monday the two nominees with a vote of 4 yes and 8 no’s for Nhuan and Reaidy with 3 yes vote an 9 voting against his nomination.
The two ambassadorial nominees are non-citizens but have been serving as honorary consuls for Palau.
No discussions have been made during the session prior to the voting with the Senate conducting the vote through a secret ballot. (Bernadette H. Carreon)