KOROR, PALAU –Meeting the deadline of December 15th, despite a short time-line of four weeks but with amicable support from the outgoing administration, the transition subcommittees for President-elect Surangel Whipps, Jr., gathered on Tuesday at PCC Cafeteria to present synopses of their reports on the state of the government.
The subcommittees, covering the eight executive branch ministries plus the Economic Recovery subcommittee, answered the call by President-elect to conduct review of public service agencies, and make recommendations for a smooth government transition and the mapping of the “A Kot a Rechad er Belau” priorities for implementation. The subcommittees, made up of experienced and talented professionals from within and outside of government, reflected not only the values and priorities of the incoming administration but also the diverse perspectives crucial for addressing Palau’s most urgent and complex challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “We can see the excitement and motivation in you (subcommittee members). But the most compelling is seeing your commitment to finding ways to improve our government services. You (subcommittees) did an exceptional job in giving us a good picture of the government. We are not perfect, but we can always improve, as long as there is that continuous effort for progress,” remarked Transition Committee Co-chair and Minister of MPIIC, Charles Obichang, at the conclusion of the presentations.
A successful transition can be defined by the ability of the incoming government to quickly take up the reins of the administration and to hit the ground running. President-elect thanked the subcommittees for their love of country and fellow citizens, and their diligence and dedication they vested in the review work. “Thank you for the honest assessment of our government and recommendations to help better the lives of our people, to help our government services improve. Now, we work together towards those recommendations. We’ll have a timeline, and we’ll need you to follow up on our progress after 100 days, after 300 days, and so on,” said President-elect.
The subcommittee reviews and recommendations will not only pave the way for a peaceful changeover of government but will also be compiled into a roadmap to help inform and guide the new administration in implementing its focal programs and policies. This stage of the work was kicked off by the completion and submission of the review reports to the secretariat and will be highlighted next month at the inauguration of our new president and vice president fitting with the inaugural theme “A Kot a Rechad er Belau.”
The Transition Team of President-elect SWJ is coordinated by a secretariat body led by Ms. Landisang Kotaro. For comments or inquiries, please contact secretariat at 488-8857 or email: info (Press Release)