Overview:
A new opinion piece raises concerns over the growing perception that leadership in Palau is increasingly driven by private interests rather than public service. The commentary questions transparency, fairness, and whether national development priorities truly serve the people—or a select few.
Dear Editor,
It is painful to watch leadership blur the line between public service and private interest. When a president appears to have a hand in everything, from cleaning a government buildings to steering major construction contracts toward their own companies, people begin to ask a simple question: who does government really serve?
In Palau that question feels heavier than ever. Projects are announced with fanfare, yet too often they circle back to the same networks and the same beneficiaries. The push to build a new port in Ngatpang is a clear example: why create a new facility when existing infrastructure could be upgraded to meet national needs? Is this about national development, or about creating opportunities for a select few?
These concerns cut to the core of democracy. Abraham Lincoln’s definition, government “of the people, by the people, for the people” implies accountability, fairness, and leadership that prioritizes the common good over private gain. But many citizens feel the burden is one-sided. Ordinary Palauans pay taxes, shoulder customary obligations, and keep the system running. Meanwhile, those in power often enjoy multiple incomes, preferential contracts, tax breaks, and exemptions that are not available to the public or nonprofits. Those double standard tears down trust and turn public office into a vehicle for private profit.
This is not merely about resentment; it is about responsibility. Leadership should create pathways for others, not consolidate advantage within a small circle. When procurement lacks transparency, conflicts of interest go unaddressed, and major decisions favor new projects over strengthening existing assets, governance suffers. The result is higher costs, missed opportunities for local entrepreneurs, and a public that pays more for less.
We are told to sacrifice, to be “Palauan First,” to support the system. And we do. We pay taxes. We comply. We endure. But what do we receive in return? Are we being empowered, or are we simply sustaining a system that does not include us?
Globally, we see similar contradictions. Figures like the orangeman dominate headlines, raising questions about accountability, privilege, and double standards. When leaders criticize others while ignoring their own records, people begin to recognize the pattern: power protecting itself. And here at home, we are not blind. Palauans are observant. We see who benefits from contracts. We see who receives tax advantages. We see who gets access and who does not. The question is no longer whispered; it is being asked openly: why are we supporting leadership that does not visibly support its people?
True leadership is service, not self-service. If leaders genuinely mean “Palauans First,” that principle must extend beyond slogans and into action. Public money should build public value: better hospitals, reliable power, affordable food, and real jobs for Palauans. Until that happens, citizens will rightly question whether our government is of the people, by the people, and for the people or simply a vehicle for private gain.
We must keep asking hard questions, demand transparency, and insist that public office remain a trust, not a business opportunity. Only then will Palau’s promise be restored.
Everything to Everyone and Nothing for Ourselves
Your Humble Servant
The Silent Majority
by Dudalm Kelulau
alkahalic6801@gmail.com