By Fuana Tmarsel —-
Every event in every man’s life plants something in his soul which grows and shapes the events he organizes for others. Simply, it means we are the product of events that took place in our lives and we are now shaping the future of those whose lives we effect. Some of these events make a lot of sense, while others appear to be just superstitious habits tagged with traditional license.
In Palau, we have a good tradition of going to church on Christmas’ and New Year’s Eves. In fact it is so much so that it has become a good time and place to see relatives and friends that we do not get to visit with regularly. It is also a time of great reveling as people celebrate to welcome the New Year. Unfortunately, it translates to family members being drunk on the first day of the Year which to me is idiotic foolishness; but as it is traditions are hard to break. We just have to grow old and then grow out of it.
This Year, 2012 is a significant year for us. Like the United States, this is our election year. It is again the year wherein the haves and the have-nots, the uneducated and the educated, the old and the young, the women and the men exercise their power under Democracy to elect representatives to the Congress. It is the year where the nouveau-riche OEK aspirants and their beloved, who are covetous of the special status with a 50 grand escort, vouchsafe that scarce as a hen’s teeth smile hoping to wangle votes in their favor.
In due time, presidential hopefuls will announce their bids for the highest seat in the government. And for a few months advent before the Election Day, the power is once again shifted to the people. The poor and often forgotten will receive visitors giving out self-portraits impressed with promises. I imagine there will be successions of Family Reunions reunifying clans, tribes and dynasties. Villagers will probably receive in-kind gifts of rice, chicken, and all kinds of goodies; gifts with strings attached etched with please vote for me! However form, the campaign may be, People must use their power to vote for capable leaders to move our nation toward sovereignty. Palau needs leaders that are humble and able to leave their egos at the door. We need leaders with effective communication skills, who not only are able to articulately express their ideas, but also emotionally mature and psychologically able to understand the responsibility conferred upon them by the people. We need leaders who are creative and able to develop fresh ideas for future of Palau; that is they represent Palau as a Sovereign nation at global stage, and not as a small nation always simpering for hand-outs. And while I acknowledge that we need leaders with varying gifts that compliment each others, I do believe it is time to rid of those who are there for self-aggrandizement and vote in the ones who can identify with the people. Anyhow, Happy New Year to YOU and remember, a Better Palau begins with a Better YOU!
