Page 46 - IB Sept-Oct 2020

Palau Palau

ELECTION 2020

PALAU CHOOSES LEADER TO INHERIT COVID-19 ECONOMIC WOES

By Bernadette H. Carreon

The outcome of this November’s election will be crucial to
Palau’s response to the economic crisis, as whoever will win
the polls will be confronted by the impacts of COVID-19 well
beyond 2020.
At the September 22 primary election, two of the four
presidential candidates vying for the presidential post won
the opportunity to face each other at the November 3 general
elections.
Vice President Raynold Oilouch and businessman Surangel
Whipps Jr. will go head to head in November after beating ear-
ly presidential candidates, former President Johnson Toribiong
and businessman Alan Seid.
Less than 8,000 voters trooped to the polls during the Raynold Oilouch Surangel Whipps
September primary election. With votes from overseas still to
be counted, the total votes cast is predicted to be 9,000. Just
over 25,000 voters are registered for the 2020 elections. border closures, very long quarantine requirements and
Whipps Jr., who is considered the frontrunner in the elec- numerous COVID-19 tests.
tion, topped the race with 3, 546 votes; Oilouch was second Remengesau at his last UN General Assembly address on
with 1,984 votes. September 23 said the small island nation has not escaped the
Toribiong was third with 1,145 votes and Seid came in fourth stress of COVID-19.
place with 983 votes, according to unofficial results released “In Palau, we have been fortunate to remain free of
by the electoral commission. COVID-19 cases. But we are certainly not free of the conse-
While the voter turnout for the primary was just 30% of the quences of this pandemic. Sometimes we hear people say that
total registered voter, the turnout is likely to be much stron- health is more important than money, and that is certainly
ger for the general election, when Palauans will also have to true. But a national economy is not “money,” it is the system
choose members of the Palau Congress. that determines quality of life, and that delivers critical pub-
Oilouch thanked the people who voted in the primary elec- lic services. It is the environment, healthcare, education. It is
tion via Facebook, also saying the election went well. The vice food on the table.”
president is campaigning for stability and has pitched himself “This pandemic has put Palau into a level of isolation we
as the candidate who can relate to the people and ensure that have not known for many, many years. We struggle with dis-
Palau remains COVID-free. ruptions to supply chains for food and essential medicines. We
The next president of Palau should “provide assurance to struggle to connect patients with life-saving medical treat-
the Palauan people that we remain united, that we should ment, for which we previously relied on off-island providers
be together and we will get through this temporary hardship in larger countries. We struggle to keep families united, to
together, [it’s] not the time to divide the community, not the keep college students in school, and to keep family breadwin-
time to scare Palauan people,” he said. ners working. Private sector unemployment is approaching
Oilouch also supports maintenance of the current US$100 50%, and it will take years to recover what we have lost in
million budget to operate the country, saying to cut the gov- months,” President Remengesau told the UN.
ernment financial package at this crucial time will mean job The Asian Development Bank’s forecasts that Palau’s Gross
cuts and reduction of important government services. Domestic Product will contract by 9.5% in 2020 and 12.8%
Whipps meanwhile is seen by many voters as representing in 2021. In order to fund government services until FY2021,
change, from promising to cut ‘excesses’ in the budget to Palau took out a loan from the ADB.
exploring alternatives to tourism. Surangel Whipps says Palau’s economic recovery depends on
The election is a much anticipated event , especially with its people, and an investment in high-quality education and
outgoing President Tommy Remengesau Jr. ending his two- better wages.
term limit this year. “That is why we are investing in our people, not in oil, not
Palau, a tourism-reliant nation is feeling the impacts of in fish, but if we invest in our people… they can do amazing
COVID-19 despite keeping the virus out of the country with things,” Whipps said.

46 Islands Business, September/October 2020