By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

Senator Santy Asanuma on Wednesday told print media that his group that also included Surangel Whipps Sr., Yukiwo Dengokl and Caleb Otto are not really interested to become Senate President.
"I don’t’ want it. Sen. Otto and me wanted to debate on the floor<" Asanuma said.
In fact, he said, that they were actually discussing the possibility of supporting Joshua Koshiba for the position.
Asanuma, who says he carries the same position as that of Whipps, Dengokl and Otto, said they refuse to attend the session being called by Koshiba because they do not recognize him as the Senate president.
"The fashion and manner in putting him as Senate President is unacceptable to us," he said.
He said that they are just arguing on the basis of the merit and demerit of the Constitution and that it has nothing to do with personal.
"they don’t want to deal with us in an even manner because they still feel they have the power," he said.
At present the Senate could not hold session because there is not enough number to make a quorum as four Senators that included Asanuma, Whipps, Otto and Dengokl refused to recognize the leadership of Joshua Koshiba.
In a special session presided by Vice President Mlib Tmetuchl on March 27, the seven-member present voted 4-3 in a Resolution introduced by Floor Leader Alan Seid installing Koshiba as the president.
Asanuma, Dengokl and Whipps filed a lawsuit against Koshiba, Tmetuchl and Seid as they contested that Koshiba did not get the required majority vote as prescribed in the Constitution.
The oral argument is set on April 19.
Seid et al filed a motion for reconsideration rescheduling the date but Associate Judge Lourdes Materne denied the motion.
She explained that "while the Court shares plaintiff’s concerns regarding Senate Legal Counsel’s ability to act as counsel for defendants in this matter, a continuation to April 19 will allow all parties ample time to research and brief the constitutional issues raised in the complaint without causing undue delay or irreparable injury to the Senate or the Republic."
Asanuma answered a barrage of questions during a mini press conference at the Penthouse.
The reason that they went to court, he said, is that this would be beneficial to Palau’s political and constitutional growth.
"We have not purposely evading the session. We clearly see that there is a violation of the constitution," he said.
He said that if they will allow Koshiba to sit as president, then will allow themselves to violate it.
"There was no discussion or consensus made but Sen. Seid just inform Sen. Dengokl about the Resolution to install Sen. Koshiba," he said.
He said that they want to resolve the impasse on a neutral ground and that they don’t want to do it in the Senate chamber because "it may turn into a session."
"We have reasons to believe that going to the chamber to discuss these things may complicate the issue and might compromised our position," he said.
"We want a consensus decision, a result of what the people want. The eight Senators will sit out. But we just want to make it clear that it is not them offering us or us offering them," he said.
When asked if his group will abandon the case they have filed in court if a compromise agreement is reached in such a neutral ground that they are requesting, Asanuma did not answer.
He instead said that, based on their research on the journals of the First Constitutional Convention, they are confident that the Court will rule on their favor.