By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

Senator Joshua Koshiba has said that Mason Whipps and Greg Ngirmang are ineligible to serve as members of the Board of the Financial Institutions Commission as he expressed disappointment over "the failure of the Executive Branch to enforce the requirements of Republic of Palau Public Law No. 6-3."
Koshiba, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Governmental Affairs and Foreign Relations, wrote a letter to President Remengesau on Monday Feb. 19 regarding this.
Quoting a provision of the FIC law, Koshiba said that no person shall serve on the Commission while he or she is a member of the OEK, or the Council of Chiefs, or while serving as a cabinet member or "as any other national or state government official."
Koshiba said that Whipps’s dual role as Vice Chairman of the FIC and member of the Airai State Legislature "is in violation of Palauan law and he is therefore ineligible to serve on the FIC."
Koshiba said that Ngirmang is also ineleigible to serve on the FIC given his status as a government official on both the national and state level.
Ngirmang is the Chairman of the FIC, Chairman of the Koror State Public lands Authority, and the Social Security Administrator.
Ksohiba told the president that Whipps and Ngirmang are in clear violation of RPPL 6-3.
Koshiba noted that pursuant to section 17(a)(1), a member may be removed from office upon a finding and recommendation by the President that the Commission member became ineligible to serve on the Commission pursuant to section 16."
"Unless and until you take appropriate action they will continue to serve on the FIC in violation of the law. Therefore, I respectfully request that you seek the resignation of both Mr. Whipps and Mr. Ngirmang from their respective positions on the Financial Instituions Commission immediately," Koshiba told the president.