Ngiraingas in an interview yesterday said that national government should stop blaming them for the damage of the boat saying it’s not their fault why the boat needs another repair.Ngiraingas said the national government has misled the public by the putting the blame on the state government on the “inoperable status,” of the boat.Donald Haruo on Saturday said that the boat has been fixed and is ready to operate again.The governor however said after the national government spent some more than $220,000 for the repair. Although the boat was repaired and run Sunday, it was shortlived- the engine failed including the shock absorber.Haruo, a member of the Peleliu Legislature said that the boat has been in the Palau shipyard for repairs since January.The repair, Haruo said was compleyed on July 18 and test drive was conducted on July 19 and 20.Haruo said it was the national government who financed the repair.The Odesangel Dil is the major source of public transportation which ferry services between Peleliu and Koror and other destinations in the country, since 2004.Haruo said the boat was poorly maintained so it has ceased from providing ferry services in July 2007.In 2003, Palau entered into an agreement with Kanto Kogyo Co. Ltd. for the construction and aluminum ferry vessel for the total purchase price of $927,678.Presently, a substitute ferry has been used since July 2008 to transport supplies and people between Peleliu and Koror.The substitute ferry is unreliable and unsafe.Ngiraingas said the President and the Japanese company that manufactured the boat are the ones to be blamed for the incident.The Governor said the Minister of the State, the Minister of Finance and the Director of the Public Works conducted a meeting last week and told the people of Peleliu that the reason why the boat was taken from the Peleliu government is because of poor maintenance.The national government according to Ngiraingas told the people that the Peleliu State failed to maintain the boat, an allegation to which he vehemently denied.Ngiraingas said it’s not their fault if the boat malfunctioned. He said the boat has been in structural defect since the national government purchased it three years ago. “After spending some $222,000, it’s not functioning well again. I already told them that the boat has a structural defect but why put the blame on the Peleliu State?”“They said it’s fixed already but now it needs another repair. Why can’t they just tell the truth that it is really defective from the start and stop telling lies to the people that its because of the poor maintenance,” he said.
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