Chief Ngirakebou Roman Bedor, during his welcoming remarks, said that the gathering of people at the site for the Toribiong-Mariur presidential rally is by far the second largest group to have gathered on a single spot on Babeldaob.
Johnson Toribiong said that the decision to hold his campaign rally at Ngchesar had been forthcoming, especially since the Compact Road has made transport convenient. Moreover he said that for the past years campaign rallies for the government posts have often been held at Koror State; and residents of Babeldaob had to be at Koror to show their support of the candidates they were rooting for – even if the candidates were from the Babeldaob states.“I felt that it is only appropriate that our rally be held on Babeldaob so that the essence and significance of the island, its lush forest, its rolling hills, and its fresh air could be experienced simultaneously,” Toribiong had said. “And most importantly, it provides for an opportunity for the people of the Babeldaob states to showcase their worth on their own turf.”Members of the committee to elect to Toribiong and Mariur said that they had not expected such a large gathering.“The weather conditions prior to the rally did not look promising,” said Abraham Osima, one of the organizers of the rally. “However, as people began arriving at the site, the atmosphere brightened despite the drizzles. The clouds definitely failed to dampen the spirit of the participants. It fits well with Toribiong’s speech that ‘it is more than just raising Palau’s gross national product (GNP) or its gross domestic product (GDP); its about increasing Palau’s GDH – Gross Domestic Happinness.’”One of the distinguished guest of the rally, Peleliu State Governor Jackson Ngiraingas, said, as he addressed the crowd: “Peleliu has had the opportunity to hold the presidential title for a sum of 16 years and has prospered. It is now Babeldaob’s turn.”Ngiraingas further went on to say that if the people of Babeldaob fail to capitalize on the opportunity with Toribiong-Mariur in the next four years, Peleliu will take the leadership back.More than 2000 people are estimated to have attended the rally.According to Rodech Toribiong, the committee to elect Toribiong and Mariur had served 1500 pre-packed food plates to individual participants at the rally during lunch.“We lost track of the count,” she said. “There were significant numbers of people who arrived during and after lunch was being served.”
