Could the public and private agencies or offices that have responsibilities over these facilities review the conditions of these structures and determine if they are worth saving? If not, they should be demolished and the land spaces they now occupy should be made available for other uses. The building standing at the back of the new Koror State Capital, which once provided rooms for different works in the old hospital, should probably be torn down so that piece of land could be used for other purposes. On the other hand, we would most certainly protest vehemently if the former Olbiil-Era-Kelulau building would be demolished to accommodate some insignificant projects and programs.
We must be prepared for new Compact negotiations with the United StatesWe were very encouraged by reports in the local newspapers that President-elect Johnson Toribiong would select his own representative to conduct negotiations with the United States for a new Compact Treaty. We know that the work would not be easy and we would like all of our public leaders to help out in any way they can in this extremely important task for Palau. We believe it would be useful if our negotiator would be armed with the following: (a) accurate information on our population, (b) accurate housing statistics, and (c) valid agricultural, fishing, and economic datas for Palau covering at least the last 14 yearsWe recall that a US Government official, on a trip to Palau, stated that “there will be no Compact Renegotiation” when the current treaty expires. We do not know what that statement meant, but we believe it would be wise for the Republic to be prepared for any and all eventualities that might come up in the months ahead.If the United States intends to simply renew the current Compact Treaty with everything intact as was the case in the last fifteen years, except that some dollar figures and obligations would be described in up-to-date languages, Palau might find it useful to let the treaty stand largely as it is today. For instance, if the fifty-three mile Babeldaob Compact road in the current Compact Treaty would be described as “fifty-three miles of secondary roads on Babeldaob”, the residents of that island would most probably embrace that stipulation wholeheartedly.But if the United States has a different ball game in mind when the current Compact Treaty expires, then we would need some very potent arguments, supported by unassailable facts and figures, to present to the U.S. side when we meet for bilateral discussions on the Compact issue. The areas that could provide us with some potent arguments would be the data and statistics on our population, facts and figures on our people’s state of health, and progress reports on the country’s economy, including its success or lack of it, in the agricultural sector and the fishing industry.
