Whatever happened to the proposed new garbage dump site in Aimeliik, the proposed collection point for old and wrecked vehicles, and the credit unions in Palau,
In earlier columns some years back, we asked questions on the above programs that were considered very important to the country. These programs dealt with initiatives that would affect the lives of many citizens. But to this day, we have not heard of any explanation as to why these programs have stopped, and in the case of credit unions, what happened to their assets. We would like to bring these issues to the attention of the general public once again in the hope that some explanations for their disappearance would be forthcoming. The proposed new garbage dumpsite on Babeldaob. Has the Government abandoned its plans to move the garbage dump from the M-Dock area to Babeldaob. We once heard that a spot in Aimeliik was being considered as the preferred site for the new garbage dump. However, we have not heard of renewed talks about the project for some time now, and we are getting worried that the project might have been eliminated without alternative plans being developed to mitigate the growing health and aesthetic problems at the present dumpsite. What is the present status of this project? The proposed collection point for old and discarded vehicles. Some years back, we heard of plans to establish a collection point where old or wrecked vehicles would be processed for resale abroad as scrap metals. What happened to that capital idea? If it is lying dormant somewhere, it should be resurrected with active support from the Government. The thousands of cars running all over Palau today will eventually become scrap metals and must go somewhere. We just can’t leave them where they died. Let’s make some money out of them while we are cleaning the country. The Credit unions in Palau. Credit unions were once so common that one could find them in most major villages in Palau. Here on Koror, Governmental activities such as Public Works, Health Services, administration, etc, had their own credit unions. This was not surprising since the Government itself introduced the program in the country. Officials from the Government’s Economic Development Section traveled throughout Palau explaining to the villagers the advantages of the program. The people found it easier to organize their own credit unions since the program was similar in nature to “Muzings”, which they were already familiar with. The Credit Unions actually played some very important roles in the village economies. Many people depended on them for their customary obligations, house repair financing, and other financial expenditures. But for some as yet unknown reasons, many of the organizations simply ceased to exist during the nineties. Knowledgeable people say the increase in the number of commercial banks in Palau, with their stiff competitions for the available cash in the local economy, drove the credit unions to extinction. Whatever the causes for their demises might be, it is, nevertheless, still very sad that a public program that once brought people together in a spirit of cooperation had gone out of action without a whimper of protest from the Government that initiated it in the first place. Are there still credit union organizations operating out there today? If there are, are they protected by law? If not, could the OEK look into them to see if these organizations could be afforded some legal protection?
