Chosm Er A Itekokongei (Tree of Yes)

By Santy Asanuma

This is a skill even considered as a gift of a certain lineage in Palau for securing a yes or positive answer from the other party they are pursuing. Mostly it was used in getting approvals for romantic proposals. After short research only the very old and few members of the Palau Society of Historians still recall this adage which was usually used for good cause and luck. I heard it as a young boy and it has always stayed in my memory. The fact that this ancient saying, “Chosm Er A Itekokongei,” implied that all will be okay and in our favor made it very appealing to me. This was a valuable gift once a upon a time because Palauans are known to be unimpressionable (ng diak el beot el bo le mechas a rengrir) and not easily convinced to follow other people.

Let us just say that Palauans do not easily say yes. As a matter of fact, any person who agrees with everything and anything that come his/her way is known as “medingabet a usekelel/cheritel.” And this is not a good reputation to have. It implies that one is of weak character (mechitechut a rengul) and not worthy to be considered for any social responsibilities. Saying yes especially to propositions (uldesuir malechub ongterir a rechad) in the Palauan cultural context is a complicated undertaking because there are negative implications if it was not carefully thought out; therefore it usually takes longer time for Palauans to deliberate in the process called “melitai er a uldasu” (to mentally roll ideas in their head). Another Palauan way before agreeing is to say, “ka de bo de bechiuaiu e domerous er ngii” (let us sleep and dream about it). These expressions are clear indications that Palauans need longer time to think, especially in saying yes.

Approving our current Constitution led to controversy that overthrew it which brought in the revised constitution. The revised constitution was further voted down and the current one re-voted and approved by the people. These all happened in 1979. The Compact was voted eight times before its approval over a course of at least 15 years. Koror State in the course of at least 12 years and after many failed attempts finally amended its constitution to remove the Council of Chiefs from the operation and daily affairs of the state government. Ngchesar State also attempted to amend its constitution and especially to have an elected governor like the other states but have failed for many years to do so. Kayangel State had attempted to amend its constitution for many years but did not succeed. Ngetpang Constitution is in a legal problem with the Supreme Court for many years which has put the state and its people in some kind of a limbo (ng dikea lodengei el kmo te mekera er ngii).

But change is finally here. The last general election Palauans went to the polls and said yes to 22 out of the twenty three proposals to amend our Constitution as if people are tired of thinking too much. One profound truth is that this particular election both sides, especially opposition, of the issues were not made available for people to truly see the essence of the matters and to fully understand the affect of voting yes or no. This is the beginning of an era of the “Chosm ra Itekokongei” where there is no more pursuit for voice of reason or “melitai er a uldasu.” Is this an improvement or cause of the hardships and chaos we are in today? You decide if you dare to think.

As a side note: Palauan students in recent years have scored low in two fundamental areas of the SAT10 test (thinking and listening). This is a symptom of a bigger societal meltdown that stands to be the ultimate problem for Palau.