The Pacific’s First Female Head Of State?

Sandra Sumang Pierentozzi Photo: Giff Johnson

Aside from the significant fact that she’s the only woman vice president in the Micronesian region, what stands out about Palau’s Sandra Sumang Pierentozzi is the way she cuts to the point. For a seasoned politician, she’s surprisingly—and refreshingly—blunt, whether she’s talking about President Tommy Remengesau, Jr., the way government runs, being a minority of one at national–level politics, or about attitudes that need to change.

But when it comes to the question that just about everyone in Palau would like a definite answer on-is she running for president in the November election against Remengesau, who will be seeking his second term-she is circumspect. Earlier this year she told Pacific Magazine she wasn't ready yet to make that decision, and as Pacific Magazine went to press for this issue, she still hadn't gone public, though she hinted that her decision could be influenced by and made after Palau's hosting of the 9th Festival of Pacific Arts this month.

Pierentozzi is used to taking command and voicing her opinion. Talking about possible constitutional amendments, she makes it clear that she doesn't like the notion that the president and vice president run on the same ticket. "I don't want to defend the other candidate," she says. "I run on my own and I'm elected by the people." She adds: "Cheney is Bush's choice, not the people's." She says the current system gives her "a measure of independence. If the president does well, I support him." If not, well…she leaves the point unanswered, but the message is clear. "I like to see myself as the people's choice, not Tommy's."

Pierentozzi thinks that her greatest asset is that, "I don't need a government job." She believes this allows her to be more effective as a public servant, and is why she's able to make hard decisions. A successful business executive, Pierentozzi says that sometimes when she's frustrated with the way things go in government, she thinks about the option of "getting out, making more money and traveling."

But working in the Olbiil Era Kelulau (Palau National Congress) gave her a taste for politics that has driven her since. She worked for the Senate for 10 years, eventually becoming the chief clerk, and was also clerk to the first constitutional convention in the late 1970s that drafted the country's constitution. "It gave me real insight into the government system," she says of her staff positions. "I learned a lot of lessons and learned how to work with men."

In 1992, she made her first move into elected politics, running for vice president, a choice that most people dismissed as ridiculous until she came in second out of four candidates in the primary and ultimately lost to Remengesau by just 330 votes. Four years later, she ran and won a seat in the Senate.

Pierentozzi knows she's a trailblazer, and wants to see more women in politics at the national level. "But it's a formidable challenge because of the culture," she says. "I've opened eyes, but Palau is still very conservative." She notes that on one occasion, a traditional leader responded to her: "What do you mean we need another woman; aren't you enough?"

But it's not just men's attitudes that she wants to change. As Minister of Health in the Remengesau Administration, she's had to take a hard look at people's expectations about health care. "We're trying to change attitudes from looking at health as the hospital and treatment and get the focus more on preventive health," she says.

While Palau is highly regarded in the Micronesian region for its sports prowess, Pierentozzi is critical of what she see as too much funding going into sports, at the expense of education and what she considers other more worthy programs. "So much money is going into sports," she says. "We spend money for gymnasiums and to send teams to international competitions, but what about education? Can those athletes live off their medals?"

Pierentozzi is equally critical of what she calls Remengesau's lack of interest in the fishing industry. "In 1992, fishing revenue accounted for 25 percent of local revenues," she says. "Now it's less than 10 percent." She says Remengesau "doesn't believe in the fishing industry" because of pollution and other problems associated with it. Recalling the days of a tuna cannery in Koror run by Van Camp, Pierentozzi says: "Palauans had good jobs. Now the fishing is run by Filipinos and there are no longliners in Palau."

She believes that putting so much focus on tourism is a mistake because of the industry's vulnerability to events beyond Palau's control. "You get a '9/11' or 'SARS' and there it goes," she says of tourism.

Returning to a question central in the minds of many, Pacific Magazine asked Pierantozzi: can a woman be president of Palau? "I don't know why not," she replies.