Pacific Magazine > Daily News

Key Campaign Aide Resigns Ahead Of Presidential Election

By David Miho in Koror
Monday: August 04, 2008

Palau presidential candidate Sen. Surangel Whipps has lot his veteran campaign manager, just three months ahead of the general election ballot in November.

Haruo Wilter, one of Palau’s most experienced government officers, told Pacific Magazine that he was stepping down from the campaign post for health reasons. Wilter announced that he would be shortly leaving for Hawaii for medical care. He did not specify the nature of his illness.

Wilter is now the U.S. Dept. of Interior representative in Palau.

Wilter issued a statement this weekend on his campaign role to quell rumors that he disagreed with the recent appointment of Billy Kuartei as Whipps’ vice presidential running mate.

"Senate President Whipps and his (vice presidential) selection committee were all in support of the president's chief of staff as his running mate. In fact, we had all been approaching Billy for many months because we felt he was the best man for the job.
We are so grateful that he did change his mind and has joined the Surangel/Kuartei ticket,” Wilter said in his statement.

Three other teams are vying to replace current President Tommy Remengesau, who cannot run for a third term.

They are Remengesau’s vice president, Elias C. Chin and Alan Seid; Johnson Toribiong and Kerai Mariur, and Joshua Koshiba and Jackson Ngiraingas.