Problems in “Paradise”

WHEN you get tired of the rat race, do you ever dream of moving to a Pacific island to get away from it all? Can you imagine yourself enjoying the sandy beaches, the deep-blue lagoons, the waving palm trees and the warm, tropical seas? If so, the place you have in mind may be like Belau.

Belau (formerly Palau), a group of more than 200 mostly uninhabited tropical islands seems to have many of the ingredients of Paradise: a temperature that rarely strays far from 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27° C.), fertile land, an abundantly stocked ocean, industrious, friendly inhabitants​—and situated far, far away from those centers of international tension, Washington and Moscow.

Unhappily, however, Belau has been scarred by the 20th century. Governed in turn by Germany, Japan and the United States, it was the center of much carnage and destruction during the last world war. Even today, this small island nation of fewer than 15,000 people is feeling the pressure of the problems faced by great, distant nations, and the locals do not like it.

Pollution is one modern blight that may make you want to flee to a Pacific island, but this problem has threatened Belau too. In 1975 one of the world’s foremost industrial powers, Japan, proposed to construct an oil transshipment port and superindustrial complex right there in Belau. It was to be the world’s largest superport, with oil refineries, petrochemical facilities and smelters. The island of Kayangel, perhaps the most beautiful in all Micronesia, was to be the site of a nuclear power station. Construction of such mammoth facilities would require an influx of foreign workers and families almost as large as the native population.

Understandably, most of the people angrily objected to the project, fearing the harm it would wreak on the air, the beautiful beaches and the rich, diverse marine life. They know that their unspoiled reefs and lagoons have sustained them from time immemorial. They do not want them ruined with pollution in exchange for material luxuries of life. One of their leaders said: “Foreigners tempt us with goods which we don’t have because we do not need them. They look at Belau and confuse simplicity with poverty.” Because of strong opposition, this threat was averted.

The Nuclear Arms Issue

But perhaps you would want to settle in a tropical island to escape from the threat of war and the nuclear arms race. If so, Belau may prove to be a letdown. During 1983, that very question was the subject of heated debate in the small nation.

In 1947, after the defeat of Japan, the previous ruler of Belau, the nation became a trust territory under the United States. In recent years the United States has proposed ending its role as administrator. In a document called the Compact of Free Association, autonomy was offered to the small nation, with the superpower maintaining all military rights. This would give the Palauans many material benefits, but the United States would have military facilities in the islands. And implicit in the agreement was the right of the United States to move nuclear weapons through the country.

True, the wording of the agreement said: “The government of the United States shall permit the presence of nuclear weapons in Belau only incidental to transit and overflight, during a national emergency declared by the President of the United States, or the state of war declared by congress in order to defend against an actual or impending armed attack on the United States or Belau.” Nevertheless, Palauans were nervous about what was meant by “transit” and “overflight.”

Belau may be the only nation in the world with a constitution that bans the presence of nuclear (as well as chemical and biological) weapons from its territory and territorial waters. Hence, the islanders were wary of an agreement that would permit large-scale military installations and facilities, possibly including nuclear weapons. A local woman said: “Belau should not be involved in any military activity which might invite aggression against her.” A housewife commented: “I am afraid of a nuclear accident or explosion.” Many feared the adverse social impact of the presence of the United States military. Others worried that the Compact would make the country too economically dependent on the United States.

However, in this controversy it seems that the people of Belau were not united. A 58-year-old mother wanted the Compact so that her children would ‘be able to go to the United States mainland to further their education.’ A former police chief commented: “People are talking a lot about the beauty of the islands. But if you were to put money and beauty before most of them, they would choose money, for it is a necessity. I want to see the Palauan people prosper.”

On February 10, 1983, a majority voted to accept the 50-year agreement with the United States. However, in a separate ballot, only 52 percent voted to approve having nuclear weapons in their republic​—far short of the 75 percent necessary for a constitutional amendment. Hence, the Compact was not at that time adopted. The deadlock was only resolved when negotiators signed a treaty allowing the United States to transport nuclear materials through, but not store or test them in, the island nation.

The Kingdom Issue

Thus, sadly, even if you escape to a tropical island, that is no guarantee that you will be able to escape the worries and pressures of the 20th century. Nevertheless, whatever the immediate future holds for Belau, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been busy on the islands, telling people of another issue of this 20th century that offers to bring them great blessings.

In 1967 the first missionary couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses arrived there. They had no knowledge of the local language, and they found very few people able to understand English. Nevertheless, they had soon learned enough of the language to tell their new neighbors in broken Palauan that God’s Kingdom has been established, and it is this Kingdom that will finally solve the problem of the nuclear arms race, the problem of pollution, and all the other seemingly insoluble 20th-century problems that disturb their tranquillity.​—Revelation 11:18.

There is now a congregation of 30 Jehovah’s Witnesses in Belau, telling their neighbors this: “Jehovah himself has become king! Let the earth be joyful. Let the many islands rejoice.”​—Psalm 97:1.