Surangel S. Whipps (born 21 February 1941) is a

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...

an businessman and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. He served as the president of the

Senate of Palau The Senate of Palau is the upper house of the Palau National Congress (''Olbiil era Kelulau''). The Senate has 13 members serving four-year terms in multi-seat constituencies. No political parties exist. The most recent election was held on 3 N ...

from January 2005 to April 2005, and from 25 April 2007 to 15 January 2009, and as the speaker of the

House of Delegates of Palau The House of Delegates of Palau is the lower house of the Palau National Congress (''Olbiil era Kelulau''), Palau's bicameral legislature. The Senate of Palau is the upper house. The House of Delegates has 16 members, each serving four-year ter ...

from January 1993 to November 1996. He was born in

Airai Airai, located on the southern coast of Babeldaob island, is the second-most populous state of Palau. It contains the country's chief airport, Roman Tmetuchl International Airport, and is connected by the Koror–Babeldaob Bridge to nearby Koro ...

. He graduated from

University of Baltimore The University of Baltimore (UBalt, UB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is part of the University System of Maryland. UBalt's schools and colleges provide education in business, law, public affairs, and the applied arts and sc ...

in 1971 and returned to Palau in 1972. He began his political career in 1982 when he was elected in his home state,

Ngatpang Ngatpang is one of Palau's sixteen states. It comprises an area of around 47 square kilometers in the west of Palau's largest island, Babeldaob, facing onto Ngeremeduu Bay. The state capital is Ngerdubech. It has a population of 282, making it ...

. In 1984, he was elected by to the

in the Second Olbiil Era Kelulau. He served 16 years in the House of Delegates. He also founded Surangel and Sons Company, of which Ksau's Motors, the only Toyota dealer in Palau, is owned by the company. His son,

Surangel Whipps Jr. Surangel S. Whipps Jr. (born 9 August 1968) is a Palauan businessman and politician, who has served as the president of Palau since 2021. He served as senator from 2008 to 2016. He is from Ngatpang state, Republic of Palau. Whipps assumed office ...

, became the 10th

President of Palau The president of the Republic of Palau is the head of state and head of government of Palau. The president is directly elected to a four-year term, and can be reelected once in a consecutive manner. List of presidents Latest election ...

in 2021.

Politics

In January 2008, Whipps proposed a bill requiring the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. B ...

to apply not just to Palauans, but to non-resident workers as well. It was reasoned that this would help more Palauans to become employed, due to the increased cost of hiring non-resident workers."Should non-resident workers be granted minimum wage?"
nGelEkeL BeLau, 5 February 2008.

References

1941 births Living people Presidents of the Senate of Palau Speakers of the House of Delegates of Palau Palauan businesspeople People from Airai University of Baltimore alumni 21st-century Palauan politicians {{Palau-politician-stub