FSM Information Services
Press Release
President Panuelo Signs, In Honor of His Excellency Tosiwo Nakayama & All FSM Presidents, Law Enshrining Every November 23rd to be Celebrated Nation-wide as Presidents Day
PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On November 24th, 2020, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)—signed Public Law 21-209 which amends Section 601 of Title 1 of the FSM Code for the purpose of formally designating November 23rd of every year as “Presidents Day.” Presidents Day has now become the eighth Nation-wide holiday for the FSM.
November 23rd was chosen as the date for Presidents Day as it is the birthday of the first President of the FSM, His Excellency Tosiwo Nakayama.
“President Nakayama was the epitome of patience and commitment to vision, and it was through his lifelong dedication and efforts, in collaboration with our other Founding Fathers, that our sovereign Micronesian Nation exists,” President Panuelo said in a statement. “Each and every Micronesian owes President Nakayama a debt of gratitude; his birthday is the single-most appropriate date for Presidents Day.”
“Every President of the FSM—H.E. Tosiwo Nakayama, H.E. John Haglelgam, H.E. Bailey Olter, H.E. Jacob Nena, H.E. Leo Falcam, H.E. Joseph Urusemal, H.E. Emanuel ‘Manny’ Mori, and H.E. Peter Christian—committed to serving a cause greater than themselves, and without exception they have all succeeded in extending peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our common humanity across our Nation and our World. It is a blessing that our Nation and our citizens have truly been served by Micronesian Presidents, whose loyalty is to the Constitution and whose duty is to the people. Designating a national holiday for the purpose of recognizing, and remembering, our Nation’s leaders pays a fitting tribute to those who have served as our Founding Fathers, served to forge peace, unity, and liberty among our citizens, and were instrumental in shaping our Nation-building process. I thank all of our former Presidents for paving the way to this generation, and I remain deeply honored and humbled to carry the baton of leadership as the contemporary guardian-navigator of this Paradise in Our Backyards. I am committed to navigating our canoe in calm and in storm, and in ensuring that the next President after me enjoys the same smooth and peaceful transition of power that I did. As Presidents, our responsibility is to each and every one of you, our dear citizens of our great Nation.”
Citizens wishing to read Public Law 21-209 may find it here: https://gov.fm/files/PL_21-209_-_November_23_as_PRESIDENTS_DAY.pdf