(Haruo Remeliik was murdered and Lazarus Salii committed suicide by shooting, both while in office.)
While in office, Etpison proposed a request to the United States of America to grant Palau independence from its 43-year U.N. trusteeship.
This proposal would later develop into the Compact of Free Association, an agreement with the United States that would grant independence to the Republic of Palau.
The Compact of Free Association was approved by the United States in 1994 under Kuniwo Nakamura after negotiating a 50-year stimulus plan to support Palau's founding of its new Republic in exchange for military assets in land.
He started by using a Japanese scrapped generator to make ice candy, later becoming one of the prominent businessmen of Palau.