Islands (TTPI) positions such as translator, public defender, counselor, administrative assistant, and district court judge. During the 1954–1955 academic year, he studied law and social welfare in the Philippines under a United Nations scholarship. On April 9, 1956, he succeeded his brother Toribiong Uchel as president of Palau's local legislature Olbiil era Kelulau era Belau (Palau's House of Whispered Decisions). He worked from 1954 to 1962 to regain Ngerekebesang Island, which the TTPI had acquired from the Japanese government. Congress of Micronesia In 1965, he was elected into the First Congress of Micronesia for the TTPI. He ran for re-election in 1966 and lost his senate seat to David Ramarui. In 1968, he won a congressional seat by popular vote. He served from 1969 to 1970 on House committees and congressional groups regarding future political status and budget planning. He introduced a political resolution on July 28, 1969 calling for Micronesian independence in at most seven years. The resolution was referred to another committee, and no further political action was taken. He ran for a seat in the senate against John O. Ngiraked in 1970 and won the popular vote. A few days later, a local man named Hitler attempted to shoot Roman. A man named Heinrich Ngowakl stated that he was tasked by Tmetuchl's political opponent John O. Ngiraked to carry out the assassination, but soon realized he could not personally do it and so he gave the gun to Hitler. Tmetuchl ultimately decided not to press charges. Senator Ambilos Iehsi filed a minority report questioning the election's results by noting an irregularity in the write-in votes. The senate held a session which reviewed the election results and ultimately accepted them. Tmetuchl became a senator in the Congress of Micronesia by taking his oath of office on January 29, 1971. His defining position as senator was advocating for Micronesian independence. He also advocated for filing war claims for the damage Palau received during World War II. In 1974, Tmetuchl led Palau's newly formed Select Committee on Development and supported a bill which would allow Palauans to write their own constitution. He advocated for a loose federation with the other Micronesian islands and for separate status talks with the United States. To achieve this, he gathered a separatist faction in Palau's legislature. He initially supported Palauan independence but then changed his position to support a status similar to the Commonwealth