Self-Determination Becomes a Hot Topic at UOG Conference
- Thursday, 26 Nov 2015 03:00am
- BY JASMINE STOLE | POST NEWS STAFF
The University of Guam’s Master of Public Administration program cordoned off two hours for the Guam constitution discussion on the second day of its Western Pacific Conference on Public Administration and Policy Solution but it was not enough. Organizers extended the forum another hour to allow questions and comments from attendees.
Former Gov. Carl Gutierrez and former Sen. Marilyn Manibusan were tapped to lead the roundtable but attendees including former Sen. Hope Cristobal, Guam Election Commissioner Kin Perez and current Sens. Jim Espaldon and Frank Blas who expressed their views too.
Chamorro people
Cristobal spoke earnestly and said the decision must be made by the Chamorro people.
Cristobal said Guam has been very generous in the past but when the right of self-determination is going to be discussed, the Chamorro people have to be at the center of the discussion.
“We are talking about the Chamorro people’s right of self-determination, a human right, a political right, a legal right that is internationally recognized,” Cristobal said. “We need to establish status – it becomes the foundation from which we will build this frame, our house.”
She said drafting a constitution is the prerogative solely of the Chamorro people. “There’s something to be said about drafting our own house rules, ourselves, where no one tells us what to put in there and what not to put in there,” she said.
Manibusan questioned why make the choice to draft a constitution and send it to the federal government and ask for approval. “Why do we need your approval? Isn’t it supposed to be our law of the land,” she said. “If we’re going to get ourselves to be true self-governing, we have to decolonize. How can you say you are self-governing and be a colony?”
Gutierrez said there should be more of a push from local government officials for progress on self-determination. He suggested bringing together Chamorros with institutional knowledge on the matter and have them meet regularly and have them meet with officials in Washington, D.C. “We have to do something,” Gutierrez said. “Get one brand new commission together of people who really want to be part of it and have one voice going out to the United States or the United Nations.”
People’s decision
Espaldon said that while he agreed a constitution would provide answers that the Organic Act cannot, the decision of self-determination is not necessarily one the legislature has to make but is one the people have to make.
“It’s not an easy topic to address,” he said. “To come up with what is a solution is not for us to say right now. ... And there’s still a lot of questions and there are some differences of opinion in terms of how to approach this and what to do.”
Blas said the island is at a crossroads, with the upcoming military buildup and the impending expiration date of the financial portion of the Compacts of Free Association.
The discussion has to continue, Perez said. He urged the young adults and youths at the forum to learn the history of the battle for self-determination and continue the conversation. He even suggested conducting self-determination forums on a monthly basis. “You have to learn what we know and light the fire,” he said. “It has to go on.”
Cristobal also said that the discussion on decolonization is not new. “The reason why we’re discussing political status in Guam is because of the historical denial of the right to self-determination to the Chamorro people,” she said. “It’s because the Chamorro people have been denied their dignity.”
Gutierrez concluded the session, urging participants to look toward taking action. “Today I think we are learning more from each other and hopefully something will come out of this,” Gutierrez said. “University of Guam, don’t stop now. I think it’s time to petition to the powers that be to do something in a more innovative way, put a group together that has some kind of viability to take this thing and make it work.”
[http://www.mvguam.com/local/news/43231-self-determination-becomes-a-hot-topic-at-uog-conference.html#.VlzTInYrKkk]
