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Greetings from Guam "A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group in America has not yet become an American." - Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), 28th President I generally try to avoid writing about sensitive local issues because, as a humor columnist, I think it is wise to avoid poking fun at local issues I may not fully comprehend...and I enjoy my health and my bi-weekly paychecks from GovGuam. But as an Irish-Ameri...ahh, American and a resident of Guam, I think I will take a stab at the controversial "Chamorro Only" vote. Now, this will require some background info for all you state-siders. Back in the Paleozoic Era here on Guam, all the newly-formed marine invertebrates and primitive reptiles lived in harmony and were content with who they were. Oh sure, there were quarrels and even a few deaths, but that is all apart of that "survival of the fittest" thing. But the reptiles and invertebrates did not distinguish themselves as belonging to one particular species versus another - taxonomic classification meant nothing to them...according to the written records of their day. Later on, man appeared here on Guam. Whom we now know and refer to as Chamorros, most probably came from Southeast Asia - they were proto-Austronesians (linguistic studies reveal affiliations with Indonesian languages which, in turn, have links to Taiwan - which was once a part of mainland Asia). The Chamorros flourished but they, being "man" of the human species, decided to distinguish themselves by what clan they were in. They, too, had their squabbles like their invertebrate ancestors before them. Then on March 7, 1521, the Europeans (Magellan) stepped ashore for the first time. In 1565, the Spanish "claimed" Guam and, finally in 1668, they arrived for good, establishing a Jesuit misson and, thus, Guam's fate was sealed. Since 1668, the Chamorros have been fighting for their God-given rights - life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness, as they interpret these to be. First, against the Spanish, then the Americans, then the Japanese, and again with the United States. Much of the local animosity arose following WWII when the U.S. liberated the island and subsequently established a large military presence (Navy and Air Force), taking huge tracts of privately-owned land from the locals with little or no compensation. The Organic Act of 1950 (passed by the U.S. Congress without a vote by the people of of Guam) made all Guamanians U.S. citizens, established a civilian government, and remains the basic law of the island. 1950 marked the gradual decolonization of Guam. But the Federal Goverment of the U.S. still holds most of the cards when it comes to Guam. We must abide by Federal laws and yet we do not have a voting representative in the U.S. Congress and we as U.S. citizens may not vote in presidential elections. That's the background info, now the controversy at hand. For many years, since the early to mid-1970's, many on Guam have been clamoring for a self-determination vote as to Guam's political status (similar to Puerto Rico's recent self-determination vote). Some on the island want this plebiscite vote regarding our self-determination, to be a "Chamorro Only" vote with the following options: * Free Association (a commonwealth of the U.S. like the CNMI - Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands) Did you happen to notice that the option of Status Quo was not given? I firmly believe that the majority of the people - both Chamorro and others - would vote for this option, yet it is not presented to us...them...whomever. There are many problems with the idea of a Chamorro only vote, such as who is a Chamorro? Basically, there are no pure Chamorros left here on Guam. I have students in my classes who call themselves Chamorro but have Filipino, Japanese, and Anglo Saxon last names. Then, there are haoles who have lived here for over 40 years (and have married into Chamorro families) but would not be allowed to vote. Another problem is that the United Nations, as well as the government of the United States, would probably never accept the results of a plebiscite vote that was blatantly discriminatory. Again, I admit that I know little about this whole issue except that it would be a gross injustice to deny suffrage to those residents who call this wonderful island their home. Granted, what the U.S. government (military) did to some of the residents following WWII - confiscating their land - was a gross injustice, as was the Spanish rule and Japanese rule. But when and who breaks the cycle? Why stoop to "their" level? Do two wrongs make a right? We are not Chamorros, Filipinos, State Siders, Koreans, Palauans, etc. We are Americans...and illegal Chinese aliens. Yes, we can and should be proud of our respective ethnic roots, but as long as we try to differentiate ourselves along ethnic lines, we are begging for conflict and disunity. Hafa Adai Copyright © 1999 |
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