STATEMENT OF ED ALVAREZ
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
COMMISSION ON DECOLONIZATION
GOVERNMENT OF GUAM
| Photo by KUAM.COM |
ON
BEHALF OF OUR HONORABLE GOVERNOR EDDIE BAZA CALVO AND OUR WONDERFUL PEOPLE, I
PRESENT AN UPDATE ON GUAM'S EFFORTS TOWARD DECOLONIZATION
OVER THE PAST YEAR.
OUR COMMISSION HAS BEEN HEAVILY ENGAGED IN REINFORCING THE
PUBLIC AWARENESS, FINDING CREATIVE WAYS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE EDUCATION
PROGRAM, AND COMPLETING THE ARDUOUS TASK OF FORMATTING THE THREE TASK
FORCE'S POSITION PAPERS SO THAT THEY ARE EASY TO COMPARE, CONTRAST, AND
UNDERSTAND BY OUR VOTERS. IT'S NO SECRET THAT GUAM, LIKE MANY ISLANDS IN
THE WORLD FACE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES, WHICH HAMPERS OUR ABILITY TO FORGE AHEAD
ON ALL LEVELS TOWARD A PLEBISCITE VOTE. SO WE CONTINUE TO MEET AND DISCUSS
HOW BEST TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS.
ONE THING FOUND TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE HAS BEEN PUBLIC OUTREACH,
AS THE COMMISSION CONTINUES TO MEET AND SPEAK TO PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS, CIVIC
ORGANIZATIONS, AND CULTURAL GROUPS IN REINFORCING THE CORRECT MESSAGING TO THE
MASSES. THIS HAS GOING ON FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS AND HAS BEEN LARGELY
SUCCESSFUL. DECOLONIZATION HAS MADE ITS WAY INTO THE DAILY LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE
AND IS KEPT ALIVE BY ISSUES SUCH AS THE MILITARY BUILD-UP, THE CURRENT LAW SUIT
FILED BY MR. ARNOLD DAVIS, WHO IS CHALLENGING A CHAMORRO ONLY VOTE, AND MOST
RECENTLY ANOTHER LAW SUIT FILED
BY FORMER GUAM RESIDENT..MR.NEIL WEARE, WHO FEELS ALL THE PEOPLE
IN THE U.S. TERRITORIES ARE U.S. CITIZENS AND DERSERVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR
PRESIDENT AND HAVE REPRESENTATION IN CONGRESS AND SENATE. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO
THE MOVEMENTS GROWTH ARE THE FEDERAL MANDATES IMPOSED BY CONGRESS ON GUAM, WHO
HAD NO REPRESENTATION AT THE TIME THESE MANDATES WERE BEING DISCUSSED AND
DECIDED UPON. SOME EXAMPLES ARE THE COMPACT IMPACT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED
STATES AND THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES OF MICRONESIA, THE EARNED INCOME
TAX CREDIT PROGRAM, AND THE WAR REPARATIONS ISSUE, WHICH HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR
SO LONG NOW! THESE MANDATES HAVE COST GUAM HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT
THE PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO SHOULDER WITHOUT ANY RECOURSE TOWARD PROPER AND FAIR
REIMBURSEMENT. AS FOR THE WAR REPARATIONS EFFORT, GUAM REMAINS THE ONLY
VICTIM OF WORLD WAR TWO, YET TO RECEIVE RESTORATIVE JUSTICE FOR ALL ITS
SUFFERANCE! ALL OTHER VICTIMS HAVE BEEN PAID!
IN THE AREA OF FUNDING THE PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM, THE
COMMISSION HAS PROPOSED TO CHANGE THE LOCAL LAW RELATIVE TO TAX CREDITS. WE
SEEK TO AMEND THIS LAW AND ALLOW THE COMMISSION TO GIVE TAX CREDITS TO PEOPLE
OR BUSINESSES WHO DONATE SERVICES, TANGIBLE AND REAL PROPERTY, OR ANY ITEM
SUITABLE FOR TAX CREDIT ALLOTMENT. SOON, A JOINTLY SPONSORED BILL BY OUR
GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE IS PROPOSED TO BE INTRODUCED AND TAKE ITS COURSE IN
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS! AS I REPORTED LAST YEAR, THE COMMISSION SOUGHT A
$250,000.00 GRANT PROPOSAL FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR, SUBMITTING IT IN
NOVEMBER 2012. I REPORT TODAY THAT WE STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED A STATUS ON OUR
REQUEST EVEN THOUGH THIS MONEY HAS BEEN IN CONTINUING RESOLUTION FOR QUITE
SOMETIME. SO WE WONDER, WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED. REALISTICALLY, IT MAY NOT BE
POSSIBLE IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT SEQUESTRATION ISSUE LOOMING IN THE UNITED
STATES.
THE COMMISSION ALSO PLANS TO USE FREE PUBLIC TELEVISION AND
ACCESS CHANNELS TO PRODUCE PROGRAMS THAT WILL FURTHER REINFORCE THE MESSAGING
TO MORE OF THE MASSES AND GIVE A SIMPLE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT EACH
POLITICAL OPTION BRINGS TO THE TABLE AS FAR SELF-GOVERNANCE. PLANS WILL
BE UNDERWAY AND THE COMMISSION WILL SOON ADDRESS HOW TO USE THIS MEDIUM TO
ITS FULLEST.
THE MESSAGING IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE HISTORICALLY, AND DUE TO
THE MEDIA, THE MESSAGING HAS BEEN DISTORTED AND NOT FAIR AS FAR THE ENTIRE
POLITICAL STATUS ISSUED IS CONCERNED. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE ITEM MANY PEOPLE
BELIEVED WAS THAT IF GUAM CHANGED ITS POLITICAL STATUS, IT WOULD MEAN THAT WE
MIGHT LOSE ALL PRIVILEGES TO FEDERAL PROGRAMS.
ANOTHER WAS THAT WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TRAVEL FREELY TO THE UNITED
STATES. EVEN MORE, MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT "CHAMORROS" WERE FIGHTING FOR
THE RIGHT TO VOTE FOR THE
POLITICAL STATUS CHOICE, WHEN IN FACT IT WAS GIVEN TO THEM BY
VIRTUE ON THE UN CHARTER. FINALLY, ALL THOSE WHO HAVE MIGRATED TO GUAM ARE NOW
FINDING OUT THAT THEY ARE NOT EXCLUDED FROM THE SELF-DETERMINATION PROCESS AND
THAT THEY WILL PARTICIPATE AND VOTE ON THE CONSTITUTION WHICH FOLLOWS THE
PLEBISCITE VOTE. SO IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE IN PLACE IN
ORDER TO SET STRAIGHT WHAT THE POLITICAL PROCESS ENTAILS AND HOW EVERYONE ON
GUAM IS INCLUDED!
THUS, THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSISTANCE THAT THE UNTIED NATIONS CAN
OFFER TO TERRITORIES LIKE GUAM IS THE TIMELY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESOLUTIONS
IT HAS ADOPTED THROUGHOUT THE DECADES. WITHOUT A CONCERTED EFFORT TO IMPLEMENT
TO THE DECOLONIZATION MANDATE, THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE PEOPLE ARE SERIOUSLY
DASHED, AND THE RELEVANCE OF THE UNITED NATIONS TO OUR DECOLONIZATION PROCESS
IS EVEN MORE SERIOUSLY QUESTIONED.
OF THE NUMEROUS ACTION ORIENTED RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDED IN THE
RESOLUTIONS IS THE LONGSTANDING IS THE CALL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUBLIC
EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR THE TERRITORIES AS CLEARLY DEFINED IN THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION 1541(XV), WHICH IS TO BE DONE COLLECTIVELY BY THE UNITED
NATIONS SYSTEMS, THE ADMINISTERING POWERS, AND THE TERRITORIES AS WELL.
THESE ARE SOME KEY AREAS WHERE IMPLEMENTATION BY THE UNITED NATIONS
SYSTEM WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE DECOLONIZATION MANDATE OF OUR
NON-SELF GOVERNING TERRITORIES. I RECALL NUMEROUS SOLUTIONS BEING
SUGGESTED, SOME AT THIS VERY SEMINAR, BUT THEY SEEM TO GET DISMISSED SOMEWHERE
ALONG THE WAY, EVEN WITH THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. OUR
DELEGATION BELIEVES THE UNITED NATIONS MUST BE MORE PRONOUNCED AND ENGAGING
WITH THE MANDATES IT ADOPTS. WHILE PEACE MAKING AND PEACE KEEPING IS TIMELY TO
BE THE ORDER OF THE DAY, THE ERADICATION OF COLONIALISM IS WELL DESERVING
OF EQUAL PRIMACY TO COME FULL CIRCLE WITH RESOLUTION AND SELF-GOVERNANCE FOR
ALL OF US LEFT ON THE LIST!
IN LIGHT THIS, WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING:
1. THAT THE ELECTORAL OFFICE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
POLITICAL AFFAIRS BEGIN TO SUPPLY INFORMATION ON THE POLITICAL STATUS
OPTIONS, SINCE THE LACK OF THIS INFORMATION IS WHAT
IMPEDES THE TERRITORIES FROM UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT THE
THREE STATUS OPTIONS. THIS FUNDAMENTAL INFORMATION STYMIES GUAM AND THE OTHER
TERRITORIES AND IMPEDES OUR PATH TO DECOLONIZATION. AND THE END RESULT WILL BE
TERRITORY HAVING TO TAKE THIS ON THEMSELVES WITH LIMITED RESOURCES.
2. THAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ENDORSE A WORK PROGRAM FOR
THE DECOLONIZATION OF EACH TERRITORY. THIS CANNOT GO FORWARD WITHOUT THE
ADMINISTERING POWER FURNISHING INFORMATION ON THE TERRITORY , THUS THE PROCESS
BECOMES QUITE LIMITED, AND IN THE END, NEVER IMPLEMENTED.
3. THAT THE CONDUCT OF PERIODIC ANALYSES BE UNDERTAKEN ON
THE PROGRESS AND EXTENT OF THE DECOLONIZATION DECLARATION IN EACH TERRITORY.
WHILE WORKING PAPERS ARE INFORMATIVE DOCUMENTS, THEY ARE NOT THE TYPE OF
DOCUMENTS CALLED FOR IN THE RESOLUTIONS. WITHOUT SUCH ANALYSES, IT'S
DIFFICULT FOR MEMBER STATES TO UNDERSTAND HOW NON SELF-GOVERNING HAVE TAKEN
OVER TIME DUE TO THE LACK OF IMPLEMENTATION OF DECOLONIZATION RESOLUTIONS.
4. FINALLY, WE CALL ON THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO IMPLEMENT
THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AND IMPLEMENT THE EARLIER
OUTLINED RECOMMENDATIONS AS A MATTER OF URGENCY. OTHERWISE, THE ROLE OF OUR
DECOLONIZATION WILL FADE INTO LESSER IMPORTANCE, AND THE TENDENCY TO LEGITIMIZE
THE UNEQUAL TERRITORIAL RELATIONSHIPS MAY BE TOO DIFFICULT TO RESIST.
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