.png)
2 weeks ago
1
Sen. Will Parkinson and his office have been organizing political status town halls for the past month-and-a-half and have held three so far in Yigo, Toto and Malesso’.
The next town hall is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Tamuning Senior Citizens Center. So far, the turnout for each town hall has been 30 to 40 people in each village, with some lively discussion.
I wrote in my last column about how there has been a slow, but steady movement towards a greater openness towards political status change by the majority of Guam’s residents. This does not mean that the majority of Guam’s residents are clamoring for a particular status just yet.
But what it does mean is that the decolonization conversation over the past 30 years has helped push an issue that used to be taboo, used to be frightening or even controversial to many people, to something that can be discussed and explored in a more practical manner.
The most recent political status town hall held in the village of Malesso’ is a very good example of how education has helped create the foundation for a more engaging and productive discussion, rather than one rooted in reactionary ignorance around this issue.
The majority of the community members who spoke out that night, young and old, expressed either support for Guam becoming independent or at least interest in learning more about what it would mean and if it was possible.
This was something that was almost completely unthinkable decades ago. Polls, surveys and studies showed that often, less than 5% would ever admit to supporting the idea of independence for Guam. It seemed too radical, too outlandish. It didn’t matter that most of the world was filled with independent countries, some as small as Guam or even smaller.
People associated independence with isolation, cutting the island off from the United States and the rest of the world. People felt that independence and even seeking a change in political status was disloyal or unpatriotic. It didn’t matter that the U.S. itself was born through its own push for independence.
It didn’t matter that we clearly saw examples from every corner where independent countries traded with each other, made deals with each other and relied on each other and that independence didn’t mean leaving the world behind, but instead becoming part of a community of nations. The idea was just too much for people to fathom locally.
That has started to change. It is something that has shown up in polls, surveys and studies. Whereas independence was something that only the tiniest fraction of people on Guam could envision, polls sometimes reveal that 20-30% of respondents express preference for independence as a future status for Guam.
During the Malesso’ town hall, it wasn’t difficult to understand why. The participants in different ways clued us in.
Those that expressed support or interest in independence did so for a variety of reasons. Some talked about the political conditions in the United States under the current administration and how it shows a need for Guam to seek its own path.
Others felt worried about the cost of living, the rising prices of goods, the need to feed ourselves and were looking for a future which would fill us with pride, connect us with the land and break the cycle of dependency that we’ve been trapped in for so long.
While some who were present had talked about the threat of China as a reason that they supported statehood, others talked about the militarization of the island by the U.S. and the looming threat of possible war as a reason to pursue independence. There was a hope that Guam not be sacrificed or dragged into America’s war just as it had in World War II.
I am looking forward to hearing more community discussion at the next town hall in Tamuning.
