In 1976, Washington decided that we would be able to have a Constitution something we had already drafted in 1969 before we - were authorized to. However, in 1978 we rejected the Constitution established by Washington because federal control over Guam's affairs would have continued too much for our liking. In Guam, starting in 1980, we started up the road that leads us here to Hawaii today. In 1987 we presented our people's request to Washington. Today we meet in Hawaii for the first hearing on our request for self-government, dignity as a people, and the promise that the Chamorro people will be able to exercise selfdetermination after over 300 years of being under colonial government. Why now, in Hawaii, we, as proud brothers and sisters under the American flag, freedom fighters for our country America, do we seek self-government? We want the world to know that the Chamorro families have made their decision that we must now begin to meet half way. We don't need anymore to be told what to do, we want to be in a partnership in the decisions which affect our homeland. So many times, America has come to us to give us direction, and so many times we have almost begged for the changes that should already be in place. Now with Commonwealth, we want to join our mother country where they will respect the rights of the Chamorro people in the future. Please Mr. Washington, today we are meeting you half way and you have in your hands what we want. Mr. Washington, will you take back Our request for liberty and pursuit of happiness to the capitol and give the people of Guam their wishes, and not continue to give us direction? Mr. DE LUGO. Now we would like to hear from the Mayor of Agana Heights, Mayor Francisco M. Portusach. Mayor PORTUSACH. Correction, my birth name is Frank. Francisco deceased in 1919. That was my grandfather. Mr. DE LUGO. Okay. Mayor PORTUSACH. He was the first acting governor in Guam in 1898. Mr. DE LUGO. Okay, Frank. Mayor PORTUSACH. Mr. Chairman, and honorable members of this committee, my name is Frank Martinez Portusach, a proud descendant of the Chamorro people of Guam and one of the first Americans to live on my native island. I stand before you as Mayor of Agana Heights and ready to tell you about my position on the Commonwealth Draft Act. I support it strongly for economic and political reasons. As a Chamorro, I also support its stance on Chamorro determination. The problem is that Guam has a dual economic structure, a command economy and a satellite economy. The command is the budget run out of Washington. The satellite economy is the visitor industry, trade and commerce. The federal rules and regulations have benefited and promoted the command economy and left scraps for the satellite economy. While the current political situation may seem best for the military or command economy, the status quo will eventually bring about tension. The status quo is beneficial for the command economy in a limited way, maintaining it for a long term will be similar to feudalism. The legal reforms that would occur as a result of the Guam Commonwealth bill would allow the local economy to flourish. The best possible situation, would be one in which the military would return excess land for local development and Guam would remain a good host. There is a copy of the first two texts of Guam's political economy that is available for review at the Nieves M. Flores Library, the RFK library at the University of Guam and the Micronesian Area Research Center. If the Naval Government will allow the people of Guam to freely exchange ideas with other U.S. citizens, Guam will be better equipped to negotiate with the foreign professionals, who are basically responsible for the massive growth that Guam is experiencing today. The military, on the whole, has a negative impact on the economy on the island. It gives us short term revenue in exchange for blocking long term economic growth. The military has enjoyed this type of economy for many years. It has kept their presence from being compromised in any fashion by local economic growth considerations. As Guam grows, this is no longer tolerable. Guam must be given as much control over its natural resources and laws and regulations affecting economic activities to allow it to grow. We could then move out of the command economy structure. The Commonwealth Act has many more benefits for the people of Guam than economics. It charts a new political relationship that says to the world that Guam is a mature political entity, which deserves respect and honor. It also says to the world that the United States has also matured and that it is ready to recognize growth in its non-self-governing areas. The Draft Act is a signal to the world that Guam is ready and that the U.S. encourages that readiness. Ready for what? Guam and the United States will be creating a new relationship, a new political partnership which seeks to eliminate the last vestiges of colonialism. It is important to understand that a new relationship will be the result of the Act. This is not fine tuning the existing political relationship. Guam's right to govern itself in partnership with the United States is at stake here. If you see this as the redress of grievances without changing the relationship, then you have missed something fundamental. We are not just asking you to remove federal constraints or negative practices, we are calling for a new relationship which would forever make federal intrusion into Guam's life less arbitrary. If this is not accepted in the halls of Congress, I will fight the resulting legislation. In closing, I would like to recommend that the Mayors of Guam-they being a vital and essential part of the grassroots communities of Guam-be included in the Commonwealth Act. Lastly, I want you to accept and recognize Chamorro self-determination. This Act implies, albeit weakly, that Chamorro self-determination will be exercised in the future. If references to Chamorro self-determination are eliminated from this Act, I will fight it and my people will fight it. I look forward to your support. Biba Chamorro. Biba Guam. Biba Commonwealth. Mr. DE LUGO. Thank you very much, Frank. [Prepared statement of Mr. Portusach follows:] |