John I Borja

Pacific Daily News

Gov. Eddie Calvo and a Guam delegation next week will be speaking with a United Nations committee about self-determination and recent lawsuits filed by the federal government against Guam relative to race-based discrimination.

Amanda Blas, executive director of the Commission on Decolonization, said about 20 delegates will accompany the governor to New York at the Oct. 3 assembly with the U.N.'s Fourth Committee, also known as the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. Non-self governing territories will have the opportunity to petition the committee.

Calvo, who is chairman of Commission on Decolonization, will serve as Guam's representative. He will have 10 minutes to appear before the committee and talk about Guam's history and quest for self-determination.

Vice Speaker Therese Terlaje, D-Yona, Sen. Telena Nelson, D-Dededo and Sen. Fernando Esteves, D-Yona, are part of the delegation. The rest of the delegates mainly come from Independent Guåhan, the task force that pushes for Guam's independence, and the Chamorro diaspora in the U.S.

Lawsuits

Sixteen of the delegates will be petitioning, with three minutes each to make their case. Blas said petitioners will cover numerous topics, including the recent Chamorro Land Trust lawsuit and the lawsuit on Guam's decolonization plebiscite vote.

The U.S. government recently sued the government of Guam and the Chamorro Land Trust Commission for alleged violation of the Fair Housing Act. The Chamorro Land Trust maintains and leases properties for the benefit of Guam's indigenous people.

The plebiscite lawsuit, filed by Arnold "Dave" Davis, alleges race-based discrimination on the rules of Guam's non-binding vote on decolonization. According to the plebiscite law, the people who can participate in the vote are people who became U.S. citizens on Guam by the Organic Act and their descendants.

Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood ruled the law was unconstitutional. Attorney General Elizabeth-Barrett Anderson said Guam would fight Tydingco-Gatewood's ruling.

The delegation plans to meet with other U.N. member states after the meeting with the committee, Blas said.

Guam was present in past U.N. assemblies to speak about its status as an unincorporated U.S. territory. The island is one of 17 non-self-governing territories around the world.

"Guam has been on this quest for self-determination for decades," Blas said. "It shows how much we've progressed in our quest. It shows that we're ready to move forward with this."

READ MORE:

Judge: Plebiscite law unconstitutional; AG may appeal

Feds sue Chamorro Land Trust, saying it discriminates

Gov. Calvo to US: Stop and re-evaluate military buildup