Negotiating Our Future
UOG President Robert Underwood gave an interesting quote on the military buildup in the new mini-documentary Manhita: Building our Future Together, produced by the Guam News Factor. He stated that at present in terms of our posture towards this buildup, we on Guam are articulating what we deserve, but that’s not enough (or not helpful). In business you never get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. The lesson of his statement is that in all things, whether it be war reparations, the military buildup or land return, you don’t get much or anything by simply arguing that you deserve it or its owed to you. You have to negotiate, demand, compel or force it somehow. Abstractly that makes perfect sense, and I agree with that on the surface.
Underwood is absolutely correct for instance in terms of the military buildup that’s hitting Guam. The Government of Guam is the key negotiator that Guam has, and for years (with a few small exceptions) did nothing but pray for the best, and simply hope that the large dollar sums which were being waved around would somehow end up in the Government’s general fund. Olaha mohon na ayu na puma’ya’ya’ na biyonyon na salape’ para Hita!
But what all of this has amounted to is that fact that the Government of Guam continues to operate primarily on some minor scathing rhetoric (we aren’t being respected or included in the process again) and a truck load full of optimism and dreamy hope. In terms of negotiating, this is a terrible position to be in. Both of these tactics are built more on a wish for the way things would be, than an actual understanding of how things are. In both of these you aren’t really acknowledging where you have power or where you don’t have power, and simply hoping that you or your problems, issues or anger will be recognized.
But one crucial missing piece of Underwood’s comment, is one of the reasons why the Government of Guam is in tatters over what to do about the military buildup, and that’s the colonial question of, how are you supposed to negotiate when you don’t have a position to negotiate from?
Its important to remind everyone whenever we can, that when this military “transfer” was negotiated, Guam wasn’t at the table with representatives of Japan and the United States. Manaigue hit. You could argue that since the US controls Guam it can do whatever it wants with and when it negotiates Guam is included, or automatically represented. That sort of interpretation however is generally invested in covering over colonialism or is built upon “hope” and “love.”
Its only meaningful if we believe in the long-standing colonial mantra that “what’s good for America is good for Guam.” There are moments when you can believe it, when it might be true, there are moments when its not, but ultimately the political status makes the goodness or the badness of it irrelevant, since Guam is not an equal or secure partner in the way it “belongs” to the United States. Whether or not something applies to it, or whether or not Guam is represented by the United States is not an automatic yes or no, but always something which the colonizer gets to decide.
Guam’s predicament is that its lack of power is part of its value to the United States military. If Guam did have some sort of existing position to negotiate from, then it might not have been chosen to be the site for the transfer of forces from Okinawa (although strategic location most likely would have overriden this). That was one of the concerns in 2001 when the Department of Defense was looking for a site to “house” the enemy combatants that it had captured in Afghanistan. Guam was put on a list along with other potential sites, but it was quickly crossed off, since Guam, while not really being American, was nonetheless too “legally” American, and that might interfere with the creation of the legal black hole the Bush Administration wanted.
So although Underwood’s comment is overly simplistic, he’s not wrong, he’s absolutely right. If Guam needs to negotiate but has no place to negotiate, then what is our plan? What is our strategy for getting what we need? How are we going to build that sovereign space from which we won’t be taken advantage of and also from which we won’t just simply beg or pray for Uncle Sam’s help and salape anymore?
There are always two ways in which a community can respond to a crisis, the first is to cling to the ways things are and just pray that all will be okay. The second is to try something different. Even if it seems radical, crazy or impossible, a period of difficulty can be the best incentive to try something else, to work to free yourself from dependency or work to build your own sustainability. As Guam faces this military buildup and the possible benefits, changes and damages that it will bring to Guam, which path do you think we should take?
for us locals: pronounced 'you ya' not 'zyoo zya' from yona! 
is it possible to have any connection with ms shirley chu?any contact details.plsss 
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Yuya's got the best local music video! AND... shot in our vill! shame on us! hehe. 
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Comment by Sarah on 4 May 2009:
Such a well-written article, Michael.
I would be curious to know if the people of Guam all gave input, what the wish of the majority would be. I am worried about the base moving here from Okinawa, but I am also afraid to rock the boat if that is what the majority wishes or thinks is best.
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 4 May 2009:
Its tough to figure something like this out. Because everyone will have a mixture of feelings about it, but ultimately because Guam is such a militarized place, the positive or supportive feelings from that mixture tends to come to the surface. Its hard to bring out the less supportive or more critical concerns because of fears of being unpatriotic or appearing to be against “the troops.” Its strange because alot of activists are criticized because they are too much “passion” and “emotion” and not enough substance. But when I look at this military buildup and those who support it, its all hope and love, its all emotion and passion and hope that more people means more money, more military means better everything.
Comment by Miget on 7 May 2009:
My personal belief is that at this point the people of Guam individually are not prepared to combat such a stubborn problem such as colonialism. I believe that first Guam needs to undergo a transformation that will give it more prominence and more space to actually speak up and out. The first part of this transformation is to educate ourselves, clean up our streets and reorganize our blatantly corrupt system of government. Step two would be to organize our economy, at the very least we should be exploring other industries other than the tourist trade and at the very very least have a plan for the future. After this Guam needs to figure out where the hell the majority stands on this issue and then take a vote, sovereignty, commonwealth, statehood or status quo. If this transformation does not happen well then lastima say hello to colonialism for God knows how much longer. Guam is obviously not the most important topic on Washington’s agenda so therefore when we do actually bring forth our arguments we have to make ourselves seem less of a joke than they already consider us to be. We can’t do that with our rampant crime rate, 40% poverty level, prevalent teenage pregnancies, non existent economy, infamously corrupt government, our numerous animal rights violations and our educational system came in second to last to Alabama in the year 2007. I’m not saying that I have the solution to all these problems but seriously, Guam can’t make demands when it seems that we can’t handle ourselves within our small community.
Comment by si selina on 8 May 2009:
i guess it’s hard to negotiate when even the industry forum was open to only those who could afford to or wanted to pay three hundred (some) dollars to get in!
this whole buildup is absolutely abusive and is entirely insulting to our people.
Comment by Joseph Certeza on 11 May 2009:
True michael, I do get criticized by some of my close family for being active in social change, but I would not know what else to do with my life other being an artist for social change. And Miget, educating the people and having sustainable communities is the right way to start it out. Guam has to be organized as an island to create such a big change, Guam would need to bear the consequences together as a whole.
After moving to California, my mind has recently been transformed by the common ideas being presented in this article and by the Pacific Islander community in higher education around the bay area.
recently been meeting up with Famok’saiyan in the bay area and been trying to attend Pacific Islander conferences.
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 20 May 2009:
To Miget: The argument that Guam is in such disarray or is so messed up that we can’t take care of ourselves or can’t make demands isn’t a very good one. That’s the Dave Davis argument that he puts out in his column every Wed. in the Marianas Variety. Guam is basically the worst place in the world, and people who are trying to change it are making it worse. Dave Davis hates Guam, but loves America and so he’s a useless voice for change or improving Guam because his only answer is that whatever American wants or does it good for Guam.
Any argument that states that people on Guam are the most corrupt or the most helpless community in the world and shouldn’t be taken seriously is part of the problem and not part of the solution. The only way in which Guam’s problems will be fixed is through local empowerment, and that means that we need to stop trashing ourselves and elevating the United States in the process.
To Selina: Isn’t it sad how those things work. We have a business community on Guam and throughout the entire region which is drooling over the military buildup and taking advantage of Guam to get access to that money. We have a government which is actively working to facilitate that selling of Guam. The Government of Guam is supposed to protect the interests of all of Guam, but here we very much see them participating in the taking advantage of it.
To Joseph: I’m glad that you’re getting involved with Famoksaiyan in the Bay Area, they are doing some fantastic work and always need more help. It’s so important to have a community to share ideas and your frustrations with.
Comment by Miget on 24 May 2009:
Do not misconstrue my argument, I did not say that the people of Guam as a whole are corrupt, I said the government is which cannot be denied. When I bring up Guam’s social problems I am only being realistic the fed’s cannot allow Guam independence in its current state because of the U.N. mandate which has been the U.S.’s foothold against us. The mandate states,in short, that the U.S. is responsible for the development, modernization and self sufficiency of these islands so in the 80’s when the Commonwealth bill died one of the main arguments against Guam was that there was no visible industry other than tourism which wouldn’t have satisfied the U.N. mandate. Now when another attempt is made for independence or statehood, whichever we decide upon, the Fed’s WILL bring up these social problems and they WILL ask us how we are going to combat these problems. If we go up to them and say ‘I don’t know’ then they will deem us not to be ready and therefore the bill will die like it has for the last 40 years or so. I love Guam and I love my people, and I think Guam is home to some of the most admirable people on earth. Like anywhere there is always a dark side and Guam is no exception that doesn’t make Guam the worst place in the world and I never said that it was. However you yourself have seen and heard what others think about Guam and its the sad truth that the Fed’s and many others feel that we can’t take care of ourselves and that Guam is corrupt and overall not the best place. No offense but to me it is as though you intend to fly into this unprepared. Brute public uprising and empowerment has worked in other countries and states similar in circumstance to Guam but that is an extremity that we should avoid. The federal government deals with people and activists like us all the time what makes you think they will all of the sudden put their pens down and listen to us now? We aren’t the only ones and we certainly aren’t a special case to the U.S.. We should be concentrating on improving ourselves and bettering our case towards the U.S., don’t give them room to say anything. We need to be able to walk into that room and say ‘ This is what our people want, we have the resources, we have the power, and we have the tools to sustain ourselves in this way should we succeed.’ If we fight without minding the future and the consequences of our actions like the Filipinos did we will end up like the Filipinos: poor, unorganized, and in a state of constant civil unrest. I read all your posts and they all mostly concentrate on how we need to rise up and communicate to the world our wants and desires but have you honestly been saying all this without a second thought towards what we will do as a people in the aftermath? If we won independence tomorrow and you were made president of Guam and these social flaws ,as I’ve mentioned, were still present what would you do to solve them? Like everyone should be doing we all need to be making conscious decisions by thinking about what will happen after we make these choices. You and the people you lead in this movement need to make sure that you are aware of the cause and effects of the things you say and aspire towards. I may seem vicious and disrespectful but you know what it’s my island too, my people too, and I care. So when someone like you and your friends start a movement like you have, people like me are gonna be there making sure that you and the people who follow you are making conscious decisions. You no longer are just some blogger on the internet I’ve heard it on Guam personally, people are waking up, people are mobilizing and realizing that they have to do something about it but a lot of these people are doing so blindly and out of excitement. Passion aside the fact that Guam has yet to solve the basic of problems: major poverty, teenage pregnancy, corrupt government and ill prepared schools is a VERY valid point. A point that will be brought up in Congress the day the bill is brought forth. The government doesn’t take us seriously and that’s a problem. So just sitting on top of these problems and saying ‘ Irregardless we want independence.’ Isn’t going to convince anyone. Be realistic Guam needs to get it in gear before any change can be achieved in Congress. I say a lot but unlike Dave Davis I mean well and I have Guam’s future in mind when i make these statements. And like i said i don’t have the solutions to these problems and there isn’t much i can do about it at the moment either, I am only 17 years old I’m just getting into college. Unlike you, someone with a voice that people actually pay attention to, you can do something to help solve these problems. However it troubles me to learn that you have already disregarded these points that have hindered the change that Guam wishes to achieve.
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 26 May 2009:
Despensa yu’ Miget, I don’t have much time for a thorough response to your comment, I’m getting ready to head back to San Diego tomorrow and need to get myself and my daughter packed. I do appreciate however that you are thinking about these issues at such a young age.
I don’t think that we disagree too much, but there are two things I’d like to get you to think about.
First, I don’t think that you have a very clear view of what political status change for Guam would mean, for independence or anything else. So I would caution you that you learn more about what it would be like before you speak so strongly. I wrote an entire Master’s Thesis on the type of response that you left above, which is full of passion and worry, but doesn’t reflect anything close to what decolonization in terms of a political status change would mean. I won’t say too much more about this, but just real quickly, any idea that decolonization would be something that happens suddenly and just one day everything vanishes or everything is different is not true.
I’m not saying that this is your fault necessarily, most everyone on Guam have this idea of decolonization, its one of the reasons that even if you do present people with your plans and ideas, they reject them, because you aren’t supposed to have any plans for these sorts of things, decolonization is a radical process which we can never be prepared for and so we should just not even try it.
Secondly, creating laundry lists of problems, as you’ve done in your comment and Dave Davis always does, might seem like a good idea to get a sense of the challenges that we confront, but so rarely do I ever see a long or short list of solutions to those problems following it. To me this is part of the challenge that we face, is that people string those problems together, not to ever actually find any solutions to them, but mainly to quiet or check those they see as seeking to change things. That is why I compared you to Dave Davis, because his rhetoric is that these problems are why you guys are completely messed up and you can’t ever change, you can’t go anywhere, America is the only way you can survive or get anywhere. He doesn’t think there are any solutions to our problems, and certainly nothing that we can do about them.
I’m not saying that this is exactly what you are doing, but you should be mindful of this, to make sure that you don’t become one of those people. Everytime you list a problem, you should either have a solution in mind or be open to someone else’s solution and you should never throw out the problems of our island just to shut people up. I think you’ll find that most people such as myself who are seeking more autonomy and independence for Guam are much more aware of this issue than you think, but you’ll never find me make an argument that I can’t challenge the Federal Government or criticize them because Guam has high rates of teenage pregnancy or that we need to solve all of our problems before we can criticize anyone else. I think you’ll find that sort of thinking is impossible and just holds us back. We have to go where the fights are, and as a colony and a military territory alot of our fights are in Washington D.C. there’s is plenty to do here as well, and so you’ll find I’m always open to ideas and solutions. All problems have solutions, but we need to be open to them and willing to engage and not be Dave Davis for whom our many problems are the reason we need to stay colonized.
Si Yu’us Ma’ase ta’lo for your comment. I’m sorry that I went on for too long, I had hoped this comment would be short. But I kept typing not to attack you, but just to help you see this side of the things that you say.
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 26 May 2009:
I’m sorry again, for writing such a long comment. I always get irritated when people say they won’t type much and then end up writing a novel. Sorry that I fell into that trap too.