Senate president’s suggestion not racist

The recent statement made by Senate President Jose Mendiola regarding scholarships for indigenous students was not a blatant racist comment. Although it could be construed as racist simply because there was no inclusion of other residents and ethnic groups residing in the CNMI, Mendiola did not openly state that other groups of people “should be” denied the scholarships. Thus, it is not altogether fair to say he and his statement had racist connotations.

Although I cannot speak for Senate President Mendiola, I would venture to say that his statement alluded to helping perpetuate the heritage of the indigenous people that inhabit the CNMI. Of the roughly 75,000 residents in the CNMI, less than a third of population are of island descent reflecting the Marianas and/or other Micronesian islands in the Pacific Rim region compared to over 50,000 residents reflecting countries outside of the Marianas, e.g., Asian countries, the U.S., and others.

The primary reason for the Senate president’s statement not being totally racist stems from the fact that the Northern Marianas Islands follows the language of the Constitution of the Commonwealth. If the NMI were a state like Hawaii, then it would be compelled to follow both the state constitution as well as the U.S. Constitution. And if that were the case, then Mendiola’s statement would no doubt be considered racist simply because the constitutions of states and the United States do not espouse discrimination based on race, nationality, etc.

Since the Covenant that created the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands allowed for a political union with and under the sovereignty of the U.S. and at the same time permitted separate immigration, labor, and wage laws, the CNMI is considered to be “autonomous”—typical of other sovereign nations throughout the world.

Another point that substantiates the autonomy of the NMI is the fact there is no adherence to the federal tax mandates for individuals that every state in the union is obliged to meet. Not being compelled to follow these U.S. obligations reflects being an independent country that can move in the direction it wishes to.

The accusation that Mendiola’s comments were racist is akin to those critics in the United States who say that “affirmative action” is a racist mechanism in higher education because it makes an effort to allow for higher education opportunities for minorities who have historically had low enrollment numbers within the 3,500 higher education institutions in America. On the contrary, affirmative action is designed to allow for equal opportunity in higher education and does not espouse excluding qualified Caucasians and others who do not fall beneath the umbrella of being an ethnic minority. The lawsuits that have been filed by qualified non-minorities because of their denial in favor of a minority student who may not have possessed as high a grade point average or entrance examination score have tainted the efforts to bring more equality into higher education and American society.

The Constitution of the Northern Mariananas supports the “indigenous people” of the NMI. One of the clauses of the CNMI Constitution stipulates that “only” persons of Northern Marianas descent may own land in the CNMI and leasing options are up to 55 years.

Since the clause excludes “other” ethnic groups, then one could put forth the argument that the NMI Constitution, based on American standards, would contain racist connotations regarding land ownership. However, I believe that the intent of the language in the NMI Constitution was more to preserve the rights of those people who have ancestry reflecting the lands throughout the Northern Marianas and not to demonstrate racism for other residents who happen to not possess any island blood and heritage.

If there are no efforts to maintain the preservation of the heritage of an indigenous people of a particular region wherever it might be, then these people will die and wither away. A case in point of a people who had their heritage decimated along with a gradual reduction in the population over several generations is the Native American. The same situation will take place in the CNMI if efforts like that of Senate President Mendiola are not looked upon as something other than racist.

Dr. Jesus D. Camacho
Delano, California