Asserting our ownership

Editor’s Note: The following is the complete text of a privilege speech the author delivered on the floor of the House of Representatives chamber on Monday, June6, 2011.[/I]

Our rights as indigenous peoples of the Northern Mariana Islands, guaranteed under the Covenant that established our political relationship with the United States of America, are slowly being chipped away right before our very eyes. If we do nothing about it, we stand to lose all that we have hoped and worked very hard for in our quest to become self-governing and self-sufficient. What is left is a Covenant with no protections for the people whose lands and resources the U.S. deemed strategically valuable.

Since the inception of the Commonwealth, it is no secret that the United States government has taken unilateral positions that promote their interests in the Commonwealth, first and foremost. That, in my opinion, has violated the spirit and intent of the Covenant. Such actions by the United States were made without proper consultation with our government and people. One shining example is the presidential proclamation signed in 2009 that established the National Marine Monument within the waters and submerged lands of the Northern Marianas. With just a stroke of his pen, President Bush laid claim to thousands of miles of our water, our submerged lands, and our resources. When Pew Charitable Trusts first proposed the marine monument idea to the governor in 2007, his response was that the administration was not prepared to embrace this proposal, stating that: “Given our valuable natural resources and their potential uses, the CNMI government must fully consider all options and decide carefully, prudently and strategically balancing economic, environmental, social, cultural, and other considerations, in deference to our local constituents and stakeholders.”

In Senate Joint Resolution 16-04, signed by then Senate President Pete Reyes and then Speaker Arnold Palacios, the 16th Commonwealth Legislature respectfully requested that the President of the U.S. refrain from unilaterally creating a marine monument without the consent of the local government. Not only did the mayors come out against the monument, but also many of our indigenous citizens and community leaders. Clearly, our people’s and leaders’ opposition did not matter, as we are all aware of what happened to 95,000 square miles of our waters and submerged lands.

When former president Bush designated the Marianas Trench, Rose Atoll and Pacific Remote Islands Monuments in 2009, was this designation really about conservation? What about the hard minerals geologists identified in the seabeds around both the Marianas Trench and Rose Atoll National Monuments? Minerals like phosphorite, abyssal manganese, ferromanganese, cobalt, sulfide, olivine, feldspar, clinopyroxene, opaline, silica, and pyrite as well as hydrathermal deposits of gold and silver and the world’s richest deposits of barite. Could it be true what they are saying that under the seabeds in the Pacific Remote Islands Monument is the world’s largest oil and natural gas reserves?

All of this begs the question: What is it that our submerged lands and waters contain that we are cognizant of? Are there other resources of which we are not aware? When the presidential proclamation states that the submerged volcanic areas of the Mariana Ridge, the coral reef ecosystems of the waters surrounding the islands of Uracas, Maug, and Asuncion and the Mariana Trench contain objects of scientific interest, shouldn’t we have that right to explore, discover, claim and make use of these objects as we see fit, for the betterment of our people and our island communities? It seems to me that we have an abundance of resources, except that we are being denied the right to these resources.

My fellow colleagues, as I sit here discussing with you the rightful ownership of our submerged lands and underwater resources, a three-day workshop has kicked off. Beginning today, in Nadi, Fiji, some of the world’s leading specialists on issues relating to deep sea minerals have gathered. The South Pacific Commission’s Deep Sea Minerals Project will address legislative, regulatory, capacity requirements and environmental issues pertaining to deep sea minerals and mining for countries in the Pacific region over a four-year period. According to the Deep Sea Minerals Project Team Leader, “This project is focused on ensuring that sustainable seabed mineral resources management would bring tangible benefits to Pacific Island countries and their people.” Which Pacific island countries are participating? The Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Essentially all of our neighbors except us. Why? Because according to the federal government, we do not own our resources. The action and decision rendered by the U.S. makes claim to our most valuable underwater treasures and resources. It is an act of supremacy of which the United States government demonstrated its lack of commitment to honor and respect the mandates and the spirit of the Covenant.

The submerged lands and the waters adjacent to our islands belong to our people. As descendants of Chamorro and Refaluwasch seafaring voyagers, the waters surrounding our islands have sustained us and have always been a significant part of our culture, our way of life.

Today, with the introduction of a House joint resolution, we begin the first important step in our quest to win back for our people, the respect, rights and ownership of the submerged lands and waters adjacent to our islands in the Northern Marianas. As the elected leaders of our people, I ask that we stand firmly together in unity and support the passage of this House joint resolution, with the hope that the U. S. Congress will act in accordance with the Covenant and respect and honor our request. As leaders of our islands, it is imperative that we assert our ownership over our waters, our submerged lands, and our resources.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and fellow colleagues.