A call for unity in the age of division

By Vince Taijeron Akimoto

and Jordan Lawrence E. Pauluhn

Every two years, Guam elects a new legislature to represent the interests of the people of Guam. Individual senators are entrusted with a public trust to place the interests of the community over their own ambition and personal agendas.

Inside this new legislature, there is a bench of talent from both parties. But potential will only get us so far. The senators will need to rise above the chaos, the bickering, and the division that have become all too emblematic of modern politics.

The legislature will also need to build teams and coalitions. This is the first time since the 29th Guam Legislature that the Republicans have controlled both Adelup and the legislature. But the 29th Legislature also saw the untimely passing of Sen. Antonio R. Unpingco, and with him went the Republican majority.

This history lesson is not an attempt to be nostalgic, but it is a reminder that politics is fleeting and outside factors can change our plans and ambitions overnight.

This is also the first legislature in many decades without a sitting member with a law degree. While lawyers do not (and should not) have a monopoly on law-making, the expertise of legally trained members is still invaluable to the process.

Members of the legislature must lean into their areas of expertise. Because while we are missing a lawyer, we have the first medical doctor sitting in many years, an accomplished businesswoman with experience in transportation, a former investigative journalist who knows how to root out the hard facts, several military veterans, twelve members who have served in the body before, and numerous members who have served in various public and private sector roles.

The major question over the next two years: Will the legislature live up to its potential, or will it let personal and partisan divisions stymie Guam’s progress, as we’ve seen time and time again?

Guamanians spend valuable time arguing among ourselves, when we should be spending time with our neighbors and building up our communities.

But as our leaders sit there fighting, the people of Guam are watching.

We are watching how our leaders conduct themselves, how they treat one another, and whether the promises they made mean anything now that the election is over. We expect that our leaders will rise above the rancor and do what is best for the collective good of our island.

Right now, all eyes are on the leadership contests in both parties. Take a look at the 38th Guam Legislature: there was such division in the minority that no leader was chosen. This made things difficult for both Adelup and the legislative majority to negotiate with the senators when they needed the minority’s support.

Both parties have been entrusted to elect leadership that will best represent the People of Guam. They have a sacred obligation to select leaders that can work across the aisle and with Adelup, putting Guam’s interests above their own. Each individual Senator has a solemn duty to honor that trust.

This obligation exists because leadership is not about the chair you sit in. It is about the responsibility you carry when you sit in it.

And right now, time is not on our side. Every day Guam spends divided is another day we are not fully preparing to address the challenges facing our island. The challenges are not just about improving our quality of life; they are also about preserving it.

We need leaders who can sit at the table with local, federal, and international stakeholders and ensure our island has a voice in major decisions about economic development and national security.

There is always room for healthy disagreement and debate. But there is a difference between standing on principle and allowing pride to stand in the way of progress.

No one should surrender their principles. But our elected leaders must remember the principles that brought them here in the first place. Our future is bigger than any one senator or any one ambition.

If we recognize that governing is fundamentally a shared task, we can move forward with a renewed sense of purpose. A sense of purpose that begins with each of us accepting responsibility for the way we conduct ourselves.

We must remember the kindness and respect due to our neighbors. We cannot demand accountability from the government if we are unwilling to set an example within the community. Elections typically yield the leaders we deserve, not the ones we should have.

The People of Guam have given our leaders an opportunity to serve. They must make the most of it. They must show us that they are the leaders that we need.

Because the people of Guam deserve a government that takes its responsibilities seriously.

We deserve leadership grounded in service rather than self-interest. The more time we lose, the more likely we are to squander our potential and forget our sense of purpose.

But if we come together—right now—we can set Guam in the right direction for progress for the first time in a long time. Si Yu’os Ma’åse’.

Dr. Vincent Taijeron Akimoto is a family medicine doctor on Guam. Jordan Lawrence E. Pauluhn, J.D. is an attorney in private practice on Guam.

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