The 99-year lease for a $ 1 billion project will be inspected and questioned . The process might get derailed or face gridlock . But that is the nature of democracy . This system of governance entails adequate checks and balances to protect the people from governmental excess .
FROM THE PUBLISHER ’ S DESK
Gov . Lou Leon Guerrero dreaded Bill 12-37 , a straightforward measure with a clear end : just show us the lease and tell us what you ’ re doing . Somehow , the bill got muddled in the quagmire of politics , often interpreted beyond its actual intent , creating political animosity . The governor feared it would pose a stumbling block to the construction of a new medical campus , her signature project that she hopes to stamp as her legacy .
Her attempt to railroad the signing of the lease agreement with the Navy by passing over the legislature only caused the Eagles Field transaction to hit a snag . Wait a minute ! That ’ s not how things are done , Attorney General Douglas Moylan reminded her . The governor should know better . There ’ s a new eagled-eyed attorney general in town , who won ’ t acquiesce to anyone ’ s political whims .
At the Guam legislature , Speaker Therese Terlaje finally managed to convince her colleagues to take another look at Bill 12-37 and vote to override the governor ’ s veto of the measure . Now a public law , Bill 12-37 mandates the governor to unfurl the lease and allow legislative and public scrutiny . Transparency is a timeless concept of democracy , after all .
Any attempt by the governor to further challenge this would only stagnate the project ’ s progress . We are a litigious community . A questionable contract is likely to be taken to court , where the case may languish for
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Show me the money
The 99-year lease for a $ 1 billion project will be inspected and questioned . The process might get derailed or face gridlock . But that is the nature of democracy . This system of governance entails adequate checks and balances to protect the people from governmental excess .
many long years . Guam is a veteran of watching legal histrionics . The case might stretch out well beyond Gov . Leon Guerrero ’ s term in Adelup . In which case , she might just miss the credit she is aspiring for .
We don ’ t really see any clear reason for the Navy to pressure the government of Guam into signing the lease based on its extreme deadline of one month . After all , the military has already agreed to lease the property to the local government .
We need to build a new medical facility on Guam . There ’ s no question about . And no one can question Speaker Terlaje ’ s persistent demand to let the people of Guam know what is being signed on their behalf . Elected officials have limited terms in office . Any lingering consequences that may result from an unexamined transaction are burdens that will be shouldered by future generations , who don ’ t have the luxury to say , “ Nope , not my problem .”
While the governor explained that the revised lease commits federal money for the first month ’ s rent , it is not clear where the succeeding payments would come from . If in the end , we the taxpayers are bound to inherit the rest of the 99-year obligation , we must know what we are paying for .
Bill 12-37 is founded on an existing law — upheld by the courts — that mandates legislative approval for any property leases beyond five years .
The 99-year lease for a $ 1 billion project will be inspected and questioned . The process might get derailed or face gridlock . But that is the nature of democracy . This system of governance entails adequate checks and balances to protect the people from governmental excess . We learned this in civics class , but people we elect in office need constant reminders .
Openness and transparency are fundamental components to build accountability and public trust , which are imperative in the functioning of democracies .
Publisher / Editor-in-Chief Mar-Vic Cagurangan publisher @ pacificislandtimes . com
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