Previous Story
Fitial urges Article 12 discussion
|
Posted on Mar 29 2009
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial encourages discussion on Article 12 of the NMI Constitution, after taking notice of a growing community movement to reconsider the merits of the constitutional provision.
The Citizens for Change to Article 12, a non-profit private group, has been leading discussions on the issue.
Article 12 restricts the fee simple sale of CNMI real property exclusively to persons of Northern Marianas descent and other constitutionally qualified individuals based on certain political definitions.
“I encourage the widest possible discussion on Article 12 land restrictions. It is important for us to consider what policy will be right for the next generation of CNMI residents and whether our current policy on land restrictions is still supported by the CNMI majority,” Fitial said in a statement.
The governor said the people of the CNMI must ultimately decide whether to continue current restrictions.
Section 805 of the CNMI’s Covenant Agreement with the United States allows the CNMI to revisit its land alienation restrictions 25 years after the termination of the Trusteeship Agreement in 1986. That 25-year period will end in 2011.
Earlier, the Citizens for Change to Article 12 chaired by Efrain F. Camacho said doing away with the land alienation provision is not the end of the Chamorro and Carolinian cultures, which those opposed to the idea want the public to believe.
Article 12, according to the group, actually also allowed persons of any national origin through adoption, and even corporations to be officially designated “persons of Northern Marianas decent.”
The argument that the end of Article 12 is the end of the Chamorro and Carolinian cultures is a myth and unrelated to the issues surrounding Article 12, the group said.
