No to extending Article 12

I would like to ask your readers to please read this letter and be sure you understand the message that I am conveying on Article 12.

Some of our own people have the mistaken notion that if Article 12 were abolished there is a danger that outside investors will swarm into the CNMI to acquire our land. I cannot imagine this “gold rush” will be happening anytime soon. Besides, this is not why C-CART 12 team is asking voters to sign the petition. Signing the petition that is presently circulating the islands will enable the initiative to be put on the ballot so that all of us voters, both pros and cons, will have an opportunity to express our respective position on Article 12 next November.

Section 805 of the Covenant expired on the last day of 2011. This means that we, together with our elected leaders will now have to address what we are going to do: retain or abolish Article 12.

Many of our CNMI citizens who are registered voters and those who are eligible voters have become sophisticated and are able to think on their own to decide what is good and what is bad without external prompting. They can read Article 12 and conclude on their own what it means and how it will affect them, their families, and what will happen with the future of the CNMI and its people if Article 12 remains in effect. Article 12 is infringing on my personal right to decide what I should/could do with my land. I don’t need the government to tell me how to project my land. It is my land and I am intelligent enough to decide on my own without government interference.

Some of our elected leaders are of the opinion that it is better to stretch the tenure of Article 12 to 75 or to 99 years. The sad thing about any further extension will alienate a large number of our future generations. Section 4 of Article 12 in so many words says and I quote, “A person of Northern Marianas descent is a person who is a citizen or national of the United States and who is at least one-quarter Northern Marianas Chamorro or Northern Marianas Carolinian blood or a combination thereof…” I construe this to mean that if your blood quantum is less than 25 percent you cannot own land in the CNMI.

According to the result of 2010 Census, there are total of 53,883 people living in CNMI: Saipan, 48,220; Tinian, 3,136; and Rota, 2,527. The census taken in 2000 reflects a total population of 69,221. In 2007 the total population of the CNMI was 83,345. It is not clear if these figures take into consideration nonresidents who are here temporarily. Since the ’50s, people who were not born in the Northern Mariana Islands were already living here. Over the years to the present time, many of our people (NMD) are inter-marrying with non-NMD. I foresee within the next couple of generations that we will have many whose bloodlines will definitely be reduced to 25 percent or less. This means that our own people will lose the right to own land because of Article 12.

As of 2008 to March 2012 there were 704 intermarriages that will have their respective children with a reduction in blood quantum. I am sure there are a host of intermarriages that fall within the similar category. So if the Legislature is thinking about extending the tenure of Article 12 to 75 or 99 years, they better think again. Every year that Article 12 remains in effect, more and more NMD’s will eventually lose their right to own land. In 99 years most of our children and their children’s children will lose the right to own land handed down by their fore-parents. We must give credence to our young generations for they are a lot more educated and are able to think and do what is best for their future.