21-05-2025
Guam legislature set to debate pursuit of US statehood
There's debate in Guam over whether it should persuade the US Government to grant it statehood.
The territory's decolonization committee says any move must be determined by the people. Guam's legislature is set to debate a non-binding resolution to pursue statehood, following a proposal put forward by Senator Parker Williamson earlier this year.
The territory is listed by the UN for decolonization and last year became an associate member at the Pacific Islands Forum.
"I wasn't surprised a call for statement," said Melvin Won Pat Borja, the Executive Director of Guam's Commission on Decolonization.
"The current status of Guam as an unincorporated territory is an inequitable status to like statehood," he added.
"My primary focus is that the Chamorro people's right to self determination doesn't take a back seat to a particular preference."
