Gåyu, Gåyu…
by Michael Lujan Bevacqua
The Guam Daily Post
1/27/16
While watching a speech by Republic US Presidential
candidate this week I found myself yelling at my computer screen in Chamorro,
“an meggai sinangan-mu, meggai dinagi-mu lokkue’!” This Chamorro saying is tied
to a belief that those who tend to tell the truth, tend to say less. While
those who talk a lot, lie a lot and are trying to sell you something. The truth
usually takes less words to express than a lie.
While I have been following the US Presidential election
closely for months, it dawned on me in that moment that 2016 is also an
election year in Guam, at least for mayors, senators and non-voting delegates.
In the spirit of my yelling a Chamorro saying at Donald
Trump, I sat down to think about what other Chamorro sayings that I’ve
collected in my research might have some relevance to selecting leaders on
Guam. In this column I’ve put together seven sayings in Chamorro that you might
want to consider when casting a vote this year. As a disclaimer, these are my
interpretations of the sayings and openly acknowledge that there other ways of
analyzing them.
1. Tåya’ apasi-ña i Yine’ase
Translation: “There is no reward for being merciful.” Every
political candidate will say they are running for office “para i taotao” or for
the people. But how much can people trust this assertion? This saying is a
reminder that those who truly seek to help people, should not want to be
rewarded for their efforts. Should we judge potential leaders not only based on
what they can accomplish, but also their intentions and the direct or indirect
benefits their receive through their actions? What doe this say then about
leaders who use their power to give money, jobs or contracts to their supporter
or their family members?
2. Tåya’ pinekkat sin fegi
Translation: “There are no steps without footprints” This saying
can mean many things, but it reminds us that there is no path that does not
leave a trail, and that no one is without sin, or perfect. It is understandable
that we expect much from our leaders, but what should our standards be, short
of perfection? What kind of mistakes are acceptable? What kind aren’t? Should
we forgive them? Or is one serious mistake, one too many?
3. I taotao ni’ tumungo’ sumalamångka, ha suhahåyi i barångka
Translation: “A man who knows how to roll, will avoid the
bumps” The previous two sayings dealt with idealized conceptions of what a
leader should be, but what if we were to be more practical. As this saying suggests,
should a good leader be someone who isn’t just virtuous on the inside, but
someone who is effective in the political context? Should a leader be someone,
who in their actions and with less emphasis on their motivations, is able to
work the system to accomplish things? Does this imply that there is no timeless
quality to a leader, but it is instead dependent upon the variables of a
historical moment?
4. I che’cho’ palao’an, tåya’ nai munhåyan
Translation: “A woman’s work is never finished” Given the
Western ways that we have become accustomed to think in, it is easy to think of
leaders as being masculine or primarily men. In Guam however, women
traditionally held leadership roles, although this has changed significantly
with the arrival of the Spanish and Catholicism. That historical power has
manifested in the political realm in Guam, despite the way it has been weakened
by various forms of patriarchy. Compared to most societies in the world, Guam
has notably high female representation in elected positions. Should this
reality, or the additional struggle that women face when seeking a leadership
role in society affect how people vote?
5. Cha’-mu fañaluluda ni’ ti tihong-mu
Translation: “Don’t salute with a hat that isn’t yours.” In the world of politics, praise and blame are
everywhere, and the game seems to be, winners are able to hoard all the praise
and the losers end up shoulder all the blame. In order to build their
reputations leaders have a tendency to exaggerate their actions and sometimes
outright steal credit for things that they aren’t really responsible for. In
this saying, we see that it is not only wrong for someone to take credit for
something they don’t deserve, but perhaps you should avoid giving credit to
those that don’t deserve it. This can be difficult in practice however as
people tend not to have good memories and also forget to ask good critical
questions.
6. Yanggen guaha prublemå-mu tachu ya un fana’. Mungga manangga esta ki
pinalo’po’ hao.
Translation: “If you have a problem, stand and face it. Do
not wait until it has overwhelmed you.” Decisiveness or the ability to act
quickly and swiftly when it is deemed necessary, can be a defining quality of a
leader. Action can always be put off until later, change can always be delayed,
but at what cost? A good leader may be the one who can see that something must
be done now, and work to help others see that need.
7. Yanggen taotao sin orna, esta sin tåya’ bali-ña
Translation: “If a man is without honor, he is not worthy of
anything.” Is a sense of honor, or principle the core quality of a leader? Does
this mean that he or she will act in ways that might even defy or challenge
those around them? On the surface this quote seems very simple, but in practice
it is difficult to perceive. Confucius argued that a good leader is like the
northern star, a unchanging virtuous light that through its constancy compels
others to follow it. The problem with this is that most people who look at the
night sky don’t know which is the north star, and in the way might not
recognize someone who is leading based on principle rather than pandering or
hiding their agenda.
