The age-old concern of nepotism in the government of Guam is taking center court in the legislature following William Parkinson’s introduction of the “No More Pari Pari Act of 2025.”
“Pari,” a formerly colloquial abbreviation of the Chamorro “kumpaire,” (the term “par” is colloquial, but has an expanded meaning), refers to the relationship between a man and another person who share or are related through the baptism of a child. The term often is used loosely to convey closeness and relation outside the nuclear family. The term “pari pari” has been used pejoratively to describe government cronyism, where a relative or a friend of someone with government influence is hired into the government, some times over applicants who were more qualified for the position in question.
While laws already frown upon fraternization in the workplace, there is no government prohibition on the so-called “pari pari system.”
Mr. Parkinson’s Bill No. 62-38 would close many of these loopholes.
According to the legislation, no person should be a government employee in the same agency where his relative or fiancee is the person who signs off on employment within that agency. The proposed statute also would make it illegal for a government employee to be supervised by their relative or fiancee.
The bill defines “relative” as “any individual who is related to a person within the third degree of consanguinity or affinity, including but not limited to”:
(1) Spouse;
(2) Parent or stepparent;
(3) Child or stepchild;
(4) Sibling, step-sibling, or half sibling;
(5) Grandparent or grandchild;
(6) Aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew;
(7) Parent-in-law, child-in-law, or sibling-in-law.
The law would treat an adopted child as a natural child.
Application to Governor, Judges, and Senators In Question
While the proposed law would apply to every instrumentality of the government across all three branches, it is questionable whether such a prohibition could be applied to the governor’s office, to the immediate staff of judges, and to senatorial office staff. Established case law has protected the governor’s Constitutional and Organic authority to determine who she or he sees fit to assist the governor in her or his office. That same protection would not extend to the governor’s cabinet for whom senators can establish qualifications and must confirm appointments.
Likewise it is questionable whether the legislature can dictate who judges choose to work in their chambers. And while senators in any given legislature can promulgate rules that define and qualify who they employ in their offices, no legislature can bind the actions of a future legislature, as the Organic Act of Guam grants every legislature plenary authority to establish the laws of the island.
