The Legislature finds that government bureaucracies have a tendency to serve group needs and forget individual needs. In today’s system of government, the individual citizen with a problem often does not know where to start nor to whom to seek to solve his problem.

Elected representatives are usually receptive to individual requests for assistance, but they can only approach constituent requests on a one-to-one basis. Other responsibilities make it difficult for elected representatives to follow through on all problems submitted to them.
Some system of overview is needed to expedite governmental action on individual complaints or requests for services, to hold the governmental agency accountable for satisfying a legitimate request for assistance and to

COL120106
2 Guam Code Ann. LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
CH. 5 OFFICE OF THE SURUHANU

suggest necessary legal or administrative changes to prevent continued abuses of an individual rights.
The legislative intent of this bill is to create the Office of Ombudsman or Suruhanu and charge this office with the responsibility to correct and solve the individual problems citizens may have with their government to provide a method by which each citizen will have open access to an expert in dealing with the Government so that each citizen will know his complaint will be investigated and the department or agency responsible for the solution will ultimately be held accountable for that solution.

It is the intent of the Legislature to establish, in addition to other remedies or rights of appeal of any person under law, an independent and partial office readily available to the public, responsible to the Legislature, empowered to investigate the acts of the administrative agencies and to recommend appropriate changes toward the goals of safeguarding the rights of persons and of promoting high standards of competency, efficiency and justice in the administration of territorial law.

SOURCE: GC § 1425 . Added by P.L. 14-99; renumbered by P.L. 15-83.