By Zaldy Dandan
Variety Editor

THE emperor Nero supposedly fiddled — actually, he played the lyre and sang — while Rome burned. Perhaps the Saipan municipal council members are not so musically inclined which is why they would rather insist on the passage of Senate Legislative Initiative 15-6 while the local economy burns down.
S.L.I. 15-6 proposes to grant lawmaking powers to the islands’ three municipal councils. Why? Because, according to the pulp fictionist who drafted this legislative initiative, “since becoming a commonwealth, the population of the NMI has continued to grow, thereby raising numerous and complex issues of local concern affecting the daily lives of our people. As such, the Legislature believes that such issues of local concern are better left for the local municipal governments to deal with, in the form of local municipal ordinances and decentralized delivery of public services. It is in the best interest of the people to be sure that each municipality of the CNMI, namely the office of the mayors and the municipal councils, play a more active role in local matters and issues strictly of local concern within their respective jurisdictions. Such an active role will [result in a] stronger and more efficient from of local municipal government.”
This statement took off with a mealy-mouthed premise before jumping into a boneheaded conclusion. Not surprisingly, it failed to mention that the only “complex” issue that has to be addressed by the CNMI is its nine-year-old economic slump that continues to worsen and is compounded by the wasteful spending habits of a bloated, inefficient government. One of the obvious solutions, of course, is for this government to spend only what it collects while downsizing itself. It has never done that. It may have reduced its spending, but not significantly — and it continues to spend money it doesn’t have. It is still too big with too many unneeded agencies that merely replicate what other offices are already, or are supposed to be, doing.
And now here’s one of those unneeded and useless entities insisting to have more say on the lives of an increasingly miserable people who are in desperate need of less, and not more, government.
In the case of Saipan, three individuals — and their consultant — want to make local laws for the island’s over 60,000 residents. So why should a council whose primary duty is to adopt resolutions praising every one on Saipan have a consultant? And how much is this consultant getting from the island’s suffering taxpayers? Anyone?
While we get answers to these questions, let me just point out that if S.L.I. 15-6 is merely the recycled version of H.L.I. 14-4 that was introduced by garment lawmakers in the previous do-nothing Legislature, then the legislative powers sought by the council should include appropriation and revenue measures.
Yes. The tremor you have just felt was caused by the collective shudder of Saipan’s inhabitants, particularly those who own businesses. Now allow me to quote myself: “No doubt about it. [This] is one of the worst things ever proposed by [lawmakers] whose ability, by the way, to make things worse than they are is starting to impress me.”
S.L.I. 15-6 would add another layer of government on these already over-governed islands. It would also concentrate legislative power into the hands of a VERY few. The municipal council has three members. Hence, two persons will already constitute a working majority — and will have access to our pockets.
What the CNMI needs is less, not more, government. And if the councils really care about the public’s “best interest” then they should clamor for their own abolition.

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