ADVOCATES from Rota, Tinian and Saipan have launched a campaign against Senate Legislative Initiative 22-1, which seeks to amend Article 12 of the CNMI Constitution.
Authored by Senate President Jude U. Hofschneider, S.L.I. 22-1 proposes to allow Northern Marianas Descent or NMD landowners to fully exercise their real property rights, and to reduce the NMD percentage of ownership interest in an NMD corporation.
A legislative initiative must be passed by the affirmative vote of three-fourths of the members of each house present and voting. It cannot be vetoed by the governor, but it must be approved by a majority of voters.
Indigenous Affairs Office program manager Cris Ogo, who is coordinating the “Stop Senate Legislative Initiative 22-1,” said they need the support of at least four senators to prevent its passage in the Senate, which has nine members.
In case the Senate passes the legislative initiative, Ogo said they will continue their campaign in the 20-seat House of Representatives.
No transparency
For his part, former Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council Chairman Ramon RB Camacho on Friday said a notice about the Rota public hearing on S.L.I. 22-1 last month was not published in the media nor posted on the Legislature’s website.
In his letter to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Government, Law and Federal Relations, Sen. Karl R. King-Nabors, Camacho said, “It was an unknown public hearing according to many residents of Rota.”
Noting that previous attempts to amend Article 12 have failed many times in the Legislature, Camacho told the senator that the public should be given ample time to appear before members of the Legislature who are considering another proposal to amend Article 12.
“Transparency should be of utmost importance especially with this initiative. What transpired on Rota should not happen on Saipan and Tinian. The public needs to know the next public hearing at least two weeks before the scheduled hearing. Please keep the public informed,” Camacho said.
He said the next public hearing on S.L.I. 22-1 should be conducted at the Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-purpose Center “to adhere to social distancing” rules.
Camacho added, “I strongly agree with the founding fathers of the CNMI Constitution that Article XII should [be retained] for the [sake of people of] Northern Marianas Descent. I hope you can encourage the committee to file this Senate Legislative Initiative for ‘indefinitely no action.’”
Cris Ogo
