Ambrose M. Bennett
THE Truth is this is “the Republicans’ Island,” regardless of their various titles of Covenant & Independent, not the People, as they have ruled in COMPLETE Control of Government, Boards & Commissions for over a decade and PLEASE LOOK at what they have DONE & Failed to Do, as its mind-boggling and even PATHETIC! I’m not hating Republicans, as some of them I even like as a fellow human being, however, their PARTY & Leaders have literally RUINED the CNMI. I can remember when I first arrived on Saipan and the CNMI was starting to really progress, I could often here Locals say “this is MY Island” in a proud boast but WE don’t here that anymore and it’s a troubling indicator of People giving-up on the stewardship of the CNMI leaving primarily the Republican Die-Hard Base in charge with the SAME-O that WE have seen for the last decade but it’s WORSE now! It is truly impossible to witness the decline of the CNMI and not “say or do something,” as I’m sure most will agree WE the People need to make some “gigantic-shifts or leaps towards economic progress” and that can only happen with real CHANGE in the way the stewards (voters & leaders) take care of the CNMI. WE need real RESULTS that can only come from a PLAN — it’s really that simple, duh!
If I didn’t know better, I would say too many leaders & citizens are suffering from “Republican Stockholm Syndrome” of just letting everything “slide” regardless of the merits, like on the mainland where Trumpism is even cheered! The Casino was a Republican Scheme that proved to be FATAIL and WE are still beating on a “dead horse” figuratively & literally! Heck, WHY are WE, the Senate, even bothering to fool around with the proven nonfunctioning Casino Commissioners who “failed to collect OUR money & their salaries, Mario Taitano even threaten us to take bribes if they didn’t get paid, and the Governor even TRICKED the Legislature into authorizing ILLEGAL pay to the CC and they still don’t have anything to show FOR the People — need I say more about the Same-O with No Results!
Good Stewardship is the KEY to “Reforming or Reinventing the CNMI” like Mr. Jang says because OUR destitute situation with No Real Plans is NOT working, which I’m sure most can see. “Hoping some investor or the military will save us” instead of taking over some control of our fate like WE teach our youth to be “masters of their fate.” Common Sense even dictated that WE needed an Economic Recovery Plan ever since Covid hit which is a simple and true FACT, as our Economy was dying under Covid — duh! In Education “Accreditation Plans drive change-improvements & growth” and having a real Economic Plan “will drive our Reforms & Growth” that WE can control & master. The CNMI belongs to the stewards “the People” not just Republicans but too many People have just settled for letting any Republican run government “Doing what THEY Want when it should be the RESULTS that WE the People Want & Need.” Our Dems also need to “Reform or Reinvent Themselves” ANEW for real Hope on the horizon in 2026 Results!
Our Representatives in the House who “hold-our-purse” need to REQUIRE Arnold to produce a Real Economic Recovery Plan with HIS Budget. WE can elect anyone to just SIT, as WE the People deserve Better, as WE Need Representatives & Senators who are FURIOUSLY & ADAMANTLY Working FOR THEIR People to live BETTER, not working FOR the governor. It so easy to see WHY the Government has “MORPHED into almost a majority of Independents” but some of these Independents are even proving to be Republican sympathizers who have succumb to the Republican Stockholm Syndrome and/or are just AFRAID to do what is Right/Good fearing Republican retaliation, that WE all know is a REAL Phenomenon which also needs to be destroyed — for TRUE! I can remember Governor Fitial saying to me: “they (elected officials) are all cowards when it comes to making the hard choices,” and he was right to a very large degree which is why “silence is the daily-special.” WE hardly hear anything from them to their “Bosses” in the news. Only our Delegate is talking to us and putting things into action, which I’m sure is appreciated but WE can only pray she will get some real Results!
While a few leaders have shown real promise & potential to be genuine agents FOR Change/Reforms, however come 2026, WE the People are going to have to decide if it is “My Island for Real Systemic Change or does it still belong to Republicans & their Same -O” as they had entirely tooooo many chances for entirely toooo LONG! I know it’s even hard for many voters because it’s hard for ME, as our options are extremely limited and may not even exist in some voting scenarios, especially when the Democrats have yet to produce a “full-slate & haven’t done ANYTHING as a collective FOR the People to consider” — it’s sad and it hurts for me being a Democrat. Us regular folks in-the-cheap-seats are almost up a creek without a paddle (real options). It’s unacceptable for voters to be in this situation because Dems have their heads in the sand with only a few candidates, which means the “Independent Transformation” may very well continue as the only legitimate option for the Stewards of the CNMI to get Results and to Keep Hope Alive for real Progress!
One People, One Direction.
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a retired teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays-Lifetime Humanities & Religious Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
