“I was quite startled and disturbed to learn that the Attorney General [Edward T. Buckingham] is representing Fitial in this matter,” she said in an e-mail.
“Do abuses of power for personal benefit count as official acts that warrant representation by government attorneys? Can anyone really say with a straight face that Fitial was acting in his official capacity when he received a personal massage service from a federal detainee?” Sablan asked.
“In my view, if Fitial had any respect for the public office he holds, and for the people of the CNMI, then at the very least he would obtain his own personal legal counsel to represent him. He would not make the people of the CNMI pay to defend his betrayal of their trust,” the former lawmaker stated.
The federal court has granted the request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for an evidentiary hearing on the unauthorized release of Qingmei Cheng while incarcerated at the Department of Corrections on human smuggling charges.
Cheng, described as one of the two ringleaders, and 23 other Chinese nationals were arrested on Jan. 5, 2010 by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in a sting operation targeting a group of foreigners attempting to illegally travel from the CNMI to Guam on a boat.
Sablan said “Fitial’s actions were disgraceful and inexcusable, and he must answer to the people of the CNMI. Instead of avoiding the media or issuing press statements that only raise more questions or further incriminate him, Fitial must be honest with the people, take full responsibility for his actions, and cooperate with federal investigators.”
She said people wishing to take action can begin with calls for a full investigation into what has transpired, and for full accountability of all parties involved.
“If people have information that may be critical to ongoing federal investigations, then they must do the right thing and report that information. If people want the governor to apologize or resign, then they must directly demand that he do so. If people wish to recall the governor and remove him from office, then a recall petition must be drafted and it must garner the signatures of 40 percent of the CNMI’s registered voters in order for the recall question to be placed on the ballot. If people wish to see the governor impeached, then they must pressure the Legislature to take action,” Sablan said.
She challenged the 17th Legislature, which is dominated by the ruling Covenant Party, to speak out.
“The members of the Legislature must not be silent on this matter. Fitial has committed a serious breach of the public trust, and undermined the integrity of the office he holds. If our legislators do nothing, then the people can only conclude that they are too weak to stand up to the governor, and that they, too, lack integrity and must be taken to task. The people of the CNMI have suffered enough embarrassment and disappointment as a result of the governor’s actions; they should not also be embarrassed and disappointed by the Legislature’s inaction.”
Sablan asked, “In addition, where are the voices of our business community on this issue?”
“Fitial’s actions have caught the attention of both national and international media, and brought great shame and criticism upon the CNMI. His actions further compromise our already strained relations with the federal government, and our already battered tourism industry. The long-term economic effects of Fitial’s actions remain to be seen. Every business here should be concerned, and our business leaders must make themselves heard,” she said.
