This should be the job of the CNMI’s delegate to the U.S. Congress, former Lt. Gov. Jesse C. Borja said after he filed his candidacy with the Commonwealth Elections Commission yesterday.
The main issue in this year’s election, Borja said, is what the U.S. delegate should do in the U.S. Congress.
Borja, the local Democratic Party’s candidate, said the CNMI’s delegate should become a legislator like other members of the U.S. Congress.
And since the CNMI delegate has no voting power on the House floor, he should at least “try to get around that restriction” in order to push the interest of the people of the commonwealth.
Borja said he would defend and protect the Covenant.
“That is the agreement that governs our relationship with the U.S.,” he said.
He said he is going to make sure that any legislation in the U.S. Congress does not violate the Covenant.
He also wants to make sure that the Covenant is known by the members of the U.S. Congress.
“I want to provide them copies of it,” Borja said.
He said he knows there are provisions in the Covenant about which both sides, the CNMI and the U.S., are in disagreement, and those are the things that should be discussed.
“We can tell the U.S. about such major disagreements and urged them to sit down and talk. There are certain provisions in the Covenant that can be changed, and there are provisions that cannot be changed without the mutual consent of both parties. That is what we have to be very careful about,” he said.
Borja said he does not agree with the Department of the Interior’s recommendation to improve the status of guest workers, saying the report was “defective.”
He said Interior failed to properly consult the CNMI as required by the federalization law.
Former Department of Public Lands Secretary John Del Rosario said Borja has the best credentials among the candidates both in terms of education and experience.
As a former justice and still a practicing attorney, Borja is used to dealing with substantial issues and that is why Del Rosario believes in him.
The other candidates are incumbent Congressman Gregorio C. Sablan, an independent aligned with the national Democrats; former Gov. Juan N. Babauta, Republican; and former Rep. Joseph N. Camacho of the ruling Covenant Party.
