The substance of my letter when I came out expressing my thought about the COP lease extension was the following:
1) If the lessee’s request is not an “option” but rather a request to extend, then it only means that the contract is over and therefore it should be put out for an open bid so the CNMI could get the best deal.
2) I think it is wrong for the Legislature to put this matter to vote because it becomes an individual’s position to reject or approved. That was why I said that it cannot be at the mercy of a sitting legislator because it could lead to all sorts of irregularities — why can’t it be just an acknowledgement that everything is in order? I think the best approach is to consult with the Legislature first, get their input to the matter and allow the lessee and DPL to finalize the agreement. In doing so, you are practically preventing any irregularity. But to put it out to vote is only asking for trouble.
Let’s take this matter for instance: was it pressure? Did someone get paid to move it? Or was it the best proposal when the Legislature approved this extension? We have to agree that this is not the best for the CNMI because it was never put out on the market to begin with, right?
I am not saying that the new investor’s proposal is not good because I will approve that deal if I were in their shoes, too. But that was not the point.
The thing here is, why include the 15-year extension in the agreement if it is not an option?
What happened here was nothing more than a request for a new 15-year leased. Remember, there are only a few guys up at the Legislature that are destined to serve forever. That is why we need to have consistency to promote and protect our investors.
I hope everyone understands because there are quite a few out there like guesswhat that like to write to be hurtful and without any regard to the truth because they are being protected by the newspaper. Anyway, there is a reward for anyone who can identify the blogger “dansor.” Feel free to email at [email protected] to claim the reward.
NICK SABLAN
Garapan, Saipan
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