Although he has concerns about the validity of the referendum that will be conducted by Northern Marianas College students, Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos said voters “should go out and make their desire known, whether they support casino or not.”
Inos said the island has some 12,000 registered voters but if only 3,000 participated “what would the result mean?”
It’s okay to decide on a piece of legislation based on the people’s will, he said, but he doubts the objectivity of the “survey.”
“I want to see an objective survey based on certain criteria, something that is sanctioned by the election commission,” he added.
For his part, Sen. Ralph DLG Torres, who backs the referendum, once again encouraged Saipan voters to make their voices heard.
“Come out and voice your opinion,” he said.
Torres, R-Saipan, said voter turnout is important.
Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, also encouraged Saipan voters to participate in the referendum.
He said their decision on such a controversial issue will make this year’s Citizenship Day the most memorable and significant.
He said voters should have “clear minds” and be mindful of the commonwealth’s hard economic times.
The government, he added, is facing drastic reductions in revenue and “we don’t want to go down further.”
“This is Citizenship Day so come out and think about the future,” the speaker said.
Commonwealth Election Commission Executive Director Robert Guerrero in a separate interview reiterated that the result of the referendum will not be binding.
But it will be conducted like a regular election with NMC students running it, he added.
The Fitial administration said today is the day to reflect on the graces the commonwealth received “in the name of freedom, liberty and justice for all.”
The Covenant, which made the islands part of the U.S., was fully implemented on Nov. 3 (Nov. 4 local time) in 1986 pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 5564, which conferred American citizenship on legally qualified CNMI residents.
