HOUSE Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider’s unexpected comments on the bills so far introduced at the lower chamber are either constructive or destructive.
Either way, I believe it’s a bold statement and should therefore serve as a warning to the members of the 13th Legislature.
“Being as direct as I could, I haven’t really seen anything that is really unique…in quality,” said Hofschneider when asked to assess the quality of close to 90 House bills introduced since January.
Who could blame him? If you take a closer look at the bills, most of them intend to appropriate or reprogram funds for traffic lights installation, road paving and widening, naming of public buildings, construction of social hall and basketball courts.
Then there are bills making it mandatory to give “money” to anyone giving tips leading to the solution of crimes, and penalties for businesses—especially those along the coastal villages—that do not immediately send home workers and close shop when there’s a tsunami alert. The list is endless.
A lot of them are also re-introduced bills. Some intend to reverse previous legislation. There is, for example, a proposal to transfer the Office of Personnel Management to the Civil Service Commission—again. In 1994, then Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio transferred OPM to the Office of the Governor. In 2001, OPM was “returned” to CSC. Early this year, OPM was again moved to the Office of the Governor.
Some lawmakers, however, were “hurt” by the speaker’s comments.
“He is the speaker and he should not say that. Instead, he should support our efforts,” some legislators told the Variety.
But the speaker’s comments should motivate his colleagues to do better.
If it were not for Hofschneider’s statements, his colleagues may not have the time to reflect on the bills they had passed, or intend to author. It’s a wake up call.
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Peace University. Hofschneider is also right when he urged Rota officials conduct a background check on the Global Country for World Peace.
This entity, which is closely linked to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, wants to establish a “peace palace” and a “peace university” on Rota.
Last Friday, Global Country officials announced their plan of establishing offices on Saipan.
Hofschneider said “prudence dictates” that if the group falls under the category of big investors, the CNMI should know who is responsible for bringing them here.
Why are they here? Who’s financing them?
In 1984, in the Philippines, Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin noted a “serious conflict” between the Maharishi’s teachings and Christianity. The Maharishi wanted to buy one of the private universities in Manila, which the students and the public vehemently opposed.
“Transcendental meditation, as proposed by Maharishi doctrine and followers, is to say the least, quite risky. It becomes not a remedy but an escape. Its unavoidable result, within the Maharishi doctrine context, is the desensitization of conscience by trying to relieve not the guilt and the real disorder, but only its symptoms and its accompanying restlessness,” the cardinal warned.
It doesn’t hurt conducting investigations before approving the Global Country’s project proposals.
Sometimes, it’s not all about money and investments.
