Reacting to the statements made by Rep. Tina Sablan who criticized the governor for praising Villagomez, Fitial said: “When somebody is down you don’t kick him. It would be un-Catholic for me to be expressing my sentiments in a negative way to somebody who I know is already down.”
He added, “I think she [Sablan] has a big problem. I think she was born with a stomach ache and she has yet to find a cure for it.”
According to the governor, “When somebody has an ax to grind it is a reflection of his inner self and it makes it very difficult to smile and be nice to people. I feel sorry for her and I always pray for her.”
Fitial refused to comment when asked whether the jury made the right decision in convicting Villagomez, but he said that what happened should serve as a warning to other government officials who abuse their power and position.
“I will not tolerate abuses. I’m allergic to abuses but that does not mean I have to kick somebody who has been down. If people did something wrong then they should learn and pay for their mistakes,” Fitial added.
He said he does not regret choosing Villagomez as his lt. governor.
“When I selected him to be my running mate, he was not convicted of stealing anything and he was the right person at that time,” he said.
The governor also refused to comment when asked how Villagomez’s conviction may affect the CNMI’s image.
“I don’t want to say anything as of this time because Villagomez has an option to appeal. I told him he should just take advantage of his options to be exonerated,” Fitial said.
In an e-mail yesterday, Sablan said the issue is not about “kicking a man when he is down.”
“My point, which the governor missed entirely, is that we should be lifting up all the people of the commonwealth who were victims of the crimes committed, and praising the people who demonstrated so much courage and worked so hard to bring this case to justice and uphold the rule of law.”
She added that based from everything she has read and heard, the governor has not once publicly commended or even acknowledged the individuals and agencies directly responsible for “this historic achievement of justice.”
“That, to me, is a travesty,” said Sablan, Ind.-Saipan.
She added that compassion and forgiveness are wonderful virtues.
“One of the nicest things about this community is that there is no shortage of compassion and forgiveness but what the community have had a shortage of has been integrity in public office, respect for the rule of law, and accountability,” she said.
“It is about time we started building up these virtues, in the hopes of building up our community.”
