He said it’s expensive to run as an independent candidate, adding that he does not want to join “a party that will soon self-destruct,” referring to the local GOP which will hold a primary next month.
In an interview yesterday, Tenorio said his old party is having a difficult time organizing itself and may not be a viable political group at least for this election.
The former governor, who served one term as a senator and three terms as Washington representative, said he decided to come out of retirement because he does not like the way things are going on in the commonwealth.
“I don’t like the direction the CNMI is leading to right now,” Tenorio said adding that the issues that need much attention are the economy and the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.
Tenorio said Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and other leaders of the Covenant Party asked him to join them.
He said he accepted the invitation because he believes that the CNMI needs to have two parties.
Fitial, moreover, already has four years of experience that will help him address the CNMI’s economic problems, Tenorio said.
“If we elect a new governor, it will take four years for him to learn first, before actually getting to do something,” he added.
The economy has been weak since the garment industry died, Tenorio said.
“Now we should think of the next industry, and that is tourism.”
Tenorio believes that the government is not investing enough in tourism.
Residents are also scared to spend money and this is why something needs to be done in order to restore the people’s confidence, he said.
“We need to have a lot of construction projects. We need people and the way to bring in a lot of people is through construction projects. We really need to do something to revive the economy.”
Tenorio at the same time said something is really wrong with CUC.
There are some who do not pay for their electricity and the other consumers are carrying the burden for these delinquent customers
“We should run after them,” he said.
Tenorio was the CNMI’s chief executive from 1994 to 1998.
He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1989, 1997, 2001 and 2005.
