TO the 22nd House of Representatives:
My thoughts regarding these hearings and the Articles of Impeachment are relative to fairness and equity.
I have witnessed these proceedings for a long long time, and now that the Articles of Impeachment are before you, I am compelled to ask you because it is a fair question:
Will you amend these articles to include previous governors and lt. governors who have done the same? — if it’s true that Lt. Governor Palacios (as other lt. governors may have done) signed the travel authorization for Governor Torres, should he too, Lt. Gov. Arnold Palacios, be held in violation of the law for approving that TA?
Or is it just Ralph DLG Torres?
Now that these Articles of Impeachment are before you, will you amend it to include the removal of sitting representatives who have criminal and ethical charges against them?
Rep. Vicente Camacho has allegedly beat down a man in front of his special needs child and another representative, Edwin Propst, has not one but several criminal sexual conduct or related charges against him. The House Judiciary and Governmental Operations chair herself is allegedly complicit in allowing illegal game fighting to occur near her private residence and allegedly managed by her relatives.
How is it that you are allowed to pass judgement against a sitting governor on issues of spending priorities when you yourselves have allegedly committed heinous crimes against your fellow men, and in one case, against animals?
This is my question of FAIRNESS and equal protection under the law.
My statement concerning Equity relates to those standards you are attempting to uphold yet you don’t apply EQUAL accountability to yourselves.
Will you report the discretionary spending of your offices? Where are your receipts? What do you spend your money on and how do we know?
I am formally requesting, through verbal testimony, copies of receipts and expenditures for your discretionary spending from the day of your inauguration to today, your day when you are passing judgment. This request is addressed to Reps. Celina Babauta, Edwin Propst, Vicente Camacho and Tina Sablan.
Thank you and I pray that God allows our elected officials to reflect, apply discernment, fairness and equity in their deliberations — that the judgement they are about to render on passing this resolution be weighed against the merits of law and what has been done in the past and what you will do, going forward, to amend the law that will either discourage or disallow such activities in the future.
I close with this: if you are above reproach or have performed at the same standard of accountability — to include your discretionary spending — cast the first stone. Otherwise, come together, heal and let’s move forward in order that we may best serve our Commonwealth.
The writer is a Saipan, CNMI resident.
Grace Pitu Sablan-Vaiagae
