The following is the text of the inaugural address delivered by the CNMI’s new lt. governor on Monday at the multi-purpose center.
GOOD morning, buenas dias, olomwaay, ohayo gozaimasu, joh-eun achim, magandang umaga. Thank you for joining Arnold Indalecio Palacios and me this morning to witness our swearing-in into the Office of Governor and Lieutenant Governor.
The Office of Governor and the Lieutenant Governor are constitutional offices, and as such, Arnold and I must swear to respect the strictest honor of what the offices stand for. In the Office of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, the flags of the United States of America and our great Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, will be posted. These are symbols and reminders of our commitment to honor the Constitution and laws of the United States and our Commonwealth. No matter what, no one, no matter your background, must ever forget that tremendous sacrifices were made, lives lost and lives altered to preserve the principles that these flags represent.
We all have heard, “The honeymoon is over.” This saying we can use to describe many instances in our lives: relationships, observations, and of course, marriage. In politics, as we have seen and witnessed firsthand, so many times, it is the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch that often begin a new relationship after a midterm or general election. We can describe the new beginning as reiterating promises to work together, to establish policies that aim to resolve pressing issues that make our people’s lives hard and difficult, and to cooperatively work together to lift ourselves out of financial and economic sinkholes. Those new beginnings rooted deeply in campaign promises will soon take a left or right turn and those involved will soon diverge in different directions. That is the moment we say the honeymoon is over. The relationship between the governor and lieutenant governor is no different. It should be expected that not every day will be fine and dandy. That will be impossible. Governor Arnold and I will start our four-year term in a similar fashion: honeymoon.
As we have seen with almost every administration since we became a Commonwealth, sometimes the honeymoon is short-lived. I am here to tell you that Governor Palacios and I will definitely have different views on issues affecting our everyday lives, our economy, our priorities, our politics, etc., and no matter what I do, or what Governor Palacios can do, it will be inevitable that we’ll disagree. As in marriage, disagreements are important ingredients in keeping a healthy and productive marriage. Relationships are like weather; we can expect a bright sunny day; a dark, overcast, rainy day; or a very stormy day. As long-time politicians, Governor Palacios and I are what you call “seasoned politicians.” And that is exactly what we are. From years and years of experience in politics, our conduct and temperament have matured, and mutuality of respect is and will always be the strictest guiding principle we will abide by. Rest assured that there will be no divorce or separation when the honeymoon is over.
Honorable statesmen will resist the temptation to sever the ties that keep them together. Reasonable men work together. Governor Palacios and I will assume office and immediately face a myriad of challenges, issues, demands, opposition, and many more. Governor Palacios and I will look at these challenges straight in the eye and work together to resolve them. The Legislature will be involved in every step of the way, and Governor Palacios and I will value their input. There will be no “me alone” in your Palacios-Apatang administration. It will always be “we,” and we are all in this together.
You residents of and business owners in the Commonwealth deserve nothing less. Governor Palacios and I will start our four-year term with many pressing issues, like deteriorating infrastructure, rising prices of goods, labor, materials and other things; depleting federal aid, mounting debts, mounting deficits, uncertainty in the job market, a struggling travel industry, a rising demand for public service, growing unemployment, a stagnant economy, and, not leaving out a huge liability, the abandoned construction project in Garapan — the unfinished casino and hotel.
We will find answers that work for many of our challenges. It will take a partnership to do so, and we pledge to work alongside the Legislature and the public that have a stake in overcoming challenges and improving our lives.
Governor Palacios and I are looking forward to enhancing our relationship with the federal government, in particular, the Department of Defense. With a 100-year lease in hand, we have to accept the fact that the commitment we made to the U.S. government and the commitment it made to us are honorably performed. There have been mixed feelings about the plans of the U.S. military in Tinian and in the CNMI. Governor Palacios and I will work closely with the U.S. military to find mutual terms and conditions that seriously take into account our civilian population.
While it may seem like we are out of the woods in this pandemic, and our lives returning to normalcy, which is a good thing for us, Governor Palacios and I feel that we are still vulnerable to global economic interruptions.
Governor Palacios and I assume our respective offices today, and along with that, our predecessors’ administrative structure. It is unquestioned that the Executive Branch grew too large for its size in the recent past. It is also unquestioned that the federal aid made available from the American Rescue Plan Act has a definite end date, which is December 31, 2024.
The financial aid that came our way is not an interest-earning resource that we could depend on. It is not revolving. It cannot be replenished. It can be depleted to zero. Those funds are what is keeping our government afloat.
Governor Palacios and I will quickly come up with ways to keep our Commonwealth going before the funds run out, or the period we have to spend the funds run out. We believe our best bet to keep us afloat before and after December 31, 2024 is our available abundant local resources, our businesses, and our environment. Turning off Commonwealth into a friendly and safe, affordable, clean destination just might bring back tourists from Japan and South Korea.
We just need to turn our attention to these two tourist markets and convince them to return to our beautiful Northern Marianas. Time and again, Japan and South Korea have proven to us that they have been our strongest visitor sources. No need to reinvent the wheel anymore when we have seen in the past that our economy grew when we did something right.
You have given Governor Palacios and me four years to set our Commonwealth on a course that will take us out of the current economic storm our Commonwealth is now facing and about to face. Governor Palacios and I commit to you that our Commonwealth will soon be navigating calmer waters on our watch. The Commonwealth ship might sail faster or might sail slower, but Governor Palacios and I will never take a risk to sink the Commonwealth.
Finally, I want to personally share my experience during the political campaign season that just concluded. The campaign season was a sad demonstration of how letting zealous emotions in politics get too deep in the way. Governor Palacios and I apologize to you, the voters, for subjecting you to such antics that none of us has ever witnessed in our lifetime even when political campaigning was at its boiling point.
Our younger generation should be exposed to civility, courteousness, and respect. Our Commonwealth is a small community, and we cannot campaign to the death like how others campaign for offices in our nation’s government. We do not have to mimic others in how to campaign. We can win on simplicity.
Arnold and I have been in politics for many, many years, and it has taught us that campaigning on our strength, not on the faults of others, whether true or untrue, shows respect to the other party and respect to the public. Arnold and I will encourage or up-and-coming young generation to campaign on their strengths, on relevant issues, on workable solutions, not on faults, weaknesses and misfortune of others.
Let the public be the judge of our actions for we know that they are capable of making sound evaluation as anyone else. Let us preserve our friendship by respecting one another.
Governor Arnold and I have four years to work for you. Arnold and I will not ignore any commitments we make to you to be as transparent, frugal, open, accountable, honest, as we both perform the tough tasks that you expect us to do.
Governor Palacios and I are both in these very honorable esteemed offices as your governor and lieutenant governor because you have made the decision to let us. This we owe you: our trust and integrity.
Governor Palacios and I have this one shot in life to make things better, so that you can breathe easier. We’ve had many one shots in life. This is likely to be the most important one we will ever have.
To our supporters and friends and families, si yu’us ma’ase for your confidence in Arnold and me. I must say that I got into this campaign with my family behind me, and it has not been easy for them. If my life partner were here today with me, and I know she was looking over me, making sure I was getting enough rest, eating right, she would be sharing her most beautiful smile with me and all of you. To my wife…si yu’us ma’ase for guiding me forward. We made it.
Si yu’us ma’ase, ghilisow, arigato, salamat po, and gamsahabnida. Thank you and God bless you.
Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang delivers his inaugural address at the multi-purpose center on Monday morning.
