I WILL be formally offering this testimony as citizen of the CNMI to offer my complete support for the Impeachment of Gov. Ralph Torres who is viewed as “the Godfather of a Criminal Organization” by the Feds and just one of the major reasons why he needs to be impeached. The evidence of the Governor’s guilt that has been brought to light by the JGO is more than enough to give rise to his impeachment that is proper and necessary in accordance with our Constitution. The Governor got away with his alleged crimes because he was protected by a “code of loyalty and silence of the AG, in the Legislature and even the Lt. Governor” making this Committee the People’s best hope for Justice! Having viewed some of the Hearings and read about the others, I’m more than convinced Governor Torres has maintained a total disregard for our Laws as he continued to break the laws and misuse of OUR money for years. The Governor “has used 26 different credit cards making personal purchases, purchasing what were illegal first-class tickets for himself and his wife, he has Publicly LIED to the People on more than one occasion and he has been manipulating the Federal Funds and even his utility Bills to his family’s and his LOYALISTS benefits.”
Impeachment is the ONLY option FOR the People of the CNMI to find immediate relief from what is clearly a form of Torres’ Tyranny and to achieve some justice for all the crimes this Governor is being investigated for committing. It is now clear that Impeachment is warranted as the Governor nor his Executive Assistant will testify and there is really nothing more needed to prove him guilty along with the desire of many citizens to see this entire fiasco come to an end. Furthermore, WE the People can’t depend upon our Attorney General to prosecute the Governor because that should have happened long ago especially with all the charges in the RICO Investigation by the Feds which the Governor still faces. The Governor even tried to bribe a “Private Citizen and Democrats so Angel Demapan could be Speaker” in an attempt to avoid this very impeachment process. The Governor has continued to be a genuine embarrassment to the CNMI with one thing after another for years which is why he must go NOW!
Our Economic future is now on the line with this Governor who has yet to formulate any kind of plan for our Economic Redevelopment nor has the Government to “settle a deal with IPI” that is obviously not going to live up to their contract with the People of the CNMI. The Governor has been “protecting & serving IPI” ever since even giving them OUR Community Chest Funds to hold that is now 57-Million. WE the People need to collect this money like others are doing but this Governor won’t lift a finger which is just 57-Million More Reasons why he needs to be impeached. If the CNMI is to have any real chance of starting “new Reforms to Rebuild our Economy” that Governor Torres helped to destroy, he must be taken out of the decision-making process with impeachment now! The Governor has proven that he works more for “his family, IPI and his loyalists” than he does FOR the People and doesn’t deserve to be our Governor.
I don’t dislike the Governor and I even feel sorry for him, because he is not humble but defiant and doesn’t want to admit he is wrong and must be taught a “tough lesson” which may even include jail once the Feds are finished with him. I will close by asking “do we (the CNMI) really want the Feds to get rid of this Governor for us if we can’t do it ourselves” which is a pattern we have seen before with a Senator and a Lt. Governor? Failing to impeach the Governor would really send a signal to the People that our Local Government is NOT looking out for the People and that we can only depend upon the Feds to prosecute our high-profile Politicians. I truly believe the JGO Legislative Body is composed of People with the Right Stuff who are doing the Right Thing by impeaching Gov, Ralph Torres before he can do anymore damage!
One people One Direction.
The writer is an Economist, Political Scientist, retired teacher, former CNMI Board of Education Member, James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
Ambrose Bennett
