Your reporter asked me to comment on the reports that the Senate amended the delegate election bill to designate this year’s delegate election (and every delegate election thereafter) as a “special” election, specifically to put pressure on the House to act on an Article XII initiative introduced by Senator Crisostimo. I noted first of all that I had not actually spoken directly yet to Senator Manglona about his amendment as he was not in his office at the time that I went to talk to him, and so had not heard him express that rationale myself. I also said, however, that if the reports are true as to the underlying motivations for the Senate amendment (to compel the House to act on a Senate initiative related to Article XII), then I would of course be extremely disappointed by the obvious political gamesmanship, and it was unjustifiable to hold the delegate election bill hostage in order to try to force the House to pass a Senate initiative that clearly had nothing to do with the delegate election.
Second, I said that I did not understand the merits of the amendment, since an election that happens every two years from now until eternity is clearly not a special election, and noted that special elections are typically called to fill vacancies in public office or to entertain initiatives at times outside of regular elections (for example, Representative Hofschneider previously called for a special election in April this year to place on the ballot initiatives related to CUC and Article XII).
Finally, I never said that I would be willing to endorse the Senate initiative “if only to accommodate Manglona’s wish.” I said that I agreed that the Legislature should place a land lease initiative on the ballot, not because of the Senate’s ultimatum on the delegate election bill, but on the merits of the land lease issue itself. I noted that there is a similar initiative pending in the House, and suggested that perhaps a joint conference would be in order to examine the merits of both initiatives, iron out our differences, and ultimately produce an initiative for the ballot that would ask our people whether or not land leases permitted under Article XII should be extended. I also said that perhaps a joint conference would be in order for the delegate election bill as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify my statements.
REP. TINA SABLAN
16th CNMI Legislature
