I will instead tell you why Kilili is a cut above the rest. I will give you 10 reasons why Kilili is nothing like his opponents:
1. Kilili is never late. He respects us, his constituents, so much that he makes it a point to be on time, if not early, in every event he is invited to.
2. Kilili does not bribe us with cases of beer. He does not insult our intelligence by making us drunk to win political favors.
3. Kilili lives a humble lifestyle. Kilili lives in a Spartan studio apartment and pays his own rent unlike one candidate, who as Washington representative, lived in a house in the very exclusive Washington suburb costing hundreds of thousands of dollars paid for by CNMI taxpayers.
4. Kilili does not suck up to Fitial. As editor Zaldy Dandan said in his previous editorial: Congressman Kilili is “known for his willingness and ability to reach out, but he alone among the CNMI’s politicians has the decency and courage to speak on behalf of the islands’ silent, suffering majority against this insufferable administration.”
5. Kilili does not switch parties to get elected. He does not work for the Republican Party, for Democrats or much less the Covenant Party. “I work for you,” Kilili said in a speech both at the Rotary and the Saipan Chamber debate. He is not like the candidate who was a Republican-turned-Independent-turned Covenant.
6. Kilili listens to us. He is not afraid to face his constituents and listen to our complaints and criticisms at his town hall meetings. Only Kilili has held numerous town hall meeting for us.
7. Kilili stands up for our welfare. He was not afraid to face President Obama at the White House to say that the CNMI should be included in the health care reform bill. And he definitely was not afraid to tell Madeleine Bordallo that the Marianas Trench Monument Visitor Center rightfully belongs to the CNMI. When then-Gov. Froilan Tenorio said “No” to Covenant funding, his lieutenant governor said nothing.
8. Kilili brings home the bacon. Aside from the ARRA money, congressional earmarks and other grants that he voted for in Congress, Kilili spends his annual office budget in the CNMI, pumping dollars into local businesses.
9. Kilili is proud of his fellow islanders. He stands in front of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to extol the positive traits of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands.
10. Kilili works hard for us. The CNMI would not be getting millions of federal dollars if Kilili only spent his time on junkets.
Bottom-line: the CNMI has never seen a politician as dedicated and passionate about helping the whole CNMI community. Kilili keeps his word and we can trust him. Why should we take our chances on others? Why fix something that is not broken?
Let us help our community by re-electing Kilili so he can continue his good work in Congress.
PETER M. FEJERAN
Falughulo, Oleai, Saipan
