Professionally speaking, it could be damaging to speak out either in support of or against a particular candidate in the sense that not everyone who works together will share the same views.So, any expression of those views really only serves to divide an otherwise close-knit, group of co-workers.Beyond that, of course, is the simple fact that the people in charge, you know the ones with the fancy titles and daunting authority to boot, do wield an inherent potential for intimidation, whether they mean to or not.People, generally, do not want to openly contradict the boss (that’s generally speakingthough because I do think that most if not all of the NMPASI staff would have no qualms about telling me where I can shove my opinions if they don’t agree… but, that’s just how we roll).
On a personal level, I have friends and/or family in just about every one of the political camps, so it behooves me to stay neutral.As for the candidates themselves, I can actually say that I have personally met each of them and truth be told, my personal impressions of each and every one of them is positive.Despite party affiliations and whatever other political factors involved, these gentlemen are leaders in their own rite and in their own unique ways.
That being said and to be more specific and true to my job at hand which is to promote awareness about issues related to the needs of individuals with disabilities, I offer my perspective and partial reasons for how I voted with DISABILITY in mind (in order of prescribed line-up on the election ballots):
#1 Jesus C. Borja — I’d say of all the candidates, Mr. Borja is the one with whom I am least familiar except by name (being that he was our Lieutenant Governor in the past and a Justice of the Courts) and a very brief hand-shake many years ago.Still, he may be the one among them whom I see around town the most often.For a while every time I’d see him out with his wife whether it be at a restaurant or at the Flame Tree Festival, they’d have in their company a lady who uses a wheelchair – I don’t know their relationship to the lady, but she was obviously someone they cared deeply about judging from the care and gentleness they presented when assisting her.Please understand, I do not mean to over-glorify the notion of assisting an individual with a disability, but the point is this:In a community, where all too often people, particularly the older generation of islanders, tend to believe that individuals with disabilities should be left at home, Mr. Borja took it upon himself to insure that at least one lady with a disability be included in their community outings.You see, we believe that people with disabilities should be able to participate in a life outside the confines of their house.For that I admire, albeit from a distance, Mr. Borja and his wife.
#2 Joseph Norita Camacho – Joe, as I have come to call him, and his wife, Viola, are Advocates (literally lawyers by trade, but more importantly staunch supporters and voices for issues relating to the needs of people with disabilities).As such, Joe serves on the Board of Directors for NMPASI.More specifically Joe, in his capacity as a Board member for NMPASI, is one of my bosses which in light of my previous statement about people generally not wanting to contradict their bosses is no small point.But the thing is this, despite what we read in the papers/blogs about the “Carolinian mafia” and the Covenant party intimidation tactics, I have never so much as felt any sense of pressure or misdirected motives from Joe as a Board member.It seems in all actuality that he, and his wife who also served a brief stint on our Board some years back, only want to carry-out their fiduciary duties and do right by the disability-related programs we administer and the people with disabilities we serve.For that I admire Mr. Camacho and his wife.
#3 Gregorio “Kilili” Sablan — Congressman Sablan has a way of making you feel like you’re the only, most important person in the world when he talks with you…I most certainly don’t have the stature for such an honor, but that’s how he is and that’s the way he’s always treated me on the several occasions I have had to sit and talk with him – the most recent of these meetings was in his Washington, D.C. office discussing our needs with respect to the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and other local programs for the CNMI community.Additionally, I know him to be personally vested in the cause for individuals with disabilities as he himself served as a consumer member and Chair of the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) prior to being elected to office.I don’t know the full nature of his disability, but I do know that he took on the personal initiative to insure that a disability would not hinder his ability to be employed… you see, all people with disabilities should be aggressively seeking opportunities to work and there are services available to assist in that endeavor.There is no limit to the kinds of jobs people with disabilities can hold, if they work for it.It seems Congressman Kilili is a living testament to that fact.For that, I admire Congressman Sablan.
#4 Juan Nekai Babauta — Former Governor Babauta is another one of those people that has a knack for making the least significant person feel important when meeting with him…I suppose that is self-evident from his unprecedented success as a politician.Still, what comes to mind about him, in particular, are his recent efforts to promote issues related to the needs of people with disabilities through at least one issue of his Homeland Magazine.Mr. Babauta wrote some very informative articles for which he personally researched through (among other things) interviews with a number of us who work in the field.Anyone who took the time to read his articles would know that he is someone either with a significant amount of inherent knowledge of the issues or a noteworthy ability to research and compile information for dissemination.For that, I admire Mr. Babauta as well.
As for who I voted for (?)…well, that’s for me to know.But, regardless of who got my vote, the winner of this election will still be my congressman and, by virtue of the people’s vote and my general respect for the democratic process, he will have my conditional support.May he be so inclined to protect the civil, legal and human interests of people with disabilities and to join in our efforts to insure that they are free from abuse, neglect and discrimination.
For more on the mission of the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc. (NMPASI) and/or the rights of individuals with disabilities, please contact the NMPASI office at (670) 235-7273/4 [voice] / 235-7275 [fax] / 235-7278 [tty] or connect with us on-line at www.nmpasi.com.
JIM RAYPHAND
Executive Director
Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems, Inc.
