“The engines are experiencing further breakdown and wear and tear, he said. Metal fragmentations could cause potential problems, he added.” Whoa, hold on! IF those engines are in that bad a shape (and they probably are), then they won’t be able to continue running after the installation of Aggreko’s 15 megawatts (if they even last that long). Again, I ask you, how is that going to help alleviate the power situation? It will continue as is, or worse. How many more “Aggreko” contracts will we need? And at what cost before they finally decide to do the right thing?
“The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. Will soon use some of its vast Rydlyme stockpile, according to CUC executive Director Anthony Muña. For example, he said, the stockpile on Rota was put there to address problems with the power engines there.” WOW! 8,000 GALLONS, just for Rota. Yeah sure, Rota with its vast world renowned power plant is sure to use it all up…in, say, about a thousand years. Nothing like planning for the future, is there? Could this maybe be considered tampering with evidence (I.e. No evidence, no case)?
“We’re going to use the chemical to flush the system out,” Muña said. OK, so please explain to me why is it that the two private IPP’s in the NMI (and every other IPP in the country) have stated they use only purified water in their systems so they don’t get a “scaling” problem in the first place? Why? Because the chemical used to remove internal scaling CAN BE dangerous to the internal systems and is not recommended for this use. It even states in the Material Safety Data Sheet for the chemical that it CAN cause holes in systems and leaks by removing the “scales” and exposing pre-existing corrosion! According to the MSDS, Rydlyme has an acidic pH so low that it was “unreadable, generally
“Muña said the state of emergency was necessary to expedite the arrival of the Aggreko generators.” Well, if that really was the case, then why was the legislature pressured into creating a separate “law,” simultaneously, to do the same thing? And if they were to be “expedited,” why were they put on three separate ships spaced out over a two week period? What a waste of time! Was the wool pulled over somebody’s eyes here?
“As to why some lawmakers only learned about the declaration on Thursday, Reyes said the document was stamped Aug. 1 and received by the Senate president and the House Speaker.” “We are in communication with the Senate president and Speaker. They are aware. I think what might have happened is maybe they didn’t get this information from their leadership.” Good grief Charlie Brown — what a quote! Seems to me the Senate President and the House Speaker ARE the leadership for the Legislature. So who is “THEIR leadership?” RIGHT! The Governor! Mr. Reyes, puhleeze, this is not even a decent “spin.” They were stamped August 1 all right (I saw it), but you didn’t say WHEN they were supposedly “received” by the Senate President or House Speaker! It appears your “tang is so tongueled” up now, you don’t even know what you’re saying.
One thing for sure: NO-ONE got a copy of that “emergency declaration” between the time it was signed on August 1 until it became known through publication of it in the CNMI Register on the 14th as required by law. WHY? Sneaky at best! And who ever heard of an emergency disaster that could blow up and cause human injury or death at any moment taking TWO WEEKS to become known? How would the perpetrators of this so-called declaration have felt if those engines had done exactly that (blown up) during the time that declaration was apparently kept secret?
“The Fitial administration assured yesterday that the utility agency, under the new leadership of executive director Tony Muña, is not going to allow improper contracts to be executed.” “We would like to assure the public and the people of the Legislature that this is a different situation now,” Reyes said. Yes, it surely is! Have you read that thing? It actually allows the GOVERNOR ALONE to completely by-pass ALL legislative laws, mandates and other avenues of oversight and protection AND eliminates oversight or perusal by any other agency, including the PUC AND allows the GOVERNOR ALONE to execute any contract he deems necessary or desirable to ANY “PERSON.” And yet, they “assure” us that “no improper contracts will be executed.” Do you really believe that? Uh-huh. Sure, real “teamwork” if I ever saw it!
This whole thing just gets more and more bizarre every day, and unbelievable to boot, as story after story continues to emanate (spin) from the executive branch’s minions and amass into a tangled web of innuendo, deceit and contradiction. For the moment, the democratic system of “tri-branch” checks and balances seems to have been way-laid as one branch, the executive, runs rampant in what it terms “in the best interest of the public.” Meanwhile, the other two branches seem to be languishing in a state of stupor while they “try to sort out” the ramifications of what is happening. In fact, one of them, the judicial, seems to have lapsed into a state of total unconsciousness!
And, back at the ranch, citizens are escaping in record numbers and businesses are closing up while the rest of the “trapped” citizens are left to cope with a daily life so ridden with hardships that they too are in a state of stupor and unwilling, or unable, to effectively transmit their strife or force the changes necessary in a government apparently “gone berserk.” A government that is supposed to benefit the people that it represents, who, in the ultimate scheme of things are the boss, not one that beleaguers them mercilessly with seemingly un-interpretable folderol and an endless stream of inconceivable clap-trap.
Sometimes, voters make a mistake. Maybe a mistake was made here in the NMI at the last election. Mistakes can and should be corrected. To fail to do so at the earliest opportunity, or to create the opportunity when the mistake is realized, only serves to perpetuate and validate the mistake. Then, it becomes the fault of the perpetuators and no excuse is left. Don’t be a perpetrator.
DR. THOMAS D. ARKLE JR.
San Jose, Tinian
