But what interested me most was the news flash that Richard Steele is coming to the CNMI to promote one of the candidates. For those of you who don’t know who he is — he is the chairman of a national political party and this will be a first for the CNMI. I’m not going to call names and identify anyone politically because I want to respect the opinions of other NMDs and citizens. I also don’t want to get into it with anyone in the news. But the indisputable facts are just too big and too important for the CNMI to remain silent and I will let the facts speak for themselves and let people decide for themselves.
If what I’m hearing about the national party supporting our delegate is true — HE IS THE ONE we need in Washington. This tells me he will be the only candidate in the election with the full support of a national party in Washington. Having one of the national parties in Congress in the CNMI’s corner of Washington’s politics is very BIG and will surly make a BIG improvement in the CNMI’s game of politics in Washington, as Mr. B might say. I don’t always agree with Mr. B. but he is right on the money about the game of politics and how poorly we have played it in the CNMI. I think it is obvious the CNMI will have immense political real estate and power in Washington should the CNMI have a delegate supported by a national party to help us with the many political problems we are now having with Washington and the federal government.
National party support for the CNMI’s delegate will give prestige and legitimate weight to the CNMI’s voice and our concerns in Washington for the first time. Things like the conflict with Guam over the Monument Center would have never happened if the CNMI had a delegate with real political real estate in Washington. Presently, the CNMI has only one seat of political real estate in Congress which is not much at all but with a national party supporting our delegate the CNMI will literally have hundreds of seats in Congress and in both houses of Congress — this is how you play the power game of politics in Washington — not resolutions, lawsuits and referendums. There is only ONE candidate in a position to give us a fighting chance in the national arena of politics and it’s obvious he will be a major league player in Washington if elected. I haven’t always supported him but he has my vote this time for sure given the facts.
I know there are many voters who will have their personal preferences for the U.S. delegate job but this is about the entire CNMI and not personal preferences or who you like. What I’m trying to say is that we must really look at the facts and pick the person who can get the most done in Washington in spite of our personal feelings about them and vote purely based on the facts as to which person can best serve the CNMI. If you truly care about the CNMI you will find out who this ONE candidate is and support him because I believe he is our BEST hope for getting things done for the CNMI in Washington.
I didn’t write this to be a putdown of our present delegate but to express my belief that we can send someone who can do a much better job in Washington.
JUAN JESUS AGULTO
Kagman, Saipan
