It’s too bad that many voters and many of our politicians didn’t learn these lessons from competition in their formative years because I can see people in government and in our society who ARE NOT true to the game of politics in the CNMI nor are they true to their self-proclaimed political party and that’s just ONE of the major reasons we are in this economic and political mess.
There are so many people amazed at how the Covenant Party has been able to maintain a political superiority even though we the people have been experiencing Bitter Times and the worst of times in the CNMI since the founding of the Commonwealth. The answer is really simple the Covenant Party is the ONLY united party, meaning they have the only true TEAM with members that are dedicated which helps to prove that politics is a TRUE team sport. But if you think about it the GOP is the ONLY political team that has delivered any form of prosperity to the CNMI, which is the focus of this lesson.
Rep. Diego Benavente has to be considered as one of our BEST politicians on Capital Hill, yet he may be subjected to more betrayal by his own party members in his quest to become the new speaker. It was really disturbing for me to read this about the GOP again in the news. Their behavior is a clear example of team members who ARE NOT true to the team or the people they asked to elect them as GOP members, which is something a blind person can see. How can you trust people who ARE NOT TRUE? I personally think they should be cast out of the GOP if they go against the party’s opportunity to gain the leadership of the House. The GOP needs to get serious and put an end to the betrayals and even mutinies for the sake of the party and the future of the CNMI. The two traitors should be publicly branded for what they are and forced to live with the political results of their own deeds — it’s called holding people accountable for being TRUE to the game and their team.
There have been toooooo many CNMI politicians playing the PERSONAL Party Game by changing parties at every opportunity for THEM to make personal gains, not gains for the PEOPLE! In fact, that is a big part of the reason why the present Speaker has to go — toooo much personal politics and nothing getting done for the people.
Representative Benavente was sooooo right when he said, There are just too many challenges we’re encountering and I am frustrated with the lack of effort in resolving these issues. People have been suffering from the economic hardships, the payless paydays, the reduction in salaries, the reduction in public services.
What it takes is a greater cooperation between the two houses and it is what’s lacking right now because of infighting between the leaderships.”
I’m frustrated like Representative Benavente and there are people doing a lot worse than me while the CNMI is going NOWHERE FAST and getting worse each day. The only thing our present speaker has done is created disruption, tried to fire everyone like he did during his administration and promote casinos — duh! Voters may not realize it but by having a “dysfunctional major party” it opens the door WIDE open for a dysfunctional government, which is how the speaker got elected and how we got into the political and economic mess we are in today — thanks primarily to the betrayal and infighting of the GOP.
Representative Benavente didn’t say it but the infighting runs deeper and further than the Legislature. Not only do we have elected officials not being true to the game and their party but we also have voters who say they are Republicans but they are still infighting and stabbing the party in the back when they get in the voting booth. It is clear to me that the voters are presenting an even bigger challenge because it was voters who put everyone in office including the Speaker. If the GOP politicians can’t re-unite now to help one of their BEST politicians take the leadership role, it may be a signal that the GOP is a dying party and a re-energizing of the Covenant Team with more GOP support. Representative Benavente may be the GOP’s BEST hope for regaining the executive office in the next general election and it is truly horrific to think his fellow GOP members would actually try to stand in the way of his proven ability to lead the House, especially when he is trying to promote progress and real improvements for the CNMI.
Everyone that is half way informed on the politics of the CNMI know the GOP is divided and I warned the GOP prior to the delegate election about the importance of re-uniting. The GOP lost again in the delegate race. It is common sense that you don’t send a single person to a competition that clearly requires a TEAM but that is what we did. But now we have two GOP members that are flirting with destroying the opportunity of Representative Benavente to be speaker even though he is on their Team — I know this doesn’t make sense to anyone with common sense and these two need wake up before they vote their political future away. I want to know WHO these two are because we don’t need any more Personal Party Gamers in office on the Hill — the Speaker has ruined it for everyone that will follow in this pattern of party jumping for power.
I just hate we the people are caught up in these personal games and can’t do anything for YEARS to change things, which is why our VOTE is so important and why our VOTE must be cast in the interest of the BIG picture of the commonwealth with a focus on the future, not the past. One people one direction for putting the BEST in office and for getting rid of officials who can’t be true to the game and their own party because they are the very reason we the people are suffering and so divided today going NOWHERE FAST!
AMBROSE M. BENNETT
Former BOE Teacher Rep
