“I will not allow our party to go down this way,” former Sen. David M. Cing, D-Tinian, said yesterday. “I would like to express my gratitude to Chairman [Manny] Sablan for his efforts to revive the party, but I would also like to assure the people who consider themselves Democrats that the party is alive and kicking.”
Cing, who was the party’s congressional delegate candidate last November, noted that there are three incumbent lawmakers who consider themselves Democrats — Saipan Rep. Justo S. Quitugua, Sens. Maria T. Pangelinan and Luis P. Crisostimo.
He said he himself, the Democratic candidate for delegate, topped the election on Tinian where the elected officials are either with the Covenant Party or the GOP.
“What the party should do is to get in touch with the [incumbent Democratic] lawmakers [on Saipan] and get their inputs,” Cing said. “The party should also recognize our chairmen on Rota and Tinian in the last election — Nobert Mundo and Martin San Nicolas. We must continue registering new members and pursue our affiliation with the national party. We must invite the new generation to join us, like Jesse Torres who has already established communications with the national party.”
Cing said the party may not have a gubernatorial candidate this year, “but after this election — guaranteed — the CNMI will return to a two-party system. It will be Democrats against Republicans again especially now that we have a congressional delegate.”
He added, “Watch how the allocation of federal funding for the territories and commonwealths will move in the U.S. Congress. Puerto Rico’s delegate is a Republican, the rest are Democrats while the CNMI delegate is an Independent who has to caucus with the Democrats. There is no other way for the CNMI but to have a two-party system that mirrors what the U.S. has. Otherwise, we won’t get anywhere in Washington, D.C.”
Cing said CNMI residents who are inclined to support the national Democrats “should not allow the local party to go down the drain.”
“This party produced many good leaders for the Northern Marianas. We just have to stop all this backstabbing and splitting for the good of our party so we can offer a real alternative to the status quo.”
According to Cing, “This will be a close gubernatorial election and every vote will count. We Democrats cannot be ignored.”
A former Democratic senator, Juan T. Guerrero of Saipan, has said that he is running for governor, but as an Independent candidate.
