Former Rep. Tina Sablan, one of the Friends of Marpi, said in an e-mail to the Variety: “We are very pleased as well as relieved with the court’s decision to grant the preliminary injunction, and we appreciate the court’s encouragement to both parties to come together for meaningful discussions over the next 90 days. We hope that the government will finally begin conducting public hearings and considering the full range of alternatives that can meet the needs of the cemetery without compromising the beauty and integrity of the Marpi area.”
She added, “Many thanks to all the members of the community who have united in the effort to keep Marpi beautiful. Let’s continue to write letters and express our concerns to our elected officials, and let’s also be sure to participate in any public hearings or meetings that may arise.”
Sablan urged the public to “bring to the table all of our ideas for resolving not only this immediate issue of the power poles, but also the longer-term issue of developing a vision and a plan that appropriately balance the need for sustainable economic development with the need to preserve Marpi’s historic, cultural, scenic, and natural resources for present and future generations.”
Attorney David Banes, for his part, expressed gratitude “to all the persons and organizations that sent letters to the governor or signed our petition or otherwise helped with the lawsuit as the court heard and understood our concerns. We further hope that government will meet with us in good faith and try to resolve this matter in a way that will preserve the historical and cultural significance — and beauty — of the National Historic Landmark area.
Banes and Wes Bogdan are the lawyers for the Friends of Marpi.
Assistant Attorney General Gilbert Birnbrich, who represented the CNMI government, said the Friends of Marpi failed to state a claim.
“Based on law, no preliminary injunction should be issued,” he told the court.
He noted also that there’s no CNMI taxpayers’ fund expended on the project, only federal funds.
According to Govendo, however, suspicion is warranted when the government tends to operate in the dark without the participation of the people,
He urged the media to investigate who among the landowners in Marpi would like development in the historic area, which is also one of the island’s main tourist attractions.
Govendo said he will ask the U.S. Department of the Interior “to do what has to be done” in connection with the request of the Friends of Marpi that the U.S. government look into the project.
The judge also urged the CNMI government and the Friends of Marpi “to seriously get together” to resolve the matter.
Birnbrich said they “respect and will follow” the court’s order, and will “weigh [their] options.”
