Party Chairman Manny C. Sablan told Variety in an interview yesterday that any eligible citizen — regardless of party affiliation, family ties, issues and ideals — is welcome to submit a letter of intent to the Democrats.
Sablan at the same time noted that more politicians seem unwilling to be identified with political parties.
Voters, too, no longer care about party matters, he added.
“All they want is survival and I don’t blame them,” he said.
He believes that the problem is not the parties themselves but some of their members who put their personal interests ahead of their parties.
“Everybody seems to have their own agenda and they have forgotten about their party’s ideals and philosophy,” Sablan said.
Those who will run as independent candidates are not really avoiding party affiliation, he added, but are straddling the fence to get votes from all parties.
“So just imagine how these independent candidates will run the administration when they win the election,” Sablan said.
They may end up appointing people from different groups with opposing ideas and agendas, he added.
Sablan said his party wants a candidate who is ready to sacrifice his own interest for the sake of the people.
April, he added, is the deadline for the submission of letters of intent.
The party will come out with a concrete and achievable platform, he said.
According to Sablan, they will hold a general membership meeting in the next few weeks to elect a new set of officers.
While in the process of aligning with its national counterpart, the local Democratic Party is also beefing up its membership by conducting weekly registration drives, he said.
