THE Governor is back at it with his “finger-pointing” at the Legislature when it’s ultimately HIS job to “set the conditions for our Economic stability & Growth.” He is also deflecting the 25% issue to be about the House that is run by Democrats and Gaslighting his minuscule and even FAKE efforts to fix our Economy.
Rep. Tina Sablan deserves KUDOS as she is DEADLY RIGHT about how the Governor is being “completely irresponsible and totally reckless” with his spending plan for the ARPA Funds. How can the Governor propose “pay raises” at a time when WE need to be conserving as much as possible, especially when the ones getting the pay raises are ALREADY some of the highest paid people in Government?
But its ALL about Politics with this Governor & Crew and NOT the People, as it seems the Secretary of Finance is acting more like the Lt. Governor or the Chief of Staff with his memorandum making Customs and Biosecurity Director Jose Mafnas the new director of export, importation and public outreach — a position that Mafnas said does not exist. But it’s common knowledge and even ACCEPTED among the Republicans to “RETALIATE by firing people” as Mafnas is a supporter of the independent Palacios-Apatang gubernatorial ticket. Democrats Tina & Leila are the ONLY hope for ending and changing this horrific political practice in our government that has gone on for DECADES! So, if you TRULY CARE about everyone in Government and our Commonwealth you will vote Democrat in the privacy of the voting booth and teach them a LESSON!
CHCC needs to check KANDIT News on the Secretary of Finance wife who got what could be an ILLEGAL “sole-source Contract to provide transportation for Medical Referral Patients to the tune of around 100,000 dollars a year” that violates the CNMI’s Procurement Policy. But the kicker is, there is only 8 patients in San Diego/LA meaning We the People are being royally screwed. I hope CHCC will end this ridiculous and even illegal contract immediately, as the CNMI could easily use Uber and save a lot of money. In fact, from what I’m told by a patient in San Diego/LA there is NO Support Staffing & one driver, as they virtually have to take care of their appointments/food on their own — it’s really PATHETIC how We the People are being cheated!
But back to the finger pointing of this Governor who is using the ARPA Funds like it’s “his family’s investment chest” like Rep. Ed Propst exposed with the Sanitizing of the Civic Center costing the People over 4,000 dollars a day equaling to over 1.5 million a year. Now he wants to “Pay-off his Political Operatives” using ARPA funds and Rep. Sablan is soooo RIGHT there are far more important things to be considered as PRIORITIES and not left out of the budget. But it just more proof of this Governor and his Lt. doing and saying things soooo ridiculous right in our faces as if We the People are IDIOTS because they know their LOYAL followers could care less about the TRUTH, our Commonwealth and the rest of us-folks-in-the-cheap-seats. The CNMI is clearly at a “tipping-point” so come November, voters had better be ALL-Hands-On-Deck to figuratively and literally put a NEW & BETTER Captain at the helm or We the People could really be DOOMED with Economic Uncertainty and Social Disarray with our quality of life.
The Governor and the Lt. Governor had over TWO-YEARS to come up with an Economic Revitalization Plan but we only got two-bubbles and the South Korean bubble has already BUST but they don’t want us-regular-folks to know this fact. Neither the Governor nor Lt. have offered anything of real substance to revive our economy, just BLAND words and finger-pointing to deflect the real issue. I’m just glad MVA is finally doing what I had been calling for several years ago which was to save and rebuild our Japanese Tourist Market that was KILLED by this Governor & Republicans. Oh, they also KILLED the Dynasty Casino on Tinian and the other Casino on Luta when they sold the CNMI out to Chinese investors and I even TOLD THEM SO but they still did it anyway. So wake-up Tinian & Luta Voters as you will surely be DOOMED given you are already at ROCK-BOTTOM economically and socially!
It’s obvious this Governor even refuses to do the simple things that will help our Economy. He still refuses to issue simple RFPs for the Mariana Resort & La Fiesta, as We the People are paying the Lease all because “I” and no one else has gone public on this WASTE! We still haven’t heard anything on the 80-million that Sixto is still sitting on claiming he is going to open a new homestead when there are FAR more important infrastructure needs that We the People need NOW! We have a plethora of children and adults who can walk to school and the store but they can’t because its not safe, as there are NO sidewalks infrastructure in any village. We still have villages FULL of Jungles that need to be reclaimed & reissued with the owner going back on the selection list. Clean up the existing villages FIRST before opening a new one that isn’t needed now.
Heck, they won’t fix the Road to the top of Mt. Tapochao, which would be one of the most valuable roads for our Tourism Industry. It would easily become the most highly traveled road by Tourists with a tremendous value for Local Entrepreneurs to set up stands to sell Local things to Tourists. But the Governor cares MORE about paying his operatives for votes like he’s trying to do now like he did with his secretaries who got overtime pay immediately & illegally while the REAL first responders waited MONTHS for their overtime. Our ARPA Funds and elections are being bought & stolen right in our faces with family members recruiting family for Republican votes instead of recruiting for HOPE for us ALL! I can really go on-and-on with examples of how this Governor & Lt. Governor have “pointed-fingers and talked to us like we are idiots with their Catch-Word-Phrases but they really short-change the People by being “irresponsible and totally reckless” like Rep. Tina Sablan stated. She is fighting FOR the People and not political operatives like the Governor and Lt. are doing, which is why the Lt. is campaigning so hard. But need I say or show any more proof to convince voters what really needs to be done because it’s really looking ALL of us right in the face to get NEW & BETTER leaders in the Executive Office — for TRUE!
On a final note: If it were Democrats messing-up I would be on their case but they aren’t and they actually deserve a real chance to Lead given the mess Republicans have made. So please keep in mind that I’m not the enemy and I’m only sharing what I believe is BEST for us ALL based on the TRUTH that will “set ALL-of-us FREE to find some semblance of real progress & prosperity! We the People cannot abandon the TRUTH if we are to create a Real PROSPEROUS Commonwealth for ALL! To be continued: One People One Direction for NEW & BETTER Leaders!
The writer is an Economist who minored in Sociology, Political Scientist, retired teacher, former CNMI Board of Education Member, James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
Ambrose M. Bennett
