It was this administration, through its negligence and/or incompetence, that allowed CUC’s power plants to deteriorate further. The governor, to be sure, inherited quite a mess. But that was precisely why he was elected. He promised to solve the disarray left behind by his predecessor. But he didn’t. Instead of fixing CUC’s problems on day one, he allowed them to get worse. And so for the first time in CNMI history, its people have to endure power outages, from two to 12 hours a day. The last time the power supply was this bad was in Dec. 1986, and that was after Supertyphoon Kim passed only 20 miles north of Saipan, plowing the island with 153-knot winds and record rainfall.
This power crisis is man-made. And Aggreko is an expensive short-term “solution.” CUC is already badgering the government and PSS to pay up.
CUC and this administration, in short, have nothing to brag about. The fact that this bankrupt government has to resort to a $6 million quick fix is a clear indication of how bad things have become under this governor’s watch. Aggreko, moreover, didn’t solve the government’s addiction to band-aid solutions.
But not even Aggreko can make the people forget that the power situation under this administration has worsened while power rates have quadrupled. This has resulted in more business shutdowns. Almost 50 percent of buildings on island are now empty. Yet the governor is more worried about losing his control over labor and immigration rules — a control that has given him enormous leverage when dealing with businesses, investors and special interests. He wants to take the feds to court instead of focusing on getting the federal assistance the CNMI badly needs.
This administration has failed the people of the CNMI. It has to go.
Now for some good news
THE Humanities Council should be commended for hosting Tuesday’s well-attended round-table discussion on federalization and culture. The topic was timely and the guest panelists represented the various views of the island’s multi-cultural society.
Since its creation in 1981, the non-profit council has been faithful to its goal of “foster[ing] awareness, understanding and appreciation of the humanities through support for educational programs that relate the humanities to the indigenous cultures and to the intellectual needs and interests of the people of the commonwealth.” It has consistently offered a wealth of programs and activities that have enlarged the community’s intellectual and cultural vistas.
Also to be commended are the organizers of Wednesday’s CUC protest. As expected, the island’s silent majority, the government employees and their families, preferred to remain silent mainly because of the installation of the Aggreko generators, which ended the daily power outages, and the administration’s reputation for petty vindictiveness.
But the gathering at the Garapan Fishing Base still drew a sizable crowd and it indicated the extent of the people’s dissatisfaction with business as usual. They’re not gonna’ take it anymore.
