They are also inept and corrupt. But a lot of them will continue to win elections because the status quo in the CNMI is not just this system of big government and crony capitalism. The status quo also includes voters and their expectations from politicians. If they or their close relatives are provided government jobs or contracts by an elected official, then they and their families will support that official whenever he’s on the ballot. Their jobs are linked to his post. To have any chances of winning, the opposition candidate has to make the same promises of jobs, contracts or other favors. And when he wins, he has to deliver. Lather, rinse, repeat.
CNMI voters have been electing shrewd politicians who are mediocre officials because voters want good providers not good leaders. Voters demand high-paying, do-nothing jobs, fat contracts, medical referrals, homesteads, scholarships, tax rebates, generous pensions, etc. Not surprisingly, despite the worsening economy, CNMI politicians are still making the same promises and voters are still believing them.
People will vote for what they believe is good for them. How can unemployment be good for anyone? Politicians will say what voters want to hear. If telling the truth will cost them an election why be honest?
There is after all no clamor for clean and good government. Right now, most voters are insisting on government job security, the restoration of their 80-hour pay period, scholarships for their kids and cushy government jobs for them when they come back from college.
The people know that their government is running out of money, but they still see individuals getting hired and securing contracts. Their officials are still making off-island trips, leasing new cars, lending picnic tables and tents while “working” in air-conditioned offices with brand new computers and high-speed internet connection.
Rota, to cite a glaring example, can’t pay its nurses and has a casino that can’t pay its employees and CUC. So what did the island leaders do? They created a gaming commission. And what did the commissioners do? They went to Las Vegas — and put it on your tab, of course, CNMI taxpayers. Where is the outrage? Well, there were some comments about it, posted on our website by very vocal and very courageous anonymous citizens.
But most of the people are not really against this racket; they’re simply against not getting a piece of the action.
And then there’s the Northern Islands mayor’s office. It is a fully funded entity that serves an area whose 120 or so voters are residing somewhere else. For the sake of accuracy, it should be re-named the Upper MIHA mayor’s office.
So why does it still exist, this extravagant redundancy? Because it is convenient for politicians. It means a guaranteed pool of funds and a group of bloc voters who could be “handy” in tight CNMI-wide elections. Indeed, the government is bloated precisely because of politics, and politics is the way it is because of the bloated government. It’s like a dog chasing its own tail.
Instead of using the crisis as a teaching moment, the administration has exploited it for its narrow political interest. The austerity measures became a whip that lashed the backs of the rank and file to ensure that they will toe the line. “Austerity” also lowered the employees’ expectations and made them grateful for what they have.
All this has completely obliterated even the token opposition on Capital Hill. Everyone is trying to get something, anything, from this government while they still can. The governor, anyway, is no longer a political opponent — he can’t seek another term and could even be a useful ally in the next elections. The “threat” now for the other gubernatorial hopefuls is the lt. governor who, unlike Uncle Ben, is clinging to the Covenant Party. Many believe that Eloy is already preparing for the 2014 race.
Meanwhile, the CNMI, ever hopeful, lurches toward the next disaster.
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