I remember replying that hitting the ball is the player’s job, not the fan’s. I believe I also threw in that inevitable adage about the heat in the kitchen, etc.
However, as someone who has been covering and writing about Capital Hill for 15 years now, I must admit that the view is always different from inside the corridors of power. There, things are not always as simple as they seem to be when you’re outside looking in.
As an Obama adviser was quoted as saying recently, the president’s blogger critics “should take off the pajamas, get dressed and realize that governing a closely divided country is complicated and difficult.”
Whatever happened to “Yes we can!”?
The complexity of real world governance, in any case, is the main reason why the Ins are generally conservatives and the Outs are always radicals — until they get in.
I pity politicians. They may win elections, but they simply can’t win the affection and trust of everyone.
Consider the CNMI lawmakers who are now trying to deal with the mess at CHC. They’re still blamed for doing so little so late — and in an election year at that. But if they don’t do anything, they will be branded as a do-nothing bunch that ought to be kicked out next month. In other words, they’re being slammed for their inaction in the past as if that should prevent them from finally doing something about the problem now. So you do something, you’re bad; you don’t do anything, you’re still bad.
But all this is just the buzz from our anonymous online commentators who are unaware of the work being performed by CNMI politicians out there in the villages. Like their counterparts elsewhere, local politicians have to develop thick skin and they have to know their people. As you read this, they are going house to house, exchanging pleasantries with their constituents, asking them about their problems and assuring them of action once they win in November. The really good politician not only knows most of his constituents by name, he is also aware of the christenings, birthdays, weddings, funerals, fiestas and fundraisers in his precinct. He makes sure he attends these events and he buys or helps sell fundraising tickets. Moreover, he acts as his constituents’ liaison to CUC, DPW, or whatever government agency is responsible for whatever the problem is in a particular area. He is always trying to find a way to give the jobless jobs. He makes you, an ordinary voter, feel that he is always there for you.
And this is why a lot of these incumbent lawmakers will remain on the Hill after Election Day.
In politics, it is not enough to be righteous and “correct” about the issues. You also have to inform and educate, raise awareness, reach out and build a consensus and actually get things done.
If you’re in office but still unable to get your colleagues to support the reforms you believe are crucial for the community, then I suggest you quit politics and join a debating club. Or write newspaper editorials.
It’s tough to be a reformist anywhere. Here in the CNMI, the advocates of change are up against a political culture that was created over a long period of time. It is unrealistic to expect that indignant voters can simply elect “new” faces and that ought to do the trick. Voters need to change too. They need to adjust their expectations. More of them must participate actively in their own government. They have to speak out like responsible citizens of a democracy: openly and courageously. They must also realize that they’re in for the long haul. Indeed, real change in a democracy, especially in this very young commonwealth, can only happen gradually, but it will happen.
Federalization is likely to hasten the process. The economy will be transformed drastically in the next few years, the population will further drop, and the proverbial beast — the CNMI government — will starve while the private sector shrinks. This will require new thinking from politicians — and voters themselves.
***
By the way voters, former Senator Juanpan, who is opposed to federalization and owns several businesses, has said that he “does not answer to any special interest group.” He also said, “We are not promising jobs to people.”
Send feedback to
