‘Drop lawsuit, restore good relations with feds’

Rep. Christina Sablan urged Gov. Benigno Fitial yesterday to drop his lawsuit against federalization and instead restore the CNMI’s good relations with federal agencies.

“It [lawsuit] doesn’t do service to the community at this point. I think it is time to just say, ‘Okay, the likelihood of us prevailing on the merits of the CNMI’s lawsuit are very, very slim,’” said Sablan in an interview.

The congresswoman said the best thing to do would be to drop the lawsuit, then see if the CNMI can restore relations with federal agencies and begin participating in the drafting of the regulations before it is too late.

“It is no secret, I thought the lawsuit should have never been filed in the first place,” she said.

Sablan is not holding much hope that Fitial would listen. “At this stage, it doesn’t sound that the governor is going to be willing to drop the lawsuit. It does seem that there will be a response and then we will see how the federal court will rule,” she said.

Sablan said people have already seen the consequences of this lawsuit. “ It has severely hindered our ability to communicate and negotiate with the federal agency that does this immigration regulations being drafted,” she said.

With respect to the Open Government Act that she requested to get information on public funds used for the lawsuit, the lawmaker said acting Attorney General Gregory Baka had declined to provide the information in response to an earlier request to Fitial.

Baka, however, provided her an account number, described as the governor’s operational account, from which the acting AG acknowledged that public funds had been drawn in order to pay for expenses related to the lawsuit.

Sablan said she made a follow-up request to Finance Secretary Eloy Inos on Dec. 11. The Secretary has 10 days to respond pursuant to the Open Government Act.

She said she had just spoke yesterday with Inos who stated they were preparing a response to her request.

“I do think that the people deserve to know how their taxpayers’ dollars are being spent. The only recourse at this point if I get another rejection is to go to court and I do intend to do so,” the lawmaker stressed.

Press secretary Charles Reyes Jr. earlier told Saipan Tribune that the CNMI’s lawyers will review the U.S. government’s motion to dismiss and will file a response by the court’s deadline.

Reyes said that, contrary to the arguments raised by the U.S. government’s motion, they believe that the provisions of the federalization law will have serious adverse consequences for the economy and citizens of the CNMI.