‘GOP is sticking to by-laws’

Suggesting that rules may not have been followed in the past, the NMI Republican Party maintained Friday that it merely subscribed to the party by-laws when it decided against the holding of an open primary for gubernatorial candidates this year.

“They’re talking about ‘tradition’. I don’t know but what’s the purpose of by-laws if you don’t follow it? You know, they (critics) are used to this old tradition of seniority and all that but its obsolete and is no longer working within the modern political structure,” said GOP executive director Felipe Atalig.

He claimed that the current officers of the party have chosen to stick to the party by-laws.

“In the past, they never really followed the by-laws. Nowadays, if you don’t follow, you can be sued. That’s why we are very careful. People don’t like [it] if you do the right thing. This is the right thing—follow the by-laws,” he said.

Party stalwart, former senator Juan P. Tenorio, who now heads the Committee to Elect gubernatorial candidates Reps. Heinz Hofschneider and David Apatang, cited earlier that GOP has traditionally held open primaries whenever there is more than one candidate for the top post.

He also said that primaries and other major party decisions were decided by the general members, “not a few people” consisting of the “central” committee of the party.

GOP senator Pete P. Reyes also aired a similar opinion, noting that Gov. Juan N. Babauta himself had been allowed to participate in primaries.

The GOP officers decided last week to endorse the re-election of Babauta and Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente over the Heinz-David tandem, citing among others that Apatang is not Republican.

It came about after a special committee tasked to evaluate the credentials of the gubernatorial candidates found that the party has “no clear and convincing basis” for a primary as requested by the Heinz-David camp.

The report submitted by the GOP gubernatorial candidate committee, chaired by former congressman William S. Torres, said that the Republican Party by-laws “sanction neither a primary nor an open primary, or for that matter, any formal process, procedure or protocols for conducting one.”

“Therefore… it is the conclusion of your committee that the committee has little, if any, choice on the matter but to urge compliance with the guidelines in the party by-laws, and further, to deny petitioners (Hofschneider-Apatang) filing accordingly,” said the ad hoc committee.

The panel cited that unlike the Babauta-Benavente team, which specifically asked for the party’s endorsement, the Hofschneider-Apatang tandem “specifically avowed and manifested in no uncertain term its declaration…”

It said Heinz-David, in three separate letters last year, mainly reminded the party of its obligation and responsibility for conducting an open primary for the party’s candidate and nominee selection process and warned of potential consequences to the Republican Party itself if it decides to do otherwise.

The committee said that to endorse the Heinz-David pair would be violating Article 5 section 13 of its own by-laws.

Atalig also took exception of party critics on the use of the GOP “central committee.”

Both Tenorio and Reyes complained that GOP never used such a term citing that “GOP is an inclusive, not an exclusive group.”

“GOP never had a central committee. It’s the Democrats that have a central committee…traditionally it’s the general membership that make major decisions such as primary. The members decide, not a few people,” said Tenorio.

“There was never any central committee in the Republican Party. This is the first time I heard of it. I know that Democrats have it,” said Reyes.

Atalig responded, “have they actually read the party by-laws?”

“It appears they’re not reading the by-laws. Maybe they’re looking at the Democrat by-laws,” said Atalig.

He said GOP by-laws uses “central executive committee” to refer to the five-member board of directors, five precinct chairmen, the Republican governor and lt. governor, and past presidents, as well as the executive director.

Atalig said the GOP by-laws have never been amended since the presidency of Joseph Reyes.

He expressed confidence that GOP remains a strong party.

“It’s never been stronger,” he said, noting that it is the only local political group that is affiliated with the national Republican Party.

“Isn’t it a big morale booster? What other party is recognized in a national level other than the Republican Party of the NMI?” he asked.

He said the local party respects individuals who have chosen to desert the group to favor other candidates.

“We’re in a democratic society. That’s their prerogative to choose their own group,” said Atalig.

He said, “The morale of the Republicans has never been diminished.”

Despite of the fractions, we’re motivated to win this election.”

He said there is no reason why people need to blame GOP for not holding a primary.

“What’s there to get mad [about]? That’s the provision of the by-laws. If you do the right thing, they get mad, but we can’t go with obsolete political thinking. We need solid guidelines,” he said.