'Tricks'

Tricks and deceits are the trademarks of the Office of the Insular Affairs (OIA) Director Ferdinand Aranza when it involves the relationship between the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and OIA. I am surprised to learn that some CNMI leaders are elated and upbeat about Aranza’s visit to the CNMI.

Aranza is the OIA messenger who once referred to the CNMI as a “broken down pinto”. For this reason alone, we should be cautious and suspicious of Aranza’s visit here on behalf of OIA.

Our experiences tell us that each time they come to the CNMI, they leave with more allegations fabricated against us as part of OIA’s official mission to help the CNMI. It appears that all of the OIA visits are made on the pretense of making official visits to the CNMI to follow up on OIA’s worthwhile projects, but in reality their projects often consisted of digging up more dirt to smear and condemn the CNMI throughout the United States.

OIA’s attitude toward the CNMI reminds me of a story where a wounded poisonous snake was helped and nursed back to health by a kind old lady. When the snake regained its good health and the good old lady came in to check the recovering reptile, the snake bounced up and bit her. Why did you bite me Mr. Snake? Didn’t I help you when you were sick and dying? Asked the little old lady. The snake replied, you knew that I am poisonous and that I cannot be trusted when you found me, yet you took me in and nursed me anyway. The moral of this story is, Aranza may act friendly because he needs the CNMI to keep his job, but beware of the venom that saturates the body of CNMI’s advocate for economic, social, educational and political goals. What a lesson to be learned.

Recently, while I was in Washington, DC for the Senate and House hearings, Aranza was on the phone to the Washington Representatives’office several times trying to set up an appointment for a check signing and photo opportunity with the Governor regarding the reimbursement of the CNMI’s cost of hosting illegal Chinese immigrants on Tinian. Such reimbursement is a result of an agreement drawn up by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to finally reimburse the CNMI for portion of the local government cost of hosting many illegal Chinese immigrants on Tinian.

I believe Aranza wants to take credit for that reimbursement, and also to demonstrate to the CNMI that he is a friend, unlike Stayman.

As expected, our Governor refused to meet with Aranza because the agreement was defective and full of trickeries and it was not in the interest of the CNMI to receive such reimbursement as a federal grant with federal conditions of its expenditure attached to the grant. I applaud the Governor for refusing to yield to such a blatant insult.

Again, DOI took us for a bunch of imbeciles as if we do not know the difference between a federal grant, with OMB Circular A-102 conditions and a direct repayment of our own funds expended to benefit the federal government. We refuse to be treated as idiots, incapable of understanding the difference between a federal grant and a reimbursement. These are the type of people who we are expected to work harmoniously with. They are supposed to be our advocate and partner.

Sen. Pete Reyes