Why not indeed?
Approximately nine months from now, in the time it takes for a baby to be born, we will trudge along to the polls and elect a new slate of legislators. We will have yet another grand opportunity to change the course of “human events” in these beloved islands we call home.
All of our incumbent legislators, of course, desperately hope that we will not elect a new slate of legislators. As incumbents, they fervently hope that we will keep them in public office, where they can continue on with their fiscal shenanigans (as they have been doing exceptionally well for the past two to four years and more, Speaker Fitial naturally excluded).
To get themselves re-elected, however, some of our incumbent legislators, particularly those in the upper house, are not intent on telling us why we should elect them once again. Instead of telling us why we should vote for them, they ask us why we shouldn’t vote for them. That is, instead of telling us “why,” they slyly and disingenuously ask us “why not?” They cunningly shift the burden from them, which is precisely where it belongs in the fist place, and pass it on over to us.
Well, this is perfectly all right with us, because there are plenty of reasons “why not?”–i.e., why we should not vote for them. First of all, let us take the local economy.
Are we all better off as a result of our legislators’ actions? Are we richer than we were before? Has our local economy grown in the past few years? Are businesses thriving? Is our tourism industry still strong? Has unemployment gone down? Do we have more jobs now?
Obviously, we all know the answers to these pointed questions. There is no reason to vote for a Senator based on his contribution to our local economy. They have made no useful contributions. They have only exacerbated our economic malaise and mired us in a stagnant economy.
Why not indeed?
Well, for another thing, some of our more recalcitrant legislators steadfastly refuse to hire the best possible professional representation in Washington, DC. Not only have they dragged their feet on this vital issue–they have obstructed our much needed representation by refusing to budget for this absolutely necessary expense. And by doing so, they have compromised the protection of our local self-government. They have compromised our interests in the nation’s capital.
Why not indeed?
Well, here’s another legitimate reason: While CUC faces an extended power crisis and the government cannot pay off its mounting, multi-million dollar utility bills, while college student grants, loans and scholarships have been cut in half, our senators have voted to give themselves huge raises. They have doubled their legislative budget and shafted virtually every other government department.
“Why not” indeed?
Nine months from now, let’s give birth to a new Marianas by electing a whole new set of legislators and wiping the incumbent slate clean. Let’s give others a chance to make a real difference in the Northern Marianas.
I think we have had enough of the same old story: business as usual.
Strictly a personal view. Charles Reyes Jr. is a regular columnist of Saipan Tribune. Mr. Reyes may be reached at charlesraves@hotmail.com