Transparent government and empowered citizens

I’d like to begin this letter with a few disclosures. First, I regretfully admit that I do not have all the answers. Second, I do not have a list of mining competitors, nor do I have any mining experience. Third, I do not have any money to invest, or know anyone who would like to give me money. And finally, as far as I know, MPLA has not yet transferred any authority to me to manage public lands on behalf of the people of the CNMI. I confess that I am only a regular citizen who cares deeply about the future of this Commonwealth.

That, however, should be more than enough to qualify me—and all other regular citizens with similar shortcomings—for the right to participate in the stewardship of public lands, and in all decisions that affect our community. It is this basic right that I’d like to affirm in this letter.

Too many of us in the CNMI stay silent when our public officials make irresponsible decisions in our name. Some of us keep quiet out of fear, others out of apathy, and still others out of a misguided trust in the people who hold positions of power. That has to change. We do ourselves no favors in keeping silent when our government leaders make mistakes or abuse their authority: our silence implies consent.

But citizen empowerment is about more than just protesting government wrongs. It’s also about positively contributing to the political, economic, and social life of the community. It’s about keeping oneself informed, communicating our needs and ideas to our public officials, taking direct action to solve social problems, and accepting responsibility for our own behavior. The fact is, government does its job best when citizens are engaged and informed and able to hold their public officials accountable for their actions. But we can only hold our public officials accountable if the decision-making process is transparent and accessible.

One of the most outrageous things about the whole Azmar mining fiasco was the degree to which the public was kept in the dark about Azmar’s background and intentions. Were it not for the vigilance of citizens like Cinta and Gus Kaipat and Pete Perez, Pagan might have become yet another casualty of shortsighted development in the Commonwealth. Indeed, we might still lose that island forever if more people do not take a stand against irresponsible development there. And that would be a tragedy for all of us.

The mining issue presents us with many vital questions about the kind of future we want for the CNMI—questions about the potential impacts of the mining industry itself, and also questions about how much regular citizens should be involved in the larger framework of decision-making. Some, like Thomas Arkle, imagine pozzolanic wars in our future. I imagine no such thing, and insist that we do not ever have to come to that. If our public institutions were more transparent and accessible, and if more citizens demanded and exercised the right to determine the course of development in the CNMI, our relationship with our government and with investors who come knocking on our door could be much more cooperative and much more productive.

In closing, I applaud the MPLA board’s decision to reject Azmar’s permit application, and I welcome the news that the board will form a task force to further explore the feasibility of mining on Pagan. Both of these are reasonable and responsible things to do; both should have been done long ago. But I urge MPLA—and all our government officials—to do more to involve regular citizens in the management of public lands, and in the economic development of the CNMI. A strong partnership of informed citizens and accountable government agencies will help ensure that the CNMI moves toward meaningful development that benefits the entire community, and not only the interests of a few.

Tina Sablan
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