Surrounding yourself with the right people

Charles Reyes Jr., Public Information Officer for Benigno R. Fitial, stated in his recent letter to the Tribune that Harry B. Blalock iterated concerns in a pre-election radio broadcast about Speaker Benigno Fitial’s tendency to surround himself with party loyalists.

Why would anyone who is in the capacity of being a House speaker or any other high level political position for that matter, want to surround themselves with people other than “party loyalists?” Regardless of party affiliation, most elected officials select those individuals who support them philosophically and otherwise. If we look at national politics in the U.S., George W. Bush selected virtually everyone who assisted him in becoming president for the United States for high level and/or important government positions. Likewise, Arnold Schwarzenegger did the same subsequent to his gubernatorial victory in California.

Moreover, when President Bush goes on the road to give speeches, the crowd that he speaks before is “hand-picked”. Thus, since “non-loyalists” are not present in the crowd, the chance of any “boos and hisses” taking place will be nil.

The problem is not with being surrounded by party loyalists as it is being surrounded by “incompetent” party loyalists. When an individual is placed into a government position that may possess questionable credentials and/or qualifications to perform the responsibilities, then the consequences will more than likely be catastrophic and detrimental to the politician who selected and appointed the individual to that particular position.

One example that stands out to illustrate the appointment of someone who allegedly did not have all the pertinent qualifications for a high level position in the U.S. government, is the former FEMA director Michael Brown. Prior to becoming FEMA director, he was involved with the horse industry and did not have any pertinent credentials directly correlated with providing administrative leadership for disaster response on American soil. Subsequent to his resignation as FEMA director, it was revealed that Brown had embellished his resume to make it appear he possessed the necessary qualifications for the position.

The CNMI is a small island community where the loyalists for specific politicians are evident. Sometimes the appointments of these loyalists can be problematic. It is my hope that subsequent to November 19, that those individuals who surround the gubernatorial victor will possess something more than just loyalty.

Dr. Jesus D. Camacho
Delano, California