Rota needs fair and honest leaders

To the voters of Rota community, I urge each and everyone of you to be careful this coming general election. Why? As all of you have experienced in the past when voting for candidates that do not have the knowledge or the capacity to fulfill promises made during the campaign, at this moment the people are not seeing what changes need to be done by our present leaders. I personally believe that some of the leaders of Rota are not 100 percent completing their goals and objectives when sworn in to be the leaders of the community.

There are so many problems on Rota that needs to be ironed out. The leaders should take into consideration and prioritize what the people really need. They should think about who put them in their posts. What’s happening now reveals that all they want is the vote, not the people. The people of Rota are suffering because of the ailing economy. I believe that a true leader is the solution to solving the problem. Come on, Rota, choose the right person that can work for us and turn our island treasure into a paradise.

Please do not elect the person who does not understand the role of the government system. I do respect your decision but bear in mind that they always fail on their promises. We really need a candidate that has an outstanding capability to secure our needs and to fight for our rights by representing us 100 percent to create better times for our beautiful island. Most of us are tired of the Trust Territory style. This is a modern society and we need a new way of life. Moving backwards is not the right way. We are facing new technologies. Therefore, it is imperative that the right candidate is a must for the entire community. Refrain from putting the wrong person at the wrong time.

Have you noticed the problems in the past when we chose an incompetent person to represent us on Saipan? Some were embarrassing when representing us because they did not know how to negotiate or lobby for the people of Rota. This practice should discontinue so that it won’t happen again during this approaching election. Believe it or not, there are a lot of good candidates that can be endorsed to run in the general election. Hopefully a background scrutiny will be implemented in order to become a candidate. Poor records or the incompetent ones should be disqualified immediately.

I would also like to ask the Commission on Elections to strictly enforce the policy against accepting candidates who have a felony conviction from seeking public office. This should not be condoned when they apply or file a petition to become a candidate. It is not a good image for the public. I am not really aware of the commission’s policies but seeking public office with a bad record is a poor reflection for the whole community. This is a very professional job and it deals with people constantly. The people of Rota should be mindful and not endorse or choose a candidate that has a poor history.

Running for an office is not a game. Whoever you are that is intending to seek public office this coming election, I wish you a good luck in your future political endeavor. Remember that the people should be first. I know that beautification is part of efforts to boost the island economy but the people is the first choice. The people are really hurting because of what the leaders are doing. There are so many unemployed on the island. The prices of commodities are getting more expensive. There are inadequate resources such as school supplies, health care, welfare, etc. The assistance is not sophisticated at this time.

In closing, I urge the future incoming leaders to consider these problems so that the situation doesn’t continue. They should focus more on what is vital for the people. We need leaders who are well oriented in what they have promised to do and what they are supposed to do. Politics should be put aside and they must do what is needed for the people and the island. There should be understanding within the Legislature and a move toward addressing future needs, without the power struggles that may lead to misunderstandings and end up not doing what is right for the people.

I hope this letter will be helpful to those who may be having second thoughts in choosing who their leaders should be. Go for the leaders whom you know will keep his/her promises and not abandon what they promised to do after being seated in office.