Change the way we choose our leaders

Change is coming to District 4 on Saipan; the people should take part in making this change! Our two representatives to the Legislature, Joe Camacho and Justo Quitugua, are not going to run for re-election to the House of Representatives. We are lucky that both of our representatives are doing a good job for us. I do not always agree with their votes but they have passion for their jobs. Joe brings a wealth of legal knowledge to the Legislature and he works hard, does not take “benefits” and helps run the House. The bills Joe has introduced are practical. Justo does many “good” things for the people in the district; he wrote the recent bill to limit smoking areas in the CNMI. He cares about the health of the people. We will miss these two guys in the House on Capital Hill, but both could still be on the Hill if they win their elections. The question for the folks in District 4, how and whom do we replace them with?

I have attended many of the House meetings during the last year to learn how things get done in the CNMI. Unfortunately, when I attended these meetings I am usually the only person in the audience except for several media reporters. The meetings can be exciting and often “high drama”, passions are high and the politics are both “on” and “under” the table. The CNMI folks that do not attend these meetings are missing one of the most interesting events on island.

I observed the quality of the legislators range from outstanding to failing grades, just like Representative Joe’s recent midterm survey showed. Some seem to sleep during the meetings, are not prepared, only follow the leadership, and are not thinking for themselves nor adding to the processes of government. On the other hand there are those who sit on the edge of their chairs that are emotionally involved, very intelligent, are on top of all the issues, correcting mistakes, and always looking for ways to improve the legislative processes. The ratio of these two types of representatives discussed above probably follows the old 80/20 management rule; 80 percent of the people follow, and only 20 percent lead. Our new representatives in District 4 should be leaders! How do we go about finding leaders for our district?

We need a new process to select our elected leaders. The old methods for selecting leadership will yield the same results and the 80/20 rule will continue unchanged, and we the people will be losers. We need a new process that will create change to give us “Communities of Excellence.” In such a community all the people work together for the benefit of the whole, not just individuals, not families, not even political parties! The business community, churches, schools and college, government, clubs and associations come together to work for the betterment of the whole community. This is what we need to happen to reverse the 80/20 rule and make our selection winners.

There are many people in the CNMI including District 4, who would like to make a change happen. They have been meeting for a long time and new processes are slowly being identified. You can make a contact to this informal group, whose only agenda is to reform of our government; see the Commonwealth Dialogues at www.tinasablan.com/forum. District 4 folks, please get involved in your government! Who do you think would be good candidates for our two positions in the House of Representatives? You may never totally agree with the candidates’ policies, but you should support their personal principles. Send in your suggestions now!