{"id":386150,"date":"2023-02-27T06:02:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-26T20:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=386150"},"modified":"2023-02-27T06:02:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-26T20:02:22","slug":"msa-make-publics-voice-be-heard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/msa-make-publics-voice-be-heard\/","title":{"rendered":"MSA: Make public\u2019s voice be heard"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Keith Stewart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Marianas Southern Airways is appealing to the community to let the administration know whether they are interested in the continuance of its air service or not.<\/p>\n

Keith Stewart, MSA president, said in an interview last Friday that, with all that has happened regarding the recent termination of their $8 million contract with the CNMI to provide affordable interisland air service, he is asking that the community make its voice heard.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the community wants us, we just ask that they please let the administration know, let the Legislature know. If they don\u2019t, then that\u2019s a message we will hear as well and take steps accordingly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

To clarify that the contract between MSA and the former CNMI administration was executed legally, Stewart stated that MSA and its parent company, Marianas Pacific Express LLC, has nothing to hide. He has since posted a copy of the entire contract on MSA\u2019s official Facebook page.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got nothing to hide. The contract complied with CNMI rules and regulations. It was signed off by the former secretary of Finance stating that the funds have been committed, it even provided an account number showing the funds were there, and the attorney general also signed off on it, certifying that it has been reviewed and approved on a legal capacity. There were no backroom deals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Back in November 2021, when the CNMI\u2019s lone interisland service provider, Star Marianas, suspended its services, an emergency declaration was issued by former governor Ralph DLG Torres, stating there was an emergency need for airline service for Rota and Tinian.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe governor reached out to me because they knew we were working on an international airline and he thought it was a long shot that we would even be interested in interisland service. I was told that he also went and approached several others and even tried to work something out with Star Marianas during the time. What ended up happening was that I talked to our airline consultant off of Australia if he could go and work on because I was busy at the time and he brought in Southern Airways by reaching out to Stan Little in Florida. Stan flew down a few weeks later and we ended up reaching an agreement and decided to work on a proposal together that we eventually submitted to the former secretary of Finance in Jan. 2022,\u201d Stewart said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until March of 2022 that we signed a contract with the administration. I have no idea if there were others who submitted proposals, we only control ourselves. We did hear there was another proposal from another company earlier on that was looking at coming down to the CNMI to provide interisland air service,\u201d Stewart added.<\/p>\n

Stewart said the contract termination and the recent statements issued by CNMI stakeholders are damaging MSA\u2019s and Southern Airways\u2019 reputations and it is frustrating.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cancellation of our contract with the government has spread across the world and Southern Airways has been reached out to and contacted by a number of entities out there on the airline side, trying to figure out what is going on. I think both Southern and I are extremely frustrated that our reputation is being questioned. That\u2019s something, even on Southern Airways\u2019 side, that they\u2019re as upset about as anything else. I\u2019m trying to keep this under control, and I don\u2019t know where they\u2019re going to go and what steps they\u2019re going to be taking. It\u2019s extremely unfortunate. In spite of it, we\u2019re willing to come back to the table and work something out. If not, there are other places that are in dire need of air service and want airlines coming into their community. I hate to see that happen,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, on our side, we are still hopeful that we can sort something out with the administration.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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