Rep. Tina's Call for Impeachment....

(The following speech was delivered during House Session on Aug. 22)

The recent federal indictments of the Lieutenant Governor, the Commerce Secretary, the Lieutenant Governor's sister, and the former Executive Director of CUC have dealt a crushing blow to public confidence in government. The tentative responses of lawmakers and other public officials to the indictments have only rubbed salt in the people's wounds. The lieutenant governor must step down. There is no question about that. Even if there is a chance that he might ultimately be acquitted of criminal charges in court – in the hearts and minds of so many our people, he has lost all credibility, and should not be allowed to remain in public office. Our personal relationships with him do not matter. All that should matter is the public trust. He must step down. I urge this body to take a clear and united position on this issue, on behalf of our constituents, to urge Mr. Villagomez, in the strongest terms possible, to resign from his position, or be removed.
We must also challenge the increasingly autocratic methods of the Governor. The people are clamoring for a recall, for impeachment, for the Legislature to take some kind of meaningful stance against the parade of weakly-justified emergency declarations, unconstitutional executive orders, highly suspicious sole-source contracts, nonsensical threats of litigation against the federal government, failures to pay employer contributions the Retirement Fund or to pay down the deficit – the list goes on and on.
The Governor's actions might be, at the end of the day, technically legal. But they are fundamentally, ethically, and morally wrong. Taken together, they add up to dereliction of duty. Taken together, they add up to a staggering betrayal of the public trust.
I do not deny the Governor's constant reminders that he inherited a mess of problems from previous administrations – but I do hold him accountable for making things worse during his administration, and I hold this body accountable for enabling him every step of the way when we have either ignored or outright endorsed his failed policies.
It is my view that there is no longer a question of whether or not we have the grounds to pursue impeachment proceedings against this Governor, but whether or not we have the will and the courage to do so. But even if this body is not willing to do so, we can, at the very least, refuse to be complicit in the Governor's constant abuses of power and resolve to restore public confidence in the checks and balances of democracy wherever this Governor – and we, by our consent -- have shattered that confidence. We can, at the very least, cut his budget and restrain his ability to do further harm to the economy, to the morale of our community, to our relations with the federal government, and to the public trust.
And while I am on the subject of the budget, I must ask, what is the status of FY 09 budget? The budget is essentially the government's plan for the year. The silence about the progress we are making with respect to the budget for Fiscal Year 2009 is deafening. Has the committee returned the budget to the governor to correct the serious discrepancies that have been identified in his initial submittal? Are meaningful efforts being made to prioritize essential services, cut costs, pay down the deficit, and remit employer contributions to the Retirement Fund? Whatever happened to public budget hearings? I am deeply worried that we will be repeating the budget fiascos of past years – which is that no budget was passed, no real government downsizing occurred, the deficit continued to balloon, pensions were denied to eligible retirees, and political hirings continued even as hard-working and competent government employees saw their salaries slashed.
Our people grow increasingly demoralized, increasingly angry, and increasingly restless. I have heard talks about mass demonstrations on the hill and in the streets, uprisings, and alarmingly, violence and sabotage. Our people are reaching a breaking point. They have had it with business as usual in this government. They have had it with misspent public funds and misdirected priorities. They have had it with rolling blackouts and contaminated water, or no water at all. They have had it with the soaring cost of living. They have had it with the petty games, the cronyism, and the short-sightedness of local politics. They are ready to do away with the politics of old, and embrace a new politics that is democratic, transparent, inclusive, and guided by a long-term vision for our future. They are ready for real change, and they want a real plan -- not the shoot-from-the-hip strategy that has characterized local politics thus far. Planning takes leadership. It takes courage and political will.
I hear these things every day. I think about them every day. And as discouraging as I have found the last eight months of this term, I continue to hope even now that it is still possible for change in our Commonwealth and in the way that we govern ourselves, to begin with this Legislature.

Tina Sablan
House of Representatives
16th CNMI Legislature
PO Box 500586
Saipan, MP 96950
Tel: (670) 664-8931
Cel: (670) 285-3935
Email: tinasablan@gmail.com or
rep.sablanc@cnmileg.gov.mp