Group wants Tina, Heinz ‘impeached’

Two lawmakers have been included on the list of elected officials that a citizen group wants “impeached.”

The Taotao Tano group yesterday circulated a letter calling for the “impeachment” of Representatives Christina Sablan and Heinz Hofschneider for alleged treason, neglect of duty, and disgrace in public office.

The pair joins Gov. Benigno R. Fitial whom Taotao Tano has also accused of committing the said grounds for impeachment.

“We the Taotao Tano CNMI Association Inc. hereby submit before you on behalf of the suffering, humiliated, betrayed, and disrespected local indigenous Northern Marianas descent people of the land of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands a notice of intent to impeach from office the [mentioned] individuals in the Executive and Legislative Branch,” stated a letter Taotao Tano president Gregorio Cruz hand-delivered to legislative members yesterday.

The letter also said the group will formally submit a request for impeachment on Tuesday, May 6, 2008.

Sablan and Hofschneider are co-sponsor of a bill calling for improved immigration status for long-term foreign workers in the Northern Marianas. Their two co-sponsors, Representatives Edward Salas and Victor Hocog, were not named in Taotao Tano’s “letter of intent to impeach.”

In a phone interview, Sablan said she respects the group’s right to express their dissent. She added that her door is always open to Taotao Tano or any group or individual who wish to discuss with her their ideas and criticisms.

The Constitution empowers the Legislature to impeach erring executive and judicial officers. The House may initiate impeachment proceedings by the vote of two-thirds of its members and the Senate may convict after hearing by the vote of two-thirds of its members.

Lawmakers, for their part, are subject to recall. A recall petition must be signed by at least 40 percent of persons qualified to vote for the office occupied by the public official sought to be recalled. The petition should be filed with the attorney general, and upon certification, be submitted to the voters at the next regular general election. A recall petition should take effect 30 days after the election if approved by two-thirds of the qualified voters.

Since House members serve two-year terms at a time, the recall process is not seen as a practical route for ousting House members from power.

Another route is for the House or Senate to expel a member.