Crossing the line

An open letter to Charles Reyes Jr.: As the governor’s spokesman, most of what you say is taken by the vast majority of CNMI citizens as politically inspired garbage. In other words, you are not taken seriously. On Monday, Feb. 6, however, you crossed the line.

In the article on Feb. 6, Rep. Tina Sablan was commenting on the spiraling degradation of CUC, despite the numerous and overused state of emergency declarations by the governor. In her capacity as the chairperson of the Saipan legislative delegation’s Public Utilities and Infrastructure Committee, conducting oversight investigation of CUC, she presented a very sober picture of CUC’s financial and management problems. She was stating the facts which have been obvious to many: CUC is mismanaged, it is insolvent, there is a lack of responsiveness from your boss to create an overall plan, many decent proposals (including those for renewable energy) have fallen on deaf ears, and a cornucopia of other financial and management inconsistencies, blunders, and very suspect practices. And what was your response? Asked for comment, Reyes said the emergency declaration extension is legally necessary to keep the Aggreko generators operating and to keep the power flowing.

Why is it legally necessary? Please explain this legal necessity to the folks paying for CUC’s mistakes and questionable overpriced contracts. Since a full public accounting has never been made from the Aggerko deal, one would conclude that instead of keeping the power flowing, it’s more likely that these declarations have been keeping something else flowing. And originally we were told that this was for one year only. Remember that? Something stinks with this whole contract…and with those who defend it, since there were much more viable and cheaper options made available at the time. Your vague defense of the continued emergency makes me question this contract all that much more.

CUC has just hired an expert. Haven’t there been enough experts, consultants, reports, and committees wasting taxpayers money? Wasn’t Mr. Muna supposed to be the person your boss chose to fix the ills of CUC? We are no closer to fixing the problem and a lot poorer. Tony Muna has repeatedly provided information to the Legislature regarding CUC. Not only are the fiscal facts notoriously incorrect but mostly Mr. Muna just tells us that we can’t move on with any projects because there is no money. Hmmmm….maybe receivership just might be the most viable option (since privatizing seems to be a moot point now). So far, the band-aid approach is just sinking us deeper in this quagmire. What the heck, let’s try another expert. It’s only money. When all the money is gone, maybe then you would agree to privatizing with the bidding starting at, oh, say, a dollar. Or maybe receivership will finally be accepted as the only option.

Junior, you fundamentally crossed the line with the following statement: “It is very unfortunate that some legislators choose to take on a very negative, counterproductive, adversarial and hostile approach with the administration regarding CUC and other matters, while the Commonwealth is in crisis.” Whew…talk about a diehard hypocrite. Your rather pointed comments at Rep. Sablan sound all too familiar with what your boss was doing with the suit against the federal government. And to say such comments about the legislator who received the highest marks from the citizens of the CNMI in Rep. Joseph Camacho’s interim poll, well, Junior you are barking up the wrong tree. The administration is the one hostile and adversarial to those who are looking into CUC management, past and present. If you want cooperation, then open up the books, be transparent, make a workable plan, and desist from negative comments about those very legislators who are trying to help the CNMI and who have no ulterior motive except to try to set things on a positive course. That’s cooperation.

Any problem, Charlie, with your boss opening up all the books? I see this as a classic case of prisoners’ dilemma in game theory, where the political players, pursuing their own unenlightened, short-sighted and narrow self interest, choose unhealthy conflict and defection over cooperation and collaboration. Huh? The only game I see is your usual obfuscation of the truth and an attempt at a hostile offense as a poor substitute for any real defense. Self-interest? Rep. Sablan? Not hardly. Unhealthy conflict? The CNMI should be thankful for those who are in conflict with the corruption rampant on Capital Hill. Lack of cooperation and collaboration? Where was that cooperation and collaboration when your boss said that he was not using public funds to pursue his quixotic suit against the feds, continued to use public funds when the combined Legislature suggested that public funds should not be used, and has refused to open the books against all legal requests per the Open Government Act, based on your spurious argument that we can’t let the U.S. government know how much money we are using to fight them. Come on, Charlie. Talk about game playing.

How about you cooperate with the committee investigating CUC? Or is there too much too hide? Better, yet, let Rep. Tina Sablan take over CUC for one year and see if things improve. Certainly she can’t do any worse than the governor and his political appointees. And with someone who clearly cares about the interests of the citizens of the CNMI, who is honest and transparent and open to the public…well, that would certainly be a positive step toward improving CUC. I would suggest you do that in the interest of cooperation. Or are there things hidden behind closed doors and offshore accounts of which an honest CUC director might ferret out, and expose some of the elites’ financial secrets to the hardworking taxpayers and citizens of the CNMI?

Junior, you should be cautious when your self-serving and vicious comments are directed at one of the few legislators who are trying to right the many wrongs of the current administration. Remember, she got the highest marks for any legislator in the interim poll. How would you fare against her in a CNMI poll based on honesty, integrity, and transparency? Think about that, Charlie, and then look closely at yourself in the mirror and ask if what you see is someone you are proud of.