Revised GOP bylaws grant amnesty to former members

The NMI Republican Party has revised its existing bylaws to simplify the terms and include a provision granting amnesty to members who had left the party in a bid to bring everybody back to the fold.

The party’s bylaws committee chairs, Michael Evangelista and Oscar Rasa, presented the revised bylaws at the general membership meeting held Saturday at the Garapan Central Park.

Evangelista said the 36-page document was trimmed down to just eight pages comprising 12 articles that, among others, provide general amnesty to members who faulted the party.

Under the revised bylaws, an individual can become a member of the party in two ways: through a written application or a verbal declaration of intent to join the party.

For membership termination, however, member can either be voluntarily separated from the group or involuntarily terminated by the central committee. Involuntary termination deals with members who commit “grievous acts” against the party.

For issues that may arise and are not covered by the bylaws, the group will refer them to the Robert Rules of Orders.

Evangelista explained the highlights of the bylaws articles, including the composition of its board of directors (at least five members that include the first president, first vice president, second vice president, secretary, and treasurer of the group). Article 4, meantime, deals with the selection of committeemen and committeewoman for the Republican National Committee convention, while the selection of candidates for the delegate election is outlined in Article 5.

Members will have until Feb. 15, 2012, to submit nominees for the delegate candidate, in time for the selection on March 10, 2012. Evangelista said the selection of the GOP candidate for U.S. delegate will be conducted simultaneously with GOP parties in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands as a show of unity among Pacific territories.

Under its bylaws, the central committee shall handle all the CNMI-wide election issues. This group is composed of the board of directors, standing committee chairmen, precinct club chairpersons, and other elected party officials. Evangelista said the central committee will select the candidates for elected office, including the House, Senate, U.S. delegate, and gubernatorial seats.

In the case of primary election, only registered members can vote.

The group, he said, will adopt the national format in holding primary polls where candidates will run individually and those who will emerge as the top voter-getter will become the GOP’s official candidate for the gubernatorial election.