Truth and consequences

There is a saying that “the truth will set you free” and the wisdom of this phrase speaks volumes as to how we should live and function in every way of life and in our interactions with each other. For me, to a large degree this opinion was inspired by the question by Mr. David Sablan which made it clear that the truth should and needs to be told about the CUC board and why Mr. Sablan was asked to resign.

I am not taking sides because I am a firm believer in truth, justice, and the consequences falling where they should. My problem with this issue is that to date there are still no formal charges of unethical or criminal behavior, which means there are no formal answers to the many allegations and questions raised by Rep. Ed. Propst. I’m not saying he is wrong but I am also not saying he is right as I have been waiting to see what the powers-that-be will do about charging anyone with ethical or criminal behavior. Rep. Propst has raised far more questions than answers but those answers have yet to come. This not to say that the answers are not in the process of being given because I’m sure all the authorities with some form of formal oversight on this matter are doing their homework. So to a large degree we still have to wait and see what the final word on this matter will be—a definitive answer that Rep. Propst is either right or wrong with his allegations.

The truth is the board was lynched without due process and the truth is our governor made the right “political decision” to change the entire CUC board in order to set CUC, his office and the people free of more controversy. No one can really contest the governor’s decision because it does offer the best solution for all the stakeholders at CUC to have a new beginning. The truth is all the board members must now accept the consequences of their behavior. While “justice” (due process) is not required with the replacement of appointed individuals, there is still the lingering questions of unethical and criminal behavior that still need to be answered, even though the lynch mob has been satisfied. I say this because a lot of people have already convicted the board and GPSM; what if they are truly innocent?

Public record clearly shows a continuous feud between Mr. Sablan versus all the other board members. This is also not the first time Mr. Sablan was adamant against the actions of the other board members because I even wrote about how they need to stop fighting. The board and GPSM have only been tried in the court of public opinion and we all know how public opinion can be dead wrong. I’m sure there are a lot of open-minded and objective people who are concerned for the real truth to come out, with the real answers to the questions raised by Rep. Propst.

Rep. Propst has done a lot of talking and finger pointing of blame but does he know the person he was praising could be the real source of the problem and may have even used him to put the board on the spot.

I would like to believe that most people are respectable and will wait for a formal answer from an accredited source before they start damming people.

Ambrose M. Bennett
Kagman, Saipan