Tinian politicians gearing up for a showdown

With still eight months away from the mid-term elections, Republicans on the island municipality of Tinian are gearing up for a political showdown with Sen. David M. Cing after they have expressed strong opposition to his possible nomination as common candidate under the unity ticket.

GOP sources said there is a growing consensus among party members to withdraw from forging an alliance with Democrats in Tinian should the latter decide to appoint Cing as their candidate in the November elections.

Cing ran and won as an independent candidate in the 1997 polls, but is currently overhauling the Democratic Party to strengthen his candidacy against Rep. Jose A. Hocog.

Previous press reports said Hocog, another Democrat, has defected to GOP and is being groomed as Cing’s challenger in the coming elections.

“The Republicans are strongly opposed to Cing and will not agree to a unity party if Cing insists that he runs under the Democratic Party,” a party source said on condition of anonymity, “Hocog represents the unity ticket.”

Exacerbating the political bickering is the planned oversight investigation by Cing, chairman of the Executive Appointments and Governmental Investigations, into the controversial employment contract of gaming casino consultant Oscar C. Rasa.

Rasa, a key adviser of the Republicans in the island municipality, has branded such plans as another political ploy to boost Cing’s candidacy in the elections.

According to Rasa, a former House speaker, he will not oppose any inquiry provided that Cing steps down as chairman to ensure impartiality of the probe.

“I don’t have any objection or hesitancy appearing before any competent board of inquiry,” Rasa said in a recent phone interview, “but I will not subject myself to a kangaroo hearing or Sen. Cing’s political agenda.”

“Cing should relinquish the chairmanship to prove that his sincere and that the investigation will be impartial and non-political otherwise this oversight would only tantamount to abuse of power and discretion to satisfy his personal curiosity for political reasons,” Rasa said.

The former speaker cited a previous hearing by Cing which he said became a venue to attack the senator’s political rivals. “Every election year Cing would come out for an oversight because he is not doing much in the Senate as he wants us to believe and he wants to find a escape goat. “Rasa said.

According to Rasa, in Cing’s bid for a senatorial seat he used the same issue against rivals Steven King and Melinda King in the 1991 and 1995 elections.

“Now it’s Hocog against Cing. He’s using the same pattern because he wants to hide behind the casino issue for non-performance in the Senate,” Rasa said.