Pete A. for OIA post

A local lawmaker will appeal to President-elect George W. Bush to appoint former Lt. Gov. Pete A. Tenorio to the Office of Insular Affairs in a move to enhance relations between the federal government and the territories, including the CNMI.

Sen. Edward U. Maratita said he is ready to recommend highly-credible individuals from the Northern Marianas to replace current OIA Director Ferdinand Aranza, who is from Guam.

He will send a letter to Mr. Bush to ask him to consider Mr. Tenorio, former government consultant Brenda Y. Tenorio, and other former members of the 902 panel from the Commonwealth before the incoming U.S. president names his OIA officials.

“It would be better for us to have someone there who knows the areas he’s in charge with,” the Rota senator told reporters in an interview.

Mr. Bush or any of his campaign officials have yet to disclose any plan on the agency tasked with overseeing insular areas, such as the CNMI, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

But local leaders are hoping of OIA shake-up once he assumes office next month since it will be a Republican administration and most of the high-ranking officials there now are appointed by President Clinton, a Democrat.

Manase Mansur, Mr. Bush’s chief campaign official for the Pacific islands and a known CNMI ally, earlier has said that the former Texas governor has a good track record of supporting local government.

CNMI’s relations with OIA have been strained in recent years due to the Clinton administration’s agenda of extending immigration and minimum wage laws to the Northern Marianas.

According to Mr. Maratita, former OIA chief Allen P. Stayman or even his successor have failed to address the needs of the islands, particularly the CNMI.

“He didn’t do a good job,” he said, citing its failure to help the island government ask reimbursement for the over $100 million the federal government has owed from the CNMI in assisting Micronesians here.

While he is aware that Mr. Tenorio is seeking the office of CNMI’s resident representative to the United States, Mr. Maratita said he wants him to consider the job if he is chosen by Mr. Bush.

“He is someone who knows our problems here and he is a good candidate to the OIA post,” he added.