Strong leadership praised

By AGNES E. DONATO and LIBERTY DONES
REPORTERS

Today marks the 100th day in office for Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and, while some of his top allies and critics commend him for showing strong leadership, others say it is too early to judge his performance.

“I am pretty satisfied with what the governor has done so far. His first 100 days required that we look into our real financial situation. I think the governor has done a good job at managing our limited resources. He has taken drastic, unpopular steps, but I am glad he is addressing our fiscal problems. We’ve spent beyond our means for far too long,” said Senate President Joseph Mendiola, a close supporter of the governor.

Mendiola, who along with Fitial belongs to the Covenant Party, also commended Fitial for “going out of his way to attract investors to come to the islands.”

House Minority Leader Arnold Palacios, an opposition leader, said he admired Fitial’s straightforward manner of ruling.

“He came in at a very hard time for the Commonwealth. We are facing a lot of challenges. I know things have been hard on him, as on everyone else. But he has to take the lead. He is one of the strong leaders the CNMI has had,” Palacios said.

The Republican lawmaker added, however, that 100 days was too short to reveal what type of governor Fitial could be. “It’s unfair for me to judge him on his first 100 days,” he said.

For his part, House minority spokesperson Ramon Tebuteb alluded to the Covenant Party’s slogan for the 2005 election. “Show me ‘better times,’” he said.

Rota Sen. Paul Manglona, another Republican, said the governor had done a good job at “getting everyone together in addressing the problems of the Commonwealth.” He also expressed approval of Fitial’s appointments, describing them as qualified and right for their jobs.

Manglona, however, urged the governor to place emphasis on passing a budget that reflects the actual resources available to the government.

Lynn Knight, chairwoman of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, said she had been “encouraged to see the growing spirit of cooperation” between the administration and the business sector.

“This is vitally important because the issues we are facing today require a deep understanding and a different way of thinking about our economy. Many of the decisions that are being made today are certainly not easy. Change never is, but change is no longer an option. We have to pull this economy back up. I have confidence that we’re heading in the right direction,” she said.

‘MORE CHANGES NEEDED IN GOVT’

Businessmen acknowledge that major changes in government have yet to take place in view of the economic difficulty that it is currently in.

Local businessman Juan “Pan” Guerrero said that Fitial has the ability to make changes but “he does not have many options.”

“There’s just no money and, for some people, it’s difficult to understand,” he said.

For instance, he said that most government employees would not understand that without the painful cut in wages, they would be facing a more difficult situation, probably a payless payday.

“It’s going to take a lot of ingenious financing and moving of money within the government to survive the crisis. … Government employees have to realize that revenues come from business, not from the salaries,” said Guerrero.

Guerrero, who operates Mita Travel, Western Union, and a number of other businesses, said that the last thing he wants the government to do is to raise taxes.

He said the government needs to cut personnel cost, get rid of many government vehicles, and limit holidays.

“I’m really surprised to find out that there’s a new law signed adding another holiday,” he said, referring to recent enactment of Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on the third Monday of January.

Guerrero said he sees that the governor “is trying his best.”

“But a lot of government employees are opposing him. He needs to be given time to implement his plans,” he said.

HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Guerrero said that, while the governor implements austerity measures, he also needs to evaluate his circle of advisers. He said the governor needs to remove some “managers” and take in people “who can do the job.”

“He needs to evaluate. If I were in his position I will remove a lot of managers and put in the right people who have the ability to make changes and make people move, who can perform. The governor needs high-caliber people who can make projections, who can give him the best advice,” said Guerrero.

To begin with, he said the governor can tap the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’ expertise.

Guerrero is an elected director of the chamber.

Overall, Guerrero said that people and business alike should support the governor. “We need to support the governor, especially at this time,” he said.

CASINO ON SAIPAN

Guerrero said the government needs to find alternative sources of income other than garment and tourism. He said one “alternative” would be to allow casino operations on Saipan.

“What I’d like to see is an alternative source of income. One way to do that is probably through casino. It has to be legislated. I’d be supporting legislation for casino on Saipan,” he said.

He said that, unlike Tinian and Rota, Saipan has the infrastructure to support a casino industry.

“Tinian and Rota don’t have the infrastructure right now,” he said.

Under the CNMI laws, only Tinian is currently allowed to operate casinos.

MORE SUPPORT NEEDED

Tinian-based businessman Tom Liu said he can see the governor’s initiatives to make changes.

“He is trying to do a lot of things but he faces a lot of challenges—the projected shortfall of the budget, decline in tax collection, the proposed wage cut,” said Liu. He acknowledged that “things can’t be done in such a short time.”

One good thing, he said, is that the governor has plans.

“He has a lot of plans in his mind and he is trying to implement that one at a time. To do that, he needs the support of everybody. He can’t do it by himself alone,” Liu said.

In particular, he said that the governor “is trying to do a lot of things to promote the CNMI as a tourist destination, investment destination.”

He said the governor needs more cooperation from various agencies and the private sector.

STATE OF THE COMMONWEALTH

Fitial will report on his first 100 days when he delivers his first State of the Commonwealth Address on Friday, April 21, 2006.

At the same event, Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez will offer a separate update on the status of the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.

Washington Rep. Pedro A. Tenorio will also report on federal issues concerning the Commonwealth.