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Article 12 petition drive far from getting 8K signatures
A non-profit group called the Citizens for Change of Article XII is far from reaching the required 8,000-plus signatures to be able to place a question in the November ballot whether people want to amend the NMI Constitution provision that restricts ownership of land to persons of Northern Marianas descent.
Vince Seman, chairman of CCART 12, said yesterday they have not yet submitted their petition to the Office of the Attorney General “as we have not yet collected the 8,000 signatures needed for a popular initiative.”
“We continue to gather signatures until we get the required number. Honestly, we don’t think we will get enough signatures in time for this November’s election, but we will keep trying until we do as we believe many NMDs need relief and that it’s the right thing to do,” Seman told Saipan Tribune.
CCART 12 is leading a popular initiative that proposes a constitutional amendment for the CNMI people to vote to amend Article 12 and allow land owners to elect to restrict the alienation of their own land.
The group said by signing the petition, a person is not voting yes or no on Article 12, but is only asking that Article 12 question be put on the ballot for all voters to vote on in the election. To sign the petition, contact Cathy Cepeda at csablancepeda@gmail.com.
Other CCART 12 members said the group will try again in the next elections if they are unable to place it on the ballot this year.
Some lawmakers also tried to move Article 12 legislative initiatives but were unsuccessful. The latest was on May 6 when the House of Representatives, by a vote of 14-2, killed House Legislative Initiative 18-4.
