Furlough is ridiculous!

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial should not implement the plan to lay off some of the inessential government employees. First, why did he agree to hire and approve these people’s personnel action? Now he will put their lives in jeopardy by implementing the furlough to reduce costs and save some money for the government?

This is a bad idea for the governor to do because it is like putting every individual’s life in a precarious situation. At this point in time, there are a lot of government employees who have debts to take care of and the governor should reconsider his strategy in implementing this measure.

I pretty much doubt this action will protect the general public’s interest, especially their welfare as a whole. The governor should be more creative by finding an alternative solution, instead of allowing the furlough to happen. Honestly, the people are suffering at this moment. It’s enough that the governor already implemented a reduction of hours among government employees in the past few years.

I am aware the governor has the authority to furlough the employees but in all honesty this is not the right time for him to take such action. Thousands of employees will be affected by the furlough when it’s enacted and all of these individuals will become jobless. The governor should identify other resources that will bring in more funding in order to resolve some of his obligations.

The question is why is the government experiencing a budget shortfall when there’s millions of dollars being given away by the federal government? Has the CNMI government taken advantage of these funds? If it did, where did that money go? I have doubts about this situation because the government shouldn’t be in deficit as there is sufficient appropriation from the lower house.

Maybe the money is being misspent by some in the government. There is a lot of corruption going on and these are not being recognized for the longest time. The governor should look into this matter. One good example is cutting some of the unimportant expenses, especially travels that are not related to government functions.

I strongly suggest that before the implementation of the government furlough, there should be a study to find a better solution other than the furlough and to consider the retention of all inessential employees that will be affected.

Lastly, I respect the decision of the governor but I would like to challenge him to find other means that will not hurt government employees; their welfare would be in jeopardy. Also, I would like to urge the Legislature to get involved so that they can share their ideas to make sure that a furlough will not happen.