Meet with your constituents!

I moved back home to Saipan a year ago after being away for 11 years in New York. Oh, I’m I glad that I don’t have to experience another freezing winter that is currently sweeping the east side of the country. It feels great to be back to island-style living where everything is within short drives like to the hospital, pristine beaches, blue/green waters, church services, relatives, friends, the Legislature, and historical sites.

Saipan is dynamic that adds glitter to the island because many things change and the quest for better living is a constant activity and debate. People debate issues, make recommendations, scrutinize mistakes, prosecute wrongdoings, and welcome visitors from countries who come to enjoy our pleasant weather, pristine beaches, The Grotto, swim in clean green/blue ocean and relax under a redwood tree with the tropical breeze blowing from the north side of the island.

Saipan is a small community where people engage in daily conversations about public policies on education, economy, legislations, casino, military land use, and traditions like anniversaries, fiestas, cultural events, sports and other social events. In this atmosphere, there are also active conversations about the upcoming political election and will become the centerpiece of media discussion.

What prompted me to write this letter is that many people in communities are concerned about our representative to the U.S. Congress and he has become a common topic of conversation, not only in the newspapers but also in social gatherings that I attend like parties, wakes, and barbecues at the beach. Quite a number of people whom I listen to at these gatherings have expressed concern that they feel betrayed by Delegate Greg Sablan because, as some put it, he is a “wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing.”

This caught my curiosity because of the concern of many people about one particular person who is an elected official. Being a non-political person I listen with interest to opinions and perceptions most of the time and offered only one. I ask in conversations that Delegate Sablan make the effort to call meetings in the villages and engage himself with the local people on what he is actually doing in Congress and answer questions because many are eager for answers that they say affect our lives, not only on Saipan but the entire CNMI.

So, Delegate Sablan, if you are reading this letter I ask that you make the effort to meet with your constituents, particularly the local people. You will be treading stormy waters if you choose to ignore them because they have the power of the pen come election time in November.

On another note, I plan to stay here for good and just breathe and live the tranquil life of an islander. No place like home.