A divided people going nowhere

The CNMI still faces the same basic problem it was facing when I first started writing letters in the 1990s and using the term “one people, one direction” as a metaphor for what was and still is clearly needed for the CNMI to have a good government and economic prosperity. It is clear from the letters in the news recently that our politicians are still keeping the people divided and going nowhere fast! A decade and still on casinos and can’t even get that right given the problems, the opposition and now the TRO! I bet the governor isn’t laughing about the casino lawsuits anymore!

The politics and political players and their plays have gotten so bad that we have four gubernatorial candidates and three are GOP—what a sad political time it is for voters. The GOP is to blame for two new parties with members jumping ship and turning on one another just to keep political control for over a decade and it has gotten the CNMI nowhere! We the people may never be one people doing anything together under these political conditions that clearly divide the people going in four different directions! Our best chance for fixing our very sick democracy is to do all we can to help create a strong two-party system by voting to revive the Democratic Party.

Just think, our politicians have virtually stopped saying anything about uniting the people and taking us anywhere or doing anything new and significant. The governor has successfully divided the people again on the casino issue when he could have just as easily put it on the ballot. But no, he wants to play politics to try and make sure he wins in November with the retirees as his bargaining chips. So voters are divided again with the retirees’ families being the critical linchpin vote for the next election as they represent the biggest bloc. I just pray retirees are smart enough to know they are being played like suckers at an old-time sideshow.

We the people are divided on the casino, divided on Article 12, divided on the CW issue, divided on Pagan, divided on almost every major issue that we need to resolve but no one is leading so we remain divided and under the same GOP rule that got us into this mess! The Democrats have proven they will listen in their stance against the casino and if they will only support the people’s right to decide on legalizing marijuana—which far better than casinos and will completely fix our economy—they will have a great chance of people voting for all the Democrats just to give us all a break from the GOP and a chance at better government and a prosperous economy.

P.S.: It looks like Marianas Stars is our best and safest bet since the governor is dead set on forcing the casino down our throats. At least the casino will taste better coming from Marianas Stars who has clearly asserted they have the people of the CNMI in the forefront of their decisions. I want to thank Marianas Stars for looking out for the people and promoting a fair selection with the TRO and the two licenses suggestion, which I view as a genuine gesture of integrity with the best interest of the people first and I pray they will get the bid as Stars is obviously more experienced and prepared in the casino industry than Best Sunshine who is really a food giant! It should be common sense that we will do twice as good with two casinos if we must have them. I also pray Marianas Stars will support a “shielding law” requiring individuals to be a guest of the casino to play. Their gesture really shows that Marianas Stars is not trying to be greedy and competition does bread quality, which is to the CNMI’s advantage. There is also the fact that the exclusive rights BS is a violation of federal antitrust law as it will constitute a monopoly on Saipan and may very well be tested in court.

Ambrose M. Bennett
Kagman, Saipan