Lies and the casino investor $1 million giveaway

The governor recently announced that there were two interested investors in the Saipan casino and after checking I have confirmed that the governor lied. Yes, he was right about there being one investor but his claim about the Dynasty’s interest was not true—the Dynasty is not interested in a Saipan casino, just like only one hotel was interested in e-gaming. I guess the governor thinks voters are stupid and realize that the people will recognize his admonishment as being a half-truth which we all know is a whole lie! Furthermore, the fact that there is only one investor is sending signals to voters that we are being bamboozled again. In fact, this 15- and 30-day notice is more proof of this all being a setup as it would take the average investor several months to create a legitimate proposal that will commit hundreds of millions to build a hotel and make the 30 million dollar payment.

The investor needs to know that he will be literally giving away a million dollars in application fees because this local law to create a Saipan casino will never stand the test of time. The people are not so stupid that the majority will just hand over the exclusive rights to all gambling in the CNMI to one investor, especially when the investor has never introduced themselves nor said one word to the people of the CNMI. But we are supposed to put our trust, destiny, and entire economic future in their hands with a law that doesn’t have any teeth requiring anything within a specific time period other than the application fee and $30 million for voting season—it is a double-cross that is absolutely ridiculous!

If this investor wants to give away a nonrefundable application fee in clear defiance of the people who own the government then go right ahead, we can use the money but you need to know that the gig is up! The people can already see the governor is manipulating things just to get elected, as most voters know the retirees represent the biggest voting block with real consequences in the coming election. It seems the governor thinks if he can get the retiree vote he will win, which is simple political science. But I have a feeling that there are many retirees who are not going to go for a governor who plays manipulation and political favoritism for investors over respecting the people’s decision and doing the right thing. It is common knowledge the governor is wrong in what he is doing with the implications of investor favoritism and payoffs and what he has failed to do in finding alternatives to casinos so he could force casinos down our throats just like I predicted years ago!

I warned voters and retirees for years that this administration, which hasn’t changed, was not going to let any economic activity materialize that could prove we don’t need casinos. I told readers they were going to suffer until they accepted casinos. I even told readers the decision to kill the Retirement Fund was all part of the plan to get casinos and get re-elected and sad part is this plan I exposed years ago is still working in the minds of a lot of voters who need to wake up and take back our government. I wouldn’t be surprised if voters elected any and everyone except for those who are part of the present administration, just like they did in the last election. We need new, different, and better people on the Hill because most of this group can only deliver one political favor after another to investors and manipulate issues to help investors and to get re-elected.

P.S.: The word over the coconut wire is that someone got paid for this casino and if you think about it we did see too many representatives write one bill after another to get casinos, as if the winning bill’s author was going win a prize, get paid, or something. There have been close to 20 different casino bills and not one alternative bill in the past decade. Voters are not stupid and for the sake of all of us I pray they are going to prove it in November.

Ambrose M Bennett
Kagman, Saipan