Who is corrupted?

This is in response to Patty N. Cabrera’s letter to the editor. Who exactly are you calling corrupt? In response to an honorable man’s words of advice, you accuse him of corruption? Mr. Jose S. Dela Cruz, the man who served us as the first chief justice of the CNMI, wrote an article, (“Corruption in the CNMI government: A worsening crisis”) and within, he enclosed sound advice as seen from his standpoint. You stated that his opinion is “riddled with ignorance, speculation, and misinformation.” While you have presented facts and statements that, from a distance, seem legitimate, you have failed to realize the whole of Mr. Dela Cruz’s argument. His writing was mainly focused on the dubious work of our government, not on Best Sunshine itself.

Since the inception of the CNMI, every few years there have been cases where government officials were tried and sent to prison because of their “corrupt” antics during office, and since the last fiasco performed by former governor Benigno Fitial, the local government has been engaged in many “questionable” transactions. It is normal for anyone to feel a need to be cautious in such trying times, especially considering the recent disasters the islands have faced. Mr. Dela Cruz’s advice “to be on our guard” stands firm. You, on the other hand, seem more fixated on preserving Best Sunshine’s name. Rather than opposing his main argument of possible corruption lying within our local government, you went on and specifically argued on the behalf of Best Sunshine, argued in an attempt to solidify their position.

As if not to waste time, you readily branded the former chief justice as “corrupted.” You even went as far as to state that he was “making assumptions,” “building mistrust,” and in his supposed “ignorance” he was “misinforming” the people. The position of chief justice is appointed to those who show outstanding moral character and by age and experiences are placed as the presiding member of the Supreme Court. Although no longer serving, he was the first chief justice, and as such carries a more tempered mind than most. It was his job to question and root out injustice. I doubt he of all people would fall under the category of “corrupted.” You, however, once again running past the main argument, attacked him, attempting to prove his statements incorrect, but only succeeded in demonstrating your own lack of understanding, as you relentlessly argued on behalf of Best Sunshine. Your article argued for the wrong subject. If you looked deeper, you would have noticed that the gist of his letter, the core meaning, was “caution when looking to the government.” You assumed his words were meant as a challenge against Best Sunshine. You assumed, and as you yourself put it, “Experience and wisdom is great, but making assumptions in a public forum merely adds fuel to the fire…”

Enfin Serafin!

Alexandro ‘Colonel’ Sablan
Dandan, Saipan