June 10, 2008Lawsuit Still on the Table
Governor Fitial is not backing away from a lawsuit against the federal government. The Saipan Tribune states:
"But the Fitial administration does not seem quite ready to call off its fight against federalization.
The governor told the media yesterday he is still consulting with lawmakers, businesses, and other groups on the three options he outlined in his State of the Commonwealth Address last month. The options are to sue the U.S. government, help draft the regulations, or lobby the U.S. Congress to amend the recently approved immigration measure.
“A lawsuit does not have to be confrontational. We can litigate to negotiate,” he said."
Litigate to negotiate? One has to wonder where the money would come from for such a lawsuit. Rumor is that high-priced constitutional law attorneys were being consulted in Washington DC last month.
Meetings with Department of Interior officials broadly touched on the federalization of the CNMI immigration system according to the Tribune:
"In a press conference yesterday, Domenech said there had been preliminary discussions about federalization. He added that officials of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor will visit the islands next month to meet with local leaders about the regulations.
“For the most part, the Department of Homeland Security is the lead agency. So we're kind of waiting for them to take the first step,” he said."
Fitial Likes the New Guys
The Saipan Tribune quotes Fitial as being pleased with the new DOI officials he met with this week:
"The officials also approved the local government's request for the reprogramming of some $5.8 million in federal grants mainly for the repair of Saipan's main power plant.
“I never had this kind of support [from the Interior Department] before,” Fitial said, in an obvious swipe at Domenech's predecessor, David Cohen, with whom the governor had a rocky relationship. Fitial and Cohen had argued over issues such as immigration federalization, the appointment of James Benedetto as federal labor ombudsman in the Commonwealth, and the terms and conditions set for a federal labor grant.
Fitial said that DOI's U.S. Office of Insular Affairs has recently been “not only very sensitive, but also supportive of the funding requests I have submitted to [the federal] office.”
“I'm very happy with the support coming from the Department of the Interior in terms of coming to our aid. I could not have asked for anything more,” he added."
Give it time. Previous administrations liked new officials too. That is until they differed in opinions, came down hard on corruption, demanded accountability, or pushed policies that the CNMI administration opposed. I give Governor Fitial 4 months until he starts attacking Mr. Domenench and Mr. Pula.
Remember when an irate Governor Froilan Tenorio told former DOI Assistant Secretary Leslie Turner to "shut up?" That remark made headlines. When she left, Mr. Stayman was welcomed, and then things turned sour when it became apparent he was not going to be manipulated. Read these articles to refresh your memory on how some former DOI Insular Affairs Deputies were initially well received, and then the relationship soured when he took a stand:
Danny Aranaza:
Initial Response...
"It is refreshing to hear the new OIA helmsman Ferdinand (Danny) Aranza taking the lead to rebuild a broken bridge once used by both sides of the Pacific to bring issues of mutual interest under discussion."
...and then this
"Mr. Danny Aranza is a jerk because he’s trying to fool people who don’t understand the real issue," said Mr. Fitial in an interview with reporters. "The big picture here is our economy and federalization is the biggest threat to our economic survival."
David Cohen:
Covenant Party to Cohen: You've Changed
Time will tell...
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