FROM THE PUBLISHER ’ S DESK
Post-election in post-Covid season
The November elections are over . Call it banal , but there is no easier way to cap the election season than this hackneyed opening line .
It has been “ a wild ride ,” outgoing CNMI Gov . Ralph Torres said , describing the commonwealth ’ s gubernatorial election which he lost to his estranged lt . governor , Arnold Palacios .
Every election — in any place — is a wild ride . That ’ s just the nature of the political process . Conflict is its province . Politics exists because people disagree on how things should be done and who should do them . People have divergent beliefs , values and temperaments , hence the clashing viewpoints on public issues .
“ That is what democracy is about . In elections , there arise divisions as we put our names forward to do the incredibly difficult task of leading our islands ,” said Gov . Torres , who is preparing for a graceful exit .
Guam , of course , is no different . This year ’ s gubernatorial race put our differences into stark relief . We ’ ve become even more polarized in the past two years when the Covid-19 pandemic muddled science with politics . One ’ s position on the administration ’ s Covid policies defines their ideology .
Everyone pretends to be a scientist . Everyone pretends to be a constitutional expert . Social media is deluged with insane threads that have shattered friendships and alienated families .
“ If you had predicted the outcome of the election of Guam ’ s next governor solely on Facebook comments on local news stories , you might have assumed that change was going to sweep over the island and all the incumbents , especially the current governor and
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This year ’ s gubernatorial race put our differences into stark relief . We ’ ve become even more polarized in the past two years when the Covid-19 pandemic muddled science with politics .
democratic majority , would be tossed out of office and onto Marine Corps Drive ,” Michael Bevacqua writes in his analysis of the 2022 elections . ( See page 17 )
In the end , the real world has its own realities .
Now after another socially cleaved election , our politicians followed the template for decorum , which entails the mandatory clichés : “ Let the healing begin ,” and “ let ’ s focus on working together .”
But we know that the honeymoon period is always brief . In politics , “ healing ” is an inconsequential platitude .
The animosity that escalates during the campaign period tends to linger even after the votes are counted .
So now we begin exploring “ what ’ s next ?”
“( My priority is ) to provide our people with a better quality of life ,” Gov . Leon Guerrero said in an interview with the Pacific Island Times . ( See page 16 )
The campaign season is over . Without corresponding plans and follow-up actions , pretty words are just pretty words .
With a fresh mandate , the reelected governor will be looking to tick a number of boxes on a list of short and longterm goals for the next four years .
While judgment happens on election day , the governor will continue to be judged long after the certification of results .
Publisher / Editor-in-Chief Mar-Vic Cagurangan publisher @ pacificislandtimes . com
Contributing Writers Michael Bevacqua Raquel Bagnol Donna Hope Blas Zaldy Dandan Jinky Jorgio Theodore Lewis Joyce McClure Gabriel McCoard Gina T . Reilly Jay Shedd Robert Underwood Frank Whitman Jeffrey Voacolo Aline Yamashita
Jan SN Furukawa jan @ pacificislandtimes . com
Account Executive Anna Marie Alegre sales @ pacificislandtimes . com
Administrative Assistant Jinky Villanueva
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