Morgan clarifies reform stance

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan, Iyanbito/Pinedale, issued a news release on Friday that the size of the 88-member Council is not the central issue for comprehensive government reform.

The speaker’s office said that recent newspaper articles may have given the false impression that Morgan is endorsing President Joe Shirley’s initiative to reduce the size of Council. The speaker’s office did not indicate which news articles have given the false impression.

The speaker’s office said that the memorandum of agreement that Morgan and Shirley signed and announced on Aug. 13 is not an agreement to reduce the Council.

One of the terms of the MOA was that legislation would be introduced to send a referendum vote to the Navajo people to amend the law regarding how many voters voting it takes to change the size of Council and to reduce the number of members on Council to 40 delegates.

The MOA between Morgan and Shirley states: “Legislation shall be drafted and proposed to the Council for a referendum election amending 2 N.N.C. § 102(A) to require that amendments to that section may be approved by only a majority of those voters actually voting in an election when at least 35% of the electorate votes to change the size of the Council and reducing the size of the Council from 88 to 40 members.”

If Council approves the referendum, then Shirley would withdraw his initiative petitions. However, if Council does not send a referendum to the people to amend the law, then Shirley would be able to proceed with his initiatives to reduce the number of delegates to 24 and to obtain budget line-item veto authority, according to the agreement. The speaker’s challenges to the initiatives would also be able to proceed.

Morgan, however, said that the size of Council is not the central issue for comprehensive government reform.

“In the interest of compromise and moving the Nation forward, Speaker Morgan agreed to sign the MOU with the understanding that the subject of reform will be an ongoing discussion with approval from the Navajo Nation Council,” the speaker’s office stated, referring to the MOA as a memorandum of understanding.

In his news release, Morgan said he supports the spirit of comprehensive government reform.

“This is the Navajo people’s government and they must be represented,” Morgan said. “Comprehensive government reform is possible. We all need to work together and listen to the Navajo people.”

He also said that the plan to restructure the entire Navajo Nation government must involve all three branches of the tribal government and any change to the structure of the Council needs to come from the Navajo people.

The agreement signed by Morgan and Shirley calls for the speaker, the president and five designees from each of the two leaders to make a plan for the process to undertake government reform. Once the rules and procedures are in place, the people identified to participate in the reform effort by the first group would meet to produce a restructuring document that would go before Council to be sent to the people for a referendum vote.

George Hardeen, communications director for Shirley, said that the story on the agreement printed Aug. 14 by the Independent was complete and comprehensive, and he did not know to which articles Joshua Lavar Butler, spokesperson for Morgan, was referring.

He added that the section on the referendum to amend the law dealing with the amount of voters needed to change the size of Council and to reduce the number of delegates is at the center of the agreement.

“Take that out and there’s no agreement,” Hardeen said.
“The speaker asked for these talks back in May, They began in June. He was very eager for the president to arrange his schedule to meet with him. In fact he sent out a press release expressing his disappointment, and now the ball is in his court to have a special session and get this thing moving,” he said.

The MOA states that legislation appropriating $2 million for activities related to the government restructuring would be presented at the Council’s next special session.