Animosity grows between Diné branches

By John Christian Hopkins
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The chasm between the executive and legislative branches cracked a little wider this week, as one delegate took offense at a press release from the president’s spokesman.

Many Farms Delegate Kee Allen Begay and Press Officer George Hardeen have sniped at each other in the past, but it seemed to take on a new vehemence this week.

Hardeen released findings from a 2005 study, commissioned by the Council to evaluate its effectiveness.

The 82-page report found Council has poor legislative record-keeping, delegates are prevented from dealing with issues that should be heard by the full Council but often are not, and oversight committees spend more than half their time micro-managing executive branch functions, according to Hardeen’s release.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., said the report’s findings are commonly known among tribal employees and division directors, but may not be known by the Navajo people.

“The people may ask why they haven’t heard of this study before,” Shirley is quoted as saying. “As a report card, it gives our legislative body a low grade.”

Taking exception to a recent press release by Hardeen, Begay responded with his own release to Shirley.

“You will never hear the end of me, not only as a delegate, but also as Navajo person on this issue which I consider as an outright attack on our Navajo sovereign government — and which I firmly believe is being spearheading by a ‘non-Navajo’ individual within your Executive Branch!,” Begay wrote.

Begay said Shirley seems to be telling Navajo communities to “go after your delegate.”

Shirley is advocating reducing the council from 88 members to 24.

“Mr. President Shirley, you need to provide accurate information to the Navajo people on local radio, and on your press release,” Begay wrote. “Why are you creating so much animosity out there? Would you have not started this if the NNC had built you a new presidential house, or supported your $500 million bond issue?”

How low is Shirley going to go with his negative comments against council, Begay wondered?

“Mr. President, it will be you and your staff to blame should this get out of hand,” Begay said.

The study examined a six-year period from 2000 to 2005. All records and data for the report were provided by the legislative branch, although no information was provided from three Council standing committees in 2000, 2004 and 2005 respectively, the report states.

Data was compiled and the report written between October and December 2005 by the National Conference of State Legislatures and its subcontractors JVA Consulting and Mark Fleming.

The report is available online from the Navajo Government Development Office Web site at www.ongd.
navajo.org/files/frnnc.pdf.

The report says the biggest challenge the researchers faced was ensuring accuracy because of the unclear nature of legislation, missing information, and errors.

Based on this report, Shirley is recommending cutting the number of council delegates from 88 to 24. Begay was critical of the president’s government reform task force. He said it is blatantly “retaliation against the legislative branch, if not against the council delegates.”

Four of the task force members currently serve on the president’s staff, including Chief of Staff Patrick Sandoval and the president’s legal advisor Michelle Dotson.

“Government Reform? Why only the Legislative Branch? What about the Executive Branch or the Judicial Branch? Why not eliminate the Washington Office, since its just not doing anything realistically for our Navajo people?” Begay asked. “Why not eliminate your entourage, your security staff?”

Maybe the president just wants to eliminate the council, Begay said. Has Shirley asked his staff to find anything it can use to belittle the council, Begay asked.

“We might as well allocate all of the government functions and funding to the local chapters and eliminate the Window Rock offices, then it will truly be a government reform and saving of the Nation money,” Begay wrote.

Begay also asked how Shirley came up with the number 24, and expressed doubt that 24 delegates could adequately represent 110 chapters.

“I won’t be surprised if you should start an initiative to eliminate our Navajo Nation Sovereign status,” Begay said. “Mr. President Shirley, it is very obvious that your Executive Branch is doing all it can to continue to mislead our Navajo people. I challenge you to make your own conclusion and succinctly justify your own well-thought out analysis of your supposed irresponsible Navajo Nation Legislative Branch. Again, I’m simply asking for your honesty and disseminate accurate information to the Navajo people. Only if you could start tackling our Navajo Nation’s ‘real’ issues as sternly as you’re doing to the Council. Imagine that!”

John Christian Hopkins can be reached at Hopkins1960
@hotmail.com