Letters | Burn some gas on the Nation’s dirt roads

Burn some gas on the Nation’s dirt roads

Editor,
I was surprised to read about the man I voted for, Buu Nygren. The office of the NN President had a Navajo Times headline ‘Turmoil happening’ Work environment at president’s office not healthy. It got me to thinking about a wide range of stuff that can go wrong in a workplace, however, this one is a bad reflection on anyone’s leadership. That piqued my interest in sharing a response. It is not catered to one side or the other.

First, to his supporters, there is no doubt about mixed feelings, whether they are substantiated or not, but if true journalism is done, then there is a problem and a solution to be found. I have been in management for more than 30 years; opposing factions in offices is a given, people who don’t belong in authority position is another given, and so on, but those will always be inherited problems with many people working together.

I used to call it, ‘office squabbles.’ Sometimes they become more of a distraction, people’s reputations hurt, losing site of goals, and so on. The problem should be handled promptly; like management training in sexual harassment which I don’t hear enough of in detail. Maybe they do? But mostly, just a whole new administration moving in.

The point here is, they are little problems if handled immediately. The main difficulty is, if you allow this to continue, you will not stay focused on the real struggles the people of the NN have. You know? What you were elected for.

Did I and tens of thousands of Diné voters make a mistake?

You do a weekly radio broadcast to the Navajo people about your travels here and there, is not very beneficial because they are mostly away from WR, and about you. If you really want to keep in touch with your people, you should take a trip to their home chapters and report their needs and accomplishments. It is evident by the reporter, your numbers are high in travel expenses. Burn some gas on the dirt roads to your constituencies.

And your P-Cards are the Navajo Peoples’ money not to be spent frivolously. Have better controls or get rid of it.

Look around you, Buu, we counted on your leadership to get us out of a “condition” we’ve been in for more than a century and half of federal government oversight keeping us as a Third World country. Do you see any college degreed applicants finding new jobs, new businesses infrastructure being built? This is the condition the federal government has put in a situation we can’t seem to break, has become our greatest weakness. Our present condition is an operating state that the federal government has effectively put us in the way we live and work to survive. It is just the way things are and we’ve gotten used to it.

The Navajo people who put you in the president’s office I’m sure are confused. At the bottom of any condition is ‘confusion.’ It can go right up to the top, if the executive branch fails to hold firmly the form of command line and channels of the NN, their own post will be at stake, and the Nation will be in a state of confusion. Oddly enough, trying to operate as sanely and orderly as possible, the operation of the NN government will be done in a confused way. Confidence will erode.

Although I have never worked for any government, the reporter gave enough detail for me to conclude there is a serious emergency situation that has created unnecessary and embarrassing work traffic that must be resolved. The problem of bureaucracy in government is having top-heavy administrative staff. They hang around, visit, and talk too much. “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.” It creates a lot of communication lines and positions into thinking it needs a lot more people, but they end up sitting in empty offices using up the money; not solving problems.

Teddy Begay
Kayenta, Ariz.

Problems with grazing permit program continue

Editor,
This public message is BIA Navajo Region grazing permit program corruption. BIA attempts to approve District 17 grazing committee recommendation to cancel my grazing permit. Here are complaints against Jerome Willie, BIA technical adviser to Fort Defiance agency district grazing committee. I asked Gregory Mehojah, BIA Regional Director, to show proof I am wrong. He refused when I asked for his rebuttal in the media.

Records show Jerome Willie does not have proof to cancel my grazing permit. He blames the grazing officials for their decision to cancel the permit. He is BIA technical adviser with federal trust responsibility to advise the grazing committee they did not comply with two critical legal requirements to terminate the permit. First, at a July 1, 2019, District 17 grazing committee meeting Jerome Willie failed to advise the committee that 25 CFR 167.8(b) reads “Grazing permits in trust status may not be disposed of in any way except by court order”. Mr. Willie, Sir! Where is the court order??

Secondly, you failed to advise the committee that 25 CFR 167.8(c) also reads “No person can hold more than one grazing permit.” At a May 7, 1991, District 17 grazing committee meeting you failed to advise the committee of a request by my sister to transfer her grazing permit to me violates having two permits.

Thirdly, you failed to advise the committee that 25 CFR 167.10 reads “problem of grazing permits shall be settled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs working in cooperation with the Tribal Council, or any Committee designated by it, with a view to terminating permits at a suitable date and with the least hardship to Indians concerned”.

Mr. Willie, sir, explain how you agreed with the grazing committee to terminate May 7, 1991, committee resolution on July 1, 2019. Thirty years late is not suitable date and 30 years of hardship is not your legal obligation as government official. In fact, you merely violated 49 CFR § 1570.5 (falsification of records) by failure to resolve the dispute in a timely manner; not 30 years late. You also violated 25 CFR 167. 7 (Records) “…the Superintendent and his authorized representatives shall keep accurate records of all grazing permits.” Agency record file does not have all seven records required for permit transfer action in 1991.

Jerome Willie’s intention was and still is creating a voluminous record as the Regional Director stated in a April 1, 2022 cancellation of permit letter. Jerome Willie created the mess on May 7, 1991. As federal trustee he failed to advise the grazing committee that approving two permits violates 25 CFR 167,8(c) by creating double standard for BIA to approve two grazing permits.

Jerome Willie has a career as range specialist for the BIA in over 40 years. He is expected to know federal grazing regulation for compliance, restrictions, and administrative controls. He violated 25 CFR §11.448 (Abuse of Authority). And his supervisor accusing me of creating corruption without justification and without legal determination is a serious accusation. It is absolute abuse of authority.

So, Mr. Willie save your BIA organization the embarrassment and report of government deception that has impacted our livestock owners and land users. Get to your office on time and save our tax money. Or retire and look for greener pasture.

And Mr. Regional Director, I’m asking you one more time to prove me wrong before you cancel my grazing permit without court order.

We asked the new tribal leadership for action to overcome BIA natural resource program corruption. There’s a group of concern citizens taking actions. The group performed a fourth public hearing on August 22, 2023, at the tribal museum in Window Rock. I asked BIA and tribal legislatures for replies to our concerns. BIA and Tribal leadership rejected attending the meeting. Seems they want grazing permit holders and land users to publicize BIA corruption.

It’s absurd to see BIA using American taxpayer’s tax money to commit more violation of 25 CFR §11.448 (Abuse of Office) by federal officials.

In summary I am saving time for more of BIA corruption in the media. Examples- 1) Jerome Willie’s action developing unauthorized range fence for top line-officer at the Region through his action in violation of 25 CFR 167.16 and Navajo Nation Code NNC Title 3 §713 by creating unauthorized range fence for the family of his supervisor. Regional Director is aware of Mr. Willie’s wrongdoing and has done nothing to correct the problem; and 2) – 55 BIAM Supplement 2 (1.2B) violations – Jerome Willie, Agency Range Management Specialist failed to produce Range Management Plans for Range Management Units (RMU) and grazing permits. BIA insisted everyday sheep herder to write range management plans themselves despite having Mr. Willie who has range science degree.

People write complaints to the media without recommended solution. Here’s my recommendation. The mentioned concern citizens must report BIA wrongdoing to Government Accountability Office (GAO); known as the investigative arm of Congress and congressional watch dog. GAO supports Congress to help improve performance and accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American taxpayers. GAO provides information and investigation of federal spending and performance to Congress.
Google the internet, Mr. Willie. Sir!

Nels Roanhorse
Wildhorse Country Ranch
Oakridge, Ariz.

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