Letters: Let’s not rerun 2014 election

The Navajo Nation Primary Election is Aug. 28 and the General Election is Nov. 6. Let us see if we can do it right this time, without interference from our beloved government and/or the chief justice.

We, the Navajo people, must take charge of the nation and vote for change. There is no other recourse other than to not allow what happened in the 2014 election to occur again.

The Navajo Nation president, Council delegates and in general, the Navajo government seem to practice a form of voter suppression and infringe on the people’s right to vote.

Democracy is supposed to be at the heart of what our government is and stands for. And yet, 52,000 voters were purged from the voter’s registration system.

Is this democracy? Some of us don’t think so. Nevertheless, we need to re-register our citizens so that the purged voters can vote in the upcoming election.

In 2014, many concerned people organized the Navajo Voters Coalition for the people and by the people. The coalition works for the human, civil, and voting rights of our citizens. It was instrumental in improvising solutions to get through the 2014 election fiasco and it achieved the passage of the language referendum in 2015.

The coalition is ready to meet some common tasks with the Navajo Board of Election Supervisors, as both entities have similar goals and objectives. Both can work as partners. The irony is NBOES is underfunded and underappreciated by many. This is disrespect to the election supervisors and the Navajo voters who cast their ballots. Yet, we, the Navajo citizens, vote these election supervisors into office.

The voters coalition has and will adhere to the principles of “accountability, transparency and integrity” in the checks and balances that should exist in an honest and beneficial government. Our three-branch “temporary” government, its officials at the central and local levels, school board members and others have a difficult time with these principles.

We encourage the citizens to participate in electing leaders of their choice and to voice their concerns at chapter and other meetings.

The Navajo Voters Coalition has an agenda and is seeking new members to help move things forward towards a better government and society. Join the nonprofit organization and learn and participate in our government.

Ernie Yazzie
Board Member
Navajo Voters Coalition
St. Michaels, Ariz.

Negative ad distorts the facts

I heard a very negative anti-Janene Yazzie ad by a group calling themselves Progressive New Mexico. Janene is running for New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission.

The ad starts out saying that “Janene has a secret” and the secret alluded to is that Janene has lived for the better part of her life in Lupton, Arizona, but is now a registered Democrat living in New Mexico.

Progressive New Mexico failed to say if that was wrong or illegal. There is nothing wrong or illegal with that.

Progressive New Mexico apparently spends major bucks taking cheap shots rather than educating the voters in a responsible manner.

The rest of the ad has other irresponsible subliminal messages that are intended to place doubt in the minds of voters. Because Janene is pro-clean energy, committed to protecting the environment and preserving a reasonably healthy earth for our future generations, I can only guess that Progressive New Mexico is a “pro-coal and damn the environment” lobby whose mission is to keep the status quo.

As America’s first citizens, one of our stronghold positions is to protect the earth and environment. We know what we believe, we do not need an outside interest group to dictate that position to us as Progressive New Mexico suggests.

The majority of us as parent and grandparent voters want to assure some measure of comfort in the future lives of our grandchildren to come.

In good conscience, Ms. Lovejoy and Ms. Becenti-Aguilar need to reject this type of advertisement.

Chili Yazzie
Shiprock, N.M.

Accident article was excellent

We were one of the cars that detoured around the March 24th fatal accident on Route 98 as we were on our way to Page.

I’ve been looking for information on the incident since it occurred and finally found your article in the Navajo Times (“Three killed in fiery crash on SR 98,” March 25, 2018, by Krista Allen).

I think it speaks volumes about the character of the residents to open their property to allow travelers to use it in a dire situation. Not only that, but some came out and directed us to the road we should follow.
As inconvenient as it was, it pales in comparison to the ordeal of the accident victims and their friends and loved ones.

As an experienced (read old … very old) photojournalist, I think your article was excellent. Succinct and well crafted, as it should be.

The attached photo is from our car window taken by my daughter-in-law – the line of cars are heading toward Route 98 and Page. The oncoming cars are coming from Page.

Keep up your good work.

Mike Connolly
Pittsburgh, Pa.

Enjoyed Diné language classes

This letter is to call attention to an excellent, free Diné language program offered by the Gallup-McKinley County public schools this past May. The classes were held after school hours at various schools and were to help parents learn the language. This will not only enrich the parents but also help them teach their kids.

Probably many parents who don’t speak Diné bizaad understand some but are shy about trying to speak it. These classes were for them as well as those who don’t know the language at all.

I attended the classes at Chee Dodge Elementary and they were really in the comfort zone. The teachers were skillful and friendly. There were no tests, no homework, just talking, starting with words and phrases introduced by the teachers.

If you missed a class, you could come to the next one and not get left behind. You could bring your kids and they would take part, too. It was a lot of fun.
These classes were announced in the Gallup Independent about a week after they had started and that’s how I found out about them. How many others would have taken part but did not know about them?

Hopefully the classes will be offered again next school year and more people will take advantage of them. Maybe other school districts will try this approach to spread the language by teaching parents as well as their kids.

Klara Kelley
Window Rock, Ariz.

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