The high cost of power

“High power cost shuts down WWII display at AMP center,” the headline stated on April 16, 2009, for Saipan Tribune. For the past two to four years this type of news occurs over and over and over again. How far can we go in order for something to happen and change the course of this trend?

CUC’s cost of power continues to play an important role in damaging the CNMI economy. The cost continues to be in question and yet remains unresolved. CNMI leaders should question the cost and outline how that cost should go back to normal. We don’t need a scientist to point out that the high cost of power here in the CNMI includes the mismanagement and corruption in CUC’s past administration. The cost of fuel has gone down and yet our fuel surcharge remains ludicrously high.

Because of mismanagement and corruption, the cost of power has ballooned to what it is today. Businesses continue to close down despite their effort to adjust their plans to stay afloat. They cannot jack up their prices ridiculously high like CUC because they are responsible businesses and they don’t want the consumers to suffer. They’d rather close down and relocate.

The WWII display at AMP center is now closed because of the high cost of power. A lot of our own local residents have left the island, also because the cost of power is just too much. A lot of CUC customers are on promissory note, layaway or IOU plans or simply awaiting disconnection if not disconnected already. A large number of residential and commercial customers are currently on dispute and refuse to pay the ridiculous fuel surcharge. Regular folks like myself cannot afford anything else. The paycheck comes out and everything goes to CUC. I cannot pay rent, I cannot buy food, I cannot buy gas, I cannot do anything but basically work to pay CUC. Not many people go to the stores, to the restaurants, or buy new cars because all our money is tied up in IOUs to CUC. The CNMI is suffering because of the downturn in the economy but CUC is accounted for 90 percent of the reasons.

Now that election is coming up, what lies are we going to listen to again? I guarantee you, the one who has a clear plan on how to resolve this CUC fiasco will win the election. You ask why? The solution to CUC will be the turning point of the CNMI economy and the people of the CNMI not only want but must get out of this suffering orchestrated by the CUC fiasco. Candidates, you’ve been briefed; do not stray away from this issue, show us your plan and it better be real because if it is, your name will go down in CNMI history as the one who lifted the people of CNMI out of their economic misery and suffering.