The lack of US long-term commitment

I understand Senator Frank Murkowski plans to visit the islands either late this month or early April to take an ocular review of conditions in the NMI. We should welcome such visit with resolve to tell the distinguished Senator Murkowski what went wrong in our relationship with the federal government.

The single most damaging role federal agencies have assumed rather illegally is policymaking solely the purview of the US Congress. Thus, the obvious free-wheeling decision to shift funds from the NMI to a “favorite constituency” without due consideration to current economic conditions. In fact, OIA has never seen the need for a constructive agenda, i.e., proposing for a Pacific Basin Initiative (similar to the Caribbean) which spells out US long-term commitment for the islands. It was too busy playing the role of an adversary.

As a result of its persistent bashing of the NMI, prospective investors have decided to go elsewhere to more friendlier investment venues. Those currently on island have decided to downsize as a direct result of the Asian crisis. About the only assistance we’ve been offered by OIA is $40,000 to do more study on coral reef.
It’s a game of doling out federal funds to OIA friends, never mind that it is completely irrelevant given the economic hardship that we have to endure because of regional economic phenomenon not to mention the policy instability it has planted here discouraging any new and lasting investments.

To demonstrate the competency of OIA, it has chosen to defray the cost of an economic summit slated to be held here this month rather than assist the NMI stave off any further loss of what’s left of its local economy. It sees greater importance in perpetuating its forte–more talks and studies–the beneficiaries being itself and friends who were paid hard earned US taxpayers money to guide a discussion where there’s nothing new except perhaps for a different set of consultants. And “After all is said and done, a lot more is said than done”. This seems the time honored tradition of Interior’s OIA–more talks and studies that gets nowhere!

Now, there’s a reason why I’m very support of Congressman Tom DeLay. He a businessman who understands by heart the strangling effects of too much government policies that serve no purpose other than to suffocate economic opportunities. His view in this regard (less government) and more wealth and jobs creation is the foundation that has allowed the NMI to achieve unprecedented economic growth over the last decade. Who would know our sentiments better, Congressman DeLay who has a highly credible business experience or a flunky at OIA who never even ran a hot dog stand?

Over the last 35 years, I’ve watched these isles break out on its own alone with help from Covenant funds. We know deep in our hearts that the focus of attention must shift to private sector development and expansion because this is where we get our revenues to support quality public services. While we appreciate the assistance from our good friends in Washington who’ve doled out money for basic infrastructure, we also wish to help ourselves by taking the reigns of self-government to build upon economic opportunities so we can stand on our own two feet. We can’t forever rely on the graces of hardworking US mainland taxpayers for they too must deal with natural and man-made calamities.

Anyway, I strongly urge Senator Murkowski to focus his attention on how federal agencies have illegally assumed a role in policymaking when in fact theirs is strictly limited to law enforcement, and how they’ve royally neglected pushing a positive agenda of a long-term US commitment for the islands.