An agenda to perpetuate dependence
The indigenous people are known for their resiliency and resolve to meet the beast of hard times, i.e., the reconstruction period when the dust of World War II finally settled down in these isles or the indignity of surrendering to their conquerors.
Or the change of administration from the US Department of the Navy to Interior in the early sixties. We endured the substantial reduction in wages from $.75 an hour to $.33 an hour under Interior’s discriminatory wage scale that we adopted, convinced that it was perfectly acceptable to discriminate on the basis of race.
At the inception of our constitutional government in 1978, there was greater hope in our hearts that the new relationship would grant us greater freedom to strengthen our fragile island economy through investments from the US, Japan and East Asia. We were phenomenally successful in this area until the US Textile Labor Unions learned that we may be stepping on their well manicured toes. Seemingly, it was bent on ruining the local apparel industry at all cost.
In allege collusion with Interior’s OIA staff and the White House’s intergovernmental agency, the triad started an agenda to ascertain ruination and the perpetuation of dependency and helplessness of these isles. What a grand scheme to ruin our reconstruction efforts and the arduous journey to build a sturdy economic future without the benefits of true partnership from Interior’s OIA.
What is mind boggling is the NMI’s success to sever the umbilical cords of grant funds from the US Congress in 1993 for we were able to stand on our own revenue generation to defray government operations. OIA’s lack of forthright participation to augment our dedicated efforts started declining since then. It never acknowledged our phenomenal economic success, but quietly cooked-up an agenda to reverse our economic attainment some 20 years back.
Initially, we were dumbfounded about the real motive of Interior’s agenda to permanently ruin our successful efforts at wealth and jobs creation. We took the words of our detractors literally convinced, in the first oversight hearings in 1993, that perhaps we’ve been negligent insofar as the rights of workers are concerned. We never knew that it was the actual agenda of the US Textile Labor Unions being fronted by the White House and cronies at Interior.
If anything, had the Intergovernmental Agency at the White House, Interior’s OIA and the US Textile Labor Unions been successful at pushing their agenda, the NMI’s last industry that now scaffolds revenue generation and more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs would have been brought to the laps if ruination and total economic meltdown.
Finally, we are indeed ever so grateful of the current probe by Congressman Don Young’s committee for putting this issue where it rightfully belongs, a congressional probe. It should teach power greedy mediocre career federal employees that even they must follow the letter of the law they so strongly preach but clandestinely violate saying “Don’t watch what we do, do what we tell you to do”. This American Community has grown up too. God Bless America!
