A partnership with business community

In the short stint that I took charge of this small business operation, I’ve come to understand and appreciate the plight of businesses when activities came close to a screeching halt as a direct result of the instability fanned by a federal agenda of a takeover, further exacerbated by the Asian Crisis.

These two issues definitely worked against our fragile island economy whose private sector corporate citizens have worked the clock to rake-in pennies, nickels and dimes no matter the deteriorating conditions. The issue of a federal takeover has nothing to do with human rights violations. But it has everything to do with economics, specifically, the survival of the apparel industry in California, the capital of garment manufacturing.

The irony in this discordancy is imbedded in federal reptilian positions from one extreme to the other. Previous OIA helmsmen have encouraged us to use the Headnote (3-A) provision of the Covenant to build up our apparel industry. The troops in power have done the exact opposite. We became the true Whipping Boy of liberal social democrats, i.e., Rep. George Miller of California.

I look for hope and inspiration from key people in the previous legislature. There’s nothing up that alley except disappointment. I even went as far as our Washington Office only to find greater disappointment. I really was discouraged by the obvious lack of real leadership in the defense of the NMI on a substantive basis. I dismissed them all and relied on allies in the US House of Representatives and friends who have worked the hills since six years ago.

Too, I was really hoping that legislators would retreat and reassess the consequence of the towering federal agenda to compromise self-government and the vicious assaults of the Asian Crisis to no avail. Instead, in its infinite wisdom, the legislature took on reactionary measures only to stifle current investment while partaking in ruining the image of the islands among future investors. I often quiz if they (previous legislatures) had better answers to our deteriorating economic situation. Obviously, they have lost all their marbles in what we call leadership in that it soon became obvious that the greater crisis is leadership!

Meanwhile, the private sector waits for some ray of hope in economic stimulus packages to grant them sufficient time to muddle through the crisis and hopefully rebuild from what’s left. Nothing was forthcoming from the public sector other than more reactionary measures to force a majority of surviving businesses to begin the march to federal court to file Chapter 11 cases.

Policymakers’ scarcity mentality took greater hold only to drive more businesses into actual closure–some 2000 plus. I was really discouraged by all the reactionary measures that have done nothing but stifle current investments. The saddest part of this mess is the apparent inability of policymakers to aid the private sector with stimulus measures so to grant them recovery time. They were basically given the other end of the stick–neglect! I was really troubled by it all. So what’s my point?

The NMI needs to learn (rather quickly too) that only businessmen can create and establish wealth and jobs creation for they run private entrepreneurship whose primary goal is revenue generation. I have yet to see that such role has become the equal preserve of the public sector. Logically, nimble minds in both chambers have consistently missed the point and thanks to the new leadership for being poised to making a difference in wealth and jobs creation! It’s a good beginning after being relegated to the dungeons of ignorance, blind ambition and neglect.