JOSEPH SONGAO INOS

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND:

Elementary: Rota Elementary School

High School: Mount Carmel School

College: Chaffey College, California,1969

Degree: BS Chemistry

Training and seminars at Temple University

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND:

Current job: Farmer

Company/agency: Rota

Previous jobs and company/agency name:

1. Instructor at Pohnpei Teachers’ Education Center

2. Teacher – Rota High School

3. Senator for 16 consecutive years, 1979 – 1995

4. Mayor of Rota for four years

What would you consider the top three issues or concerns facing the CNMI that demand immediate action from our government leaders?

There are very many things. You cannot really put priority there. But everything boils down to the economy. The economy includes the ever rising cost of living on Rota, the education cost on Rota, the ever spiraling cost of goods on Rota, everything is attributed to the increase of fuel. One thing for sure is we have pledged to work on improving the 5 E’s throughout the CNMI: economy, environment, education, essentials and ethics. My platform includes all of those.

What ideas can you bring to the table to revive the CNMI economy?

Rota is not a member of the three branches of government—it’s not part of the Judiciary nor the Legislature. We cannot appropriate, we cannot make judgments. We are somewhat within the Executive Branch, so we have to work closely with the Executive and the governor. That must be clear-cut between the mayors of Tinian and Rota, that without cooperation, we become divided and we cannot afford that. Whatever the government has should be divided among his children, his senatorial districts, so I pledge full cooperation with the governor. I want the governor to respect the mayor and vice versa.

The most demeaning part of our administration is the lack of sensible respect between mayors and governor. We have to develop some form of optimism among ourselves. At present I think, I want to look at my glass 3/4 full instead of 1/4 empty. I want to look at our islands like we’re united by water instead of divided by water. This expression really tells you the character of the leaders in the CNMI. We have to be optimistic, although we are suffering. We have to be united. We have to stand united especially in times of crises because it is in these times that strong men come up and make tough decisions.

What is your vision for the Commonwealth? And what are the steps that must be taken to achieve that vision?

The Commonwealth’s livelihood depends on the global economy. We are too dependent and we become very volatile. Economically, we are volatile because we are not self-sufficient on any one thing, not even water, so what we have to do then is we have to lean on our mother or father; that means, we have to cooperate with the federal government. Of course there’s limitation to that; there’s not much money in Washington. So we have to find means. The spiraling downward slide of the economy is a global problem. We cannot escape that because we are too dependent on tourism and many other things. I expect the revenue for the CNMI in the next fiscal year would decrease. We have to be very mindful of our expenditure. We have to be extremely careful. We have to be very, very attentive to our expenditure habits.

What needs to be changed in people’s ways of thinking and doing things as a means to help you achieve your vision? How can that shift in thinking be achieved?

In times of abundance, live with abundance and in difficult times, live with difficulty. For us to do this, we have to contribute to the government and not think that the government will give us free handouts. That’s very simple. If you don’t have something, live as if you don’t have something. If we have a lot of things, well, we beautify ourselves, do all decorations, but as it is right now, we are in a threshold of bankruptcy. We all have to cooperate; it is a give and take. No one is going to get more and no one’s plate has more meat than ours. We must eat the same on whatever plate we have.