Discordant views on economy

Newly appointed Secretary of Commerce Francisco Villanueva is optimistic the NMI would be able to turn the tide on the current economic crisis. Outgoing Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Jose Ayuyu was more blunt saying that the sluggishn economy would continue through next year.

Yes, the NMI has political stability and other comparative advantages such as sovereign control over immigration, labor, minimum wage and taxation. At the same time, however, we’ve hurt ourselves by our lack of coherent resolve to enhance business expansion and investments by our very propensity to making both undertakings prohibitively costly. Briefly, we wanted investments yet our actions in terms of policies are the exact opposite — more strangling laws and regulations — that are counter productive at best.

Therefore, it would seem appropriate for the new secretary of commerce to review strangling laws and regulations and recommend that they be repealed forthwith. And while it is good to maintain a sense of optimism, the issues before us equally require a visit with reality.

We’ve analyzed Ayuyu’s assertion of current economic doldrums and what lies ahead of a rather very difficult year for most businesses. It seems his views carry a more realistic assessment of the current economic crisis which need resuscitation by way of economic incentives. Furthermore, he’s monitored the pulse of activities in the private sector over the last year.

But for all the quotable rhetoric that we’ve printed over the last year, there’s something missing in this equation: The key players have been conducting their meetings in the pages of newspapers rather than in conference rooms where they can collectively trump out their cards in deliberative fashion. The often confrontational “newspaper meetings” will never allow either side to come to terms with the need to defining and solving issues that have long awaited proactive resolution on a collective basis.

It’s about time that key players begin talking with one anotherrather than to each otheron a one-on-one basis. The alienating effects of talking to each other will never bring both sectors under a single roof to begin the task of problem solving of substantive economic issues. It’s a must that we join hands now or forever be held accountable for our collective failure to do what’s most fitting at the height of the current economic crisis. Shall we shift the gear of rhetoric to cooperation?