Interior misses the point, again!

Officials of the US Department of Interior have skillfully used lingo to prop-up its agenda of a federal takeover of the NMI in recent weeks. It now uses the argument that non-participation of foreign workers in the so-called “American political process” must not be allowed for it is very unAmerican. This fancy rhetoric is fallacious at best for the following reasons:

1). There are in fact certain categories of foreign workers employed in US jurisdictions who, by the very nature of their employment status, are prohibited from participating in the “American political process”.

2). Interior would use anything in its arsenal to ruin what the Covenant Agreement is intended to protect in terms of the political future of the indigenous people. In its quest to ruin our rights of self-government, it overlooks a glaring contradiction in its argument: The fact that this group of US Citizens are not represented in the US Congress.

Therefore, the reality of being US Citizens while simultaneously victims of the lack of equal representation or participation in the “American political process” turns Interior’s assertion comically baseless from the outset. Eh, you think you smart, we smart too, braddah! We know what our rights are however half-cocked US Citizens.

Now, if Interior is true to its words about participation in the American political process, then it would have been empathic to our situation and would have viciously pushed for “equal representation” of this group of US Citizens in the most powerful chambers on earth. But it hasn’t done so in that it has turned from our advocate to adversary in recent years.

Furthermore, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to detect an anomaly in its use of fancy rhetoric that favors others over the fate of this group of US Citizens. Apparently, Interior has consistently confirmed that it is long on superfluous rhetoric and awfully short on common sense. It has advanced well concocted positions of old fodder to bring back Lazarus from his grave. A ghostly lead federal agency perhaps?

Meanwhile, the US Senate has taken the position that consideration of the Caribbean Basin Initiative should be given fastforward review and approval. It is intended to strengthen free trade in the Americas and Canada. It’s an agenda that would spur wealth and jobs creation in the region. That Interior is the lead federal agency of insular areas, shouldn’t it focus its attention on putting together similar positive initiative that conforms with the administration’s plans to beef up free trade even in the remote Micronesian Region? I quite don’t understand why the adolescent or punitive attitude to drive the economy of the NMI into a complete meltdown.

It seems Interior has forgotten that the NMI, via the Covenant Agreement, is also a member of the US economic community. As such, its focus and attention must center on wealth and jobs creation, not economic devastation out of its decision to ignore the difficulties we had to endure as a direct result of the Asian crisis. It may be difficult shoving aside personal pride to re-establish a good working relationship. But if Interior wants to put its money where its mouth is, so to speak, it must view the NMI in inclusive fashion as a member of the American economic community. After all, you’re the lead federal agency and must meet your fiduciary responsibility in forging lasting economic investments in the Northern Marianas.

But in order to begin anew, Interior must retreat momentarily to acknowledge and accept that it has no legal authority to interfere with local affairs for such was never the basic intent of the Covenant Agreement. It makes a mockery of self-government. We may be faltering slow in implementing reforms, but have bitten the bullet to make amends however you’re an unwilling partner in what used to be an uneven dance floor.