No room for complacency

Local leadership seems lost in monitoring the pulse of the local economy as to be swimming with youthful enthusiasm right in the serene waters of complacency. It seemingly doesn’t have any inkling of the seriousness of the deepening economic crisis. It is contented to let nature, even its devastating assaults, take its natural course. In short, it is toying with the lives of the multitude who bestowed upon them the privilege to lead these islands into better and brighter days ahead.

This doesn’t seem to be happening and the pounding of the waves along the shore of these isles of deeper hardship ahead keeps growing louder by the day. The multitude awaits for powerful and decisive actions to stave off the deepening crisis. It only hears fainted whispers from various quarters unsure if it is good tidings or more bad tidings. Clearly, it seems the latter holds greater truth as can be seen in the apparent lack of thoroughly thought-out plans to take decisive action against any further assault on the local economy.

As local leadership feels its way in the dark alleys of complacency, substantive economic matters knock for answers, but those who paddle the boat of government aren’t sure what to make of these issues. Nobody wants to assess if the issue has any sense of urgency. It prefers to avoid taking the bull by the horn over the easier approach found in the tune and lyrics of a Spanish song “Ke sera, sera”. It hasn’t any inkling that “the tide waits for no man”. Therefore, the lack of any sense of urgency that the boat would capsize any day now.

The question of whether the $1.2 billion apparel industry here would be around over the next five years would be determined not in the next several months, but in the next several days, when buyers decide whether to purchase more finished products from the NMI or head elsewhere to avoid any further harassment. The NMI can ill-afford treating this industry like an unwelcome leper in the community. It is now the lead economic sector that feeds thousands of families as employees in the garment industry’s non-garment jobs.

To take comfort in the notion that through the free trade zone we would eventually find substitute industries capable of generating current revenue levels is nothing more than wishful thinking. It’ll at least ten years before we find out if the concept works. In short, a fish in the boat is a better bet than the million still out in the open sea. Either we forge a true partnership and act decisively today or forever be held responsible by the common people you represent in our governmental institutions for toying around with our livelihood at a time when opportunity knocks that you defend our rights to wealth and jobs creation. We hope local leadership acts decisively today!