Must see bigger picture

The Northern Marianas faces the threat of being stampeded by its detractors if it chooses to ignore renewed agenda to totally compromise the very essence of self-government guaranteed under the Covenant Agreement.

Detractors have once again reintroduced legislation to increase the federal minimum wage that would include the NMI, including an amendment to deny the NMI local control over immigration. So what must we do to stave off this renewed effort from our detractors?

However our current difficulties, the NMI must be able to see the larger picture in this maze of confusion. Briefly, a successful effort to include the NMI in the proposed increase in federal wage and takeover of immigration would instantly kill the balance of the local economy. In other words, we must bypass our provincial view of saving 90 jobs now (tree over the forest) in favor of saving over 1,000 jobs in both sectors (forest over the tree).

Saving the forest gives the NMI a better chance to sustaining and improving upon its ravaged economy over the long haul. Even the 90 jobs that it may lose temporarily could easily be reinstated upon recovery. It is time to bite the bullet of collective sacrifice in order to protect what’s rightfully ours in wealth and jobs creation for posterity. It is our children’s interest that we must protect at all cost.

The NMI doesn’t have the wherewithals to stage a campaign in the Washington circles in any form or fashion. Therefore, we must sacrifice a little of our hard to come by resources to retain the services of a professional lobbyist to do our political jungle fighting around the Beltway and Capitol Hill. It’s vitally important that we allow real professionals to work the hills given the scope of work to which we don’t have the local expertise to slam the brakes against renewed efforts of a federal takeover.

What the collective leadership decides over the next couple of days will determine the future economic well-being of the people of these isles. If we don’t rise to the occasion, we might end up with a part-time legislature, reduction of manpower across the street by more than 50 percent, and lots of empty mea culpas to ease the pain of our own indecisions. As difficult as it may seem, this is one time when we must muster local resolve to protect our interest in what our partner, turned adversary, has decided to bring to permanent ruination. We fervently hope that we rise to the occasion, today!