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Port facilities for N. Islands
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Posted on Sep 11 2000
The Issue: Request for development of port facilities in the Northern Islands by Mayor Joseph Ogumoro.
Our View: It’s a good step to resettle island communities up north, many of whom long to return home.
The islands up north is home for many families who were forcibly relocated to Saipan when Mt. Pagan’s volcano erupted in the mid-eighties. These folks have since settled here in what’s known as Paganville immediately north of Chinatown.
Many of these families yearn to return home if only to relive and bask, once more, in the simple and humble setting that they left behind more than fifteen years ago. It’s in their simple island setting where they wish to rear their children in pristine surroundings, medicinal water in the inner lake, and virgin strand that guards the front shores of Pagan.
In their hearts and minds, they often romanticize of the true essence and benefits of simplicity of island living. They are equally wary that they can set the form and pace of development they wish to see during the first quarter of this century. A more attractive tourism development can be realized where the infrastructure compliments the natural setting of tropical islands. It can be achieved via a partnership between developer and islanders.
This and other revenue generating business ventures can be undertaken by those who opt to return home one of these fine days. Their return and resettlement can be realized if key players converge to trump out how port facilities can be funded when the local economy attains respectable recovery or via a lasting partnership with investors.
Seeking assistance from the US Department of the Navy or Defense is a good first step. The mayor’s economic package need not languish under current austerity measures. He can review it once more where it includes a scheme of partnership for development of the isles up north. Yes, resettlement begins with decent port facilities. Si Yuus Maase`!
