Saipan senators delude themselves

A secretary in a high-powered Washington D.C. office answers the telephone. “Hello,” she says, “This is Senator Trent Lott’s Office. How may I help you?”

On the other end of the line, a gruff Chamorro voice answers. “Hello,” he intones, “This is the honorable Senator from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.”

“Oh,” replies the secretary in a rather hurried, excited tone of voice. “Yes, sir. Of course, what can we do for you? We would be glad to be of service.”

“I want to meet with Senator Lott,” demands the dishonorable–I mean, honorable–Senator from Saipan. “When is he free for a meeting?”

“For you? Why, anytime, sir. Anytime at all. Just tell us when it will be convenient for you and I’ll pass the word along to Senator Lott. He will be so delighted to see you.”

It is completely divorced from reality. Our local Senators are deluding themselves if they think they can just march off to Washington, D.C. and receive the royal treatment. The red carpet will most certainly NOT be rolled out for them.

After introducing themselves to various congressional staffers (assuming that they can even get a hearing or secure an appointment in the first place), they will most likely be either humored or ignored. If they are lucky, they might just be asked, “Where did you say you are from again? Isn’t that right by Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean?”

Our local senators are gravely mistaken if they believe they can actually get by without professional Washington DC representation. We cannot do without it. We need it. Most of our leaders are not familiar with the intimate, inner workings of the nation’s capital. They don’t know the players. They have limited experience. They cannot expect to just hop on a plane and personally see unfamiliar officials in Washington whenever there is a problem.

It is not enough to try and resolve problems once they have emerged. Problem prevention is the superior alternative. The CNMI needs constant representation, regardless of whether the Democrats or the Republicans are in power. The new Bush administration should not make us smug and complacent.

As one local economist has noted, it only takes one Federal takeover bullet to kill the Northern Marianas. The Feds may have made several attempts and missed. But all it takes is one successful slug of legislation and we are finished. Whether this happens four or six years down the road is immaterial–once the CNMI is dead. Our good senators would be very wise to keep that in mind.

Strictly a personal view. Charles Reyes Jr. is a regular columnist of Saipan Tribune. Mr. Reyes may be reached at charlesraves@hotmail.com