To the CNMI’s detractors, it’s takeover or bust!
Only a week or two after the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration officially commended our garment industry for its terrific improvements–out comes Senators Danny Akaka and Frank Murkowski with yet another Federal takeover bill. What does this tell us?
It tells us that our garment industry’s faithful adherence to good health and safety standards is politically meaningless to those who, for some reason or other, are out to get us: to deprive us of our local self-government under the Covenant agreement.
It tells us that, contrary to all of the provocative, highly inflammatory claims and allegations we have heard in the past, labor abuses are not the crucial, central, overriding issue in the Federal takeover crusade. It does not matter much whether labor complaints decreased by fifty or even ninety-eight percent last year. No amount of improvements will alter our detractors’ insatiable lust for a Federal takeover of these Northern Marianas Islands. Ninety-nine percent of our guest labor force could swear that they are treated well–and it would not matter a whit to our recalcitrant detractors.
Above all, it tells us that the Teno administration’s significant labor reforms–to the detriment of our local economy–meant absolutely nothing to our hard-hearted detractors, the Federal takeover crusaders. They were not at all appeased. Nothing short of a complete Federal takeover of our immigration, taxation, and minimum wages will do.
This is the extent of our problem: There are people out there who will stop at nothing to impose a U.S. Federal takeover of our beloved islands. To the Al Staymans of the world, Federalization is a “non-negotiable issue.” These people will not go away. They will never just leave us alone.
The threat is always present, biding its time, just waiting for the right political circumstances to arrive. An Al Gore Presidency and a Democratic Congress would have done it. Perhaps they will get us next time.
At any rate, keeping the Teno administration’s labor moratorium and three-year labor limit would be totally useless at this point. Our detractors don’t want us to bleed; they want us to die, economically and politically. Again, for them, only a complete Federal takeover will do.
Meanwhile, our local businesses are suffering. Our economy is in a depression. Japan continues to be in a funk. Our people are entitled to some economic relief. A swift repeal of labor moratorium and three-year labor limit would offer this much needed relief. There can be no objections at this point.
If our Senate agrees to such a repeal, the Feds will not quickly move in for a Federal takeover. If those in favor of a Federal takeover could achieve it, they would have already succeeded by now. Regardless of what we do, they won’t stop until they have succeeded.
On the other hand, if our good Senators fail to repeal these highly restrictive labor laws, which matter not a whit to our detractors (and which are seriously compromising our local economy), they will have to answer to us, the voters at the polls, come November. Danny Akaka will not keep them in office.
Strictly a personal view. Charles Reyes Jr. is a regular columnist of Saipan Tribune. Mr. Reyes may be reached at charlesraves@hotmail.com
