NMI's investor confidence is shot!
The Issue: Political arrogance seem to be forte here vs. an already shot investor confidence.
Our View: This mindless adolescent attitude needs serious rethinking, rethinking and, well, rethinking.
These isles used to relish to reputation as the pristine vacation and investment destination for people in cold countries like nearby Japan and East Asian countries.
We’re fearful that such reputation holds the complete opposite from how these isles were once perceived by business leaders and investors.
We have leveled almost every conceivable arrogance there is under planet Northern Marianas as though these isles are blessed with the largest oil fields. It’s resource poor, mind you!
This attitude prevails even to this day among policymakers who can’t seem to understand that policy is everything! We level criticisms against current investors while hypocritically go out to encourage future investors. This attitude is not only illogical, but riddled with instability and uncertainty so created by half-cocked politicians.
How we wish that these criticisms are in fact capable of being translated into real investments. But the case is the complete opposite–we’ve done nothing but dug our own graves. For hypocritical pro-business policymakers, you have done nothing but render disservice to our young people many of whom would be jobless beginning this June.
As a result of our lack of political maturity and obvious ignorance of the essence of working as true partners with the private sector, we’ve learned, sadly, that many well-meaning investors have treated these isles with a ten-foot pole. This has become the rule rather than the exception. All these while neighboring Guam capitalizes positively on all that have done wrong with ill-conceived policies in the CNMI.
How sad the scarcity mentality that has predominated investment debates here over the last decade, riddled with anti-business sentiment, where we have permanently painted an ugly image of our warped version of paradise. Having said that, perhaps it’s just as appropriate to encourage the victims of this negativity–the ignorant and silent majority–to begin clearing what family land is left and start planting taro, bananas, tapioca, sweet potatoes and replantation of coconuts for this may be the future of posterity for many years to come.
If nothing else works by then, it’s time for young voters to quiz their leaders: Why have you ruined our future?
