ON MY MIND

Well, it’s finally here—the commemoration of the battles of Saipan and Tinian; nearly a week of formal observances started last night. It’s interesting how narrowly focused it is, honoring only the actions of the American military, commemorating only those two battles—events which took place more than half a century—and two generations—ago. But the Saipan and Tinian battles were only one of several. Battles were also fought on other islands of the Pacific—on Peleliu and Corregidor and Luzon. Many others, besides Americans, lost their lives in those battles as well. Yet there is only one event commemorating local islanders’ losses, and none commemorating all the others.

Particularly in light of the close relationship the CNMI has developed with Japan, one would have thought that the deaths of the many Japanese military would also have been honored. But only one ecumenical note occurs during the entire time, on June 15th, when an interfaith memorial service is scheduled to be held for “each and every life lost”—but only in the battles, only for those for Saipan and Tinian.

Moreover, despite the on-going battles in Afghanistan and Iraq, today’s climate calls for universality, for an honoring of all peoples, for a focus on peace, not war. It’s not the death, deprivation, destruction that should be forever remembered; it is the outcome of the war—the general peace, the political freedoms, the economic successes, and the plenitude so many more people enjoy today than did 60 years ago, that should be remembered. But there’s little trace of that in the week’s events, either.

Yes, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas would likely not be in existence today if the outcome of the war had been different. And yes, the Americans who fought here deserve recognition and appreciation. But how much more regenerative it would have been if the commemoration had been more ecumenical.

* * *

On the topic of things ecumenical, readers might be interested in a new show broadcast on public radio station KRNM (88.1 FM, 89.1 FM, depending on your location) called “Justice Talking.” It airs every Thursday afternoon from 3pm to 4pm. Topics tackled on the show in recent weeks have included prison reform, rape laws, drug testing, and the desirability of manned flights to Mars.

At the moment, it is only a temporary filler for a classical music show that the station lost until the Fall. But it’s well worth listening to—informative, provocative, interesting.

* * *

When are all those critics going to stop issuing blanket indictments of the CNMI’s minimum wage law? When are they going to realize that while for some workers, the minimum wage is $3.05 an hour, for many more, it is not—it is, in fact, more? Are the CNMI’s government officials, paid lobbyists, not doing their job?

Imported workers who receive employer-provided health care and subsidized food and housing either directly or through allowances, in addition to their minimum wage, are not earning a mere $3.05 an hour. They are earning considerably more. To argue that these workers are receiving only CNMI’s minimum wage, and therefore the minimum wage must be raised is incorrect, illogical and unreasonable.

On the other hand, the local labor force, which is given neither health care nor subsidized food and housing, IS deserving of receiving more than the CNMI’s present minimum wage of $3.50 per hour.

Isn’t it high time that the ‘powers that be’ learn to make that distinction? And help the CNMI develop a wage scale that will take those differences into consideration, rather than condemning what they apparently don’t understand?

* * *

Don Farrell, in his capacity as representative of Azmar, the company which is seeking a permit to mine ash on Pagan, has asked that I note in my column, that “My choice of words was poor in my first statement.” He had said, regarding Pagan’s black sand beach, “The question we have to ask ourselves and CNMI citizens [is], is the loss of the black sand beach equal to the millions of dollars in revenue it will create for the citizens of the CNMI?” which I duly quoted in my June 4 column. In response to that column, he wrote to say, “What I should have said was, ” . . . is the loss of a portion of the black sand beach equal to the loss of millions of dollars in revenue annually to the entire CNMI?”” (emphasis added)

I’m still having problems picturing the co-existence of harbor functions and recreational activities on the same beach—particularly since that black sand beach isn’t all that large to begin with.

* * *

One version of Azmar’s proposal offers a set-aside of $3.45 million dollars to be spent over three years to build a village for the people of Pagan. In addition, according to Farrell, Azmar has made a commitment to build an infirmary, associated with CHC, to be the Pagan Health Center. A schoolhouse would also be built, to be made available to the public school system.

What is lacking in this vision of what sounds like a “company” town, is any sort of mechanism for the people of Pagan themselves to play a role in the decision-making. No stakeholder role has been included. In the current humanistic climate, it would seem far more propitious, appropriate, if the people of Pagan were given a voice in the decision-making process of how such funds were spent, a voice in the design and implementation of whatever does get built there.

While on the subject of Pagan, readers might be interested in checking out the web site “www.chamorro.com/community/pagan/calculator.html” which has been put together to compare potential revenues for the Azmar mining company and the CNMI under a variety of scenarios. Says Pete J.P. Perez, who has taken a significant leadership role in providing information about Azmar’s mining proposal to the general public, “The calculator demonstrates that the flat 7 percent of gross sales deal [which is what is being proposed] is extremely one-sided in favor of Azmar and becomes worse as the price goes up and costs of production goes down.”

* * *

The full report of the governor’s supposed accomplishments on his 10-day trip to Washington and Hawaii has not yet been made—he has not yet returned—but based on reports received so far, there does not seem to have been a compelling reason for the trip. The people of the CNMI, in addition to electing the governor, also elected a separate representative to Washington, D.C. There is nothing in what has been reported so far that could not have been accomplished by the aforesaid Washington Rep. Judging from the governor’s inability to let the Washington Rep do his job, maybe a law ought to be passed limiting the term of the Washington Rep—before the incumbent gets so used to that job that he can’t function in any other.

* * *

Let’s see if I’ve got this right. The 6th CNMI Legislature passed a zoning law, later amended by the 7th and 8th Legislature. In accordance with that law, Saipan and Rota (and Tinian?) adopted local zoning codes for their own islands. But the Saipan local delegation of the 9th Legislature voted to suspend the zoning code for Saipan (which the AG’s office claims was not valid, but let’s not confuse things). In the meantime, the 14th Legislature has introduced House Bill 14-21 to repeal and re-enact the entire original CNMI-wide zoning law. And just now, the Saipan local delegation has voted, via House Local Bill 14-18, to lift the suspension of Saipan’s local zoning code—even though the intention is to immediately amend it. The reason being given is that House Bill 14-21 cannot pass without prior passage of HLB 14-18. Make sense? Not to me!

* * *

My apologies to other Cha Cha Junior High School—as well as elementary schools in the Public School System—I had not realized that they, in addition to Hopwood Junior High School, also celebrated the promotion, rather than graduation of their students to the next level of either Junior or Senior High School, in local finery rather than expensive caps and gowns. Let’s hope the trend trickles down to all those silly and unnecessarily elaborate and expensive kiddie “graduation” ceremonies.