Moving forward

My congratulations go out to all those people who supported the monument idea and, equally, to all those who questioned, challenged and opposed the idea. Every great idea must travel its path from a seed of thought through the rigors of debate and be allowed to grow and adapt into a workable and attainable result. Ultimately, as with all great ideas, the path reveals itself and so does the next step. It has taken many hours, days, weeks, and endless discussions and efforts at public education, but here we are and President Bush has honored our people and their efforts by declaring a Marianas Trench Marine National Monument.

Additionally, Governor Fitial and the Legislature should be applauded for their willingness to meet at the table with the federal government and for their participation in what must have been an extremely challenging negotiating process. Their efforts are just the first step in our much-needed healing process with the federal government. Our leaders’ actions show a willingness on the part of the CNMI to be open-minded and capable of finding a middle ground. This process is an excellent example of what can be accomplished through perseverance and cooperation.

I would also like to thank those with whom I agreed to disagree with and acknowledge those who were uncomfortable with the process that took place throughout 2008. However, we must put the past behind us. We now begin a new journey; a journey that will require us to take ourselves through the next steps of this process. It won’t be easy and we must continue to be ever vigilant. Allow the past to be in the past and let us come together with all of our visions, hopes and dreams and work together further to ensure the greatest possible rewards throughout our community as we move forward.

It is now that the real work begins as we move through the drafting of the regulations process that is expected to take up to two years. Everyone should keep an eye on this process and participate as much as possible. Chairman Ike Cabrera and the Friends of the Monument will continue to actively participate and aim for the best possible benefits for all of our people.

As the Friends of the Monument declared in our vision statement in October 2008, we can see a chance for the CNMI to rebuild our public image and show the world our best side—our natural ocean stewardship practices and our Hafa Adai spirit. Additionally, we are anxious to begin relationships with researchers who are interested in our unique ocean environment and looking to find ways to create unique cooperative opportunities to help educate our children. As Agnes McPhetres, our vice chair, stated during our brainstorming session when we were coming up with a wish list, “[We] want to see our first NMC Chamorro and Carolinian Ph.D. graduates in marine biology become a reality as a result of this monument!”

Today marks a turning point for the CNMI. I believe that our beloved CNMI and her people deserve the best. There are so many positive directions that we can work with from this point forward. Our people stand to re-establish the CNMI’s presence on the world stage. I make a personal pledge to continue fighting for the best that is available for all the people of the CNMI.