The journey to establishing and strengthening strong governance is a long arduous one. That it came without the benefit of a blueprint isn\u2019t a reason to plunder opportunities for the multitude. The basic framework was established in 1978 with a seven-year guaranteed funding from the feds. The goal was to help the CNMI create a strong economic base.<\/p>\n
The deal bifurcated into politics and economics where we try to understand the beastly creature of self-government. I seriously doubt that we\u2019ve succeeded in either of the two beyond the formality of the normal election process. Do we have an economic base other than a fickle single-legged tourism industry where \u201cbankruptcy\u201d is the new norm?<\/p>\n
Like the sinking of the Titanic, changing Steering Cabin isn\u2019t going to save the NMI from turning belly up. It was on her way down, sturdy and steady! It sank! Aboard a rescue boat we waved \u201chafadai\u201d to icebergs nearby smiling ear-to-ear. Do we blame Uncle Sam for the fiscal mess, all self-inflicted? Is this why someone wants a new political status commission? Nice try!<\/p>\n
Beyond quiet civility, what\u2019s the real fiscal posture of the CNMI government? Specifically, what\u2019s the total deficit versus revenue generation and mandatory fiscal obligations over the next four years? Friends, let\u2019s live and preserve a time-tested ethical foundation found in our culture as a defense against misguided and destructive change!<\/p>\n
What\u2019s co-optation?<\/strong> Co-optation is when the elected elite turns servile, acceding to the whims of rich investors even against the will of \u201cwe the people.\u201d The boys went to Hong Kong and Macau purportedly on fact-finding missions. Returning, they declared casino would rake in billions. On their way out to expensive \u201cwining and dining\u201d in Macau they simply looked into a mirror declaring, \u201cDeal!\u201d Did you forget we\u2019re most capable of employing reason and analysis?<\/p>\n Was the Macau leg of the trip free? Didn\u2019t it set up a perfect floor to genuflect voluntarily to your new bosses, kneeling as beggars at their feet? Didn\u2019t you sell everything in the amount of $41 million? When you trashed principle and integrity, didn\u2019t you also ignore our dignity as a people? Who granted you permission to barter the cultural heritage of the indigenous people?<\/p>\n Furthermore, the casino legislation became a political hot potato tossed about in hopes of finding an author. It was tiptoed between chambers and signed into law at midnight. The original law was repealed with another version, bowing to the whims of their new bosses. Did they forget that \u201cwe the people\u201d are your bosses?<\/p>\n With casino revenues plummeting in Macau over the last year with shares falling by as much as 34 percent per a recent news story in WSJ by Kate O\u2019Keefe, I wonder if the casino architects here are wary of the implications such decline would have on the planned $7.1-billion project.<\/p>\n \u201cExecutives and analysts attribute Macau\u2019s sharp reversal of fortune primarily to a crackdown on corruption led by China\u2019s President Jinping. In addition to bringing down many top mainland officials, the sweeping campaign has scared off high rollers and decimated the city\u2019s junket system, they say.\u201d A straightforward view!<\/p>\n Policy of exclusion<\/strong> A perfect example is Kumho that took over Laulau Bay Resort from UMDA. Politicians co-opted with this group of investors. Our land was leased dirt cheap. The local elite gave the firm a $26-million tax break through the qualifying certificate, including forgiving the $30,000 appraisal cost. Kumho has since sold it to another investor. What\u2019s my point? The permanent host\u2014indigenous people\u2014was conveniently excluded from this investment. This and other major investments like BSI\u2019s never set aside common stocks for sale to the indigenous people.<\/p>\n I know that the public land leased was dirt cheap. Alone, I often recall pertinent query about economic ventures: Development for who? Is it really that hard making the permanent hosts of this archipelago partners in your investments?<\/p>\n Moreover, would any of the major investors ever join the indigenous community so it learns of our ways as a people? It\u2019s called assimilation!<\/p>\n This exclusionary policy has gradually picked up heavier decibels hailing from the voices of discontent of our people. And if you\u2019re a committed NMD perhaps you could share your wisdom with us?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The journey to establishing and strengthening strong governance is a long arduous one. That it…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[256,26,529,67],"class_list":["post-191776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","tag-casino","tag-cnmi","tag-macau","tag-people"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191776\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI must have pricked the curiosity of a lot of people here about the term co-optation. They have demanded an explanation for fear that we may have slipped into a political trap that must be discarded forthwith.<\/p>\n
\nAbout eight year ago, I watched with troubled conscience the open acquiescence of the policy of exclusion of the indigenous people in terms of investments here. Our very own people at the helm have volunteered and reduced our role as simple cogs or servile ignorance watching events unfold from the fence.<\/p>\n