The Saipan Chamber of Commerce is to be commended for holding its 4th Economic Forum, especially for engaging stakeholders from throughout the Marianas, including all mayors from Saipan, Tinian, and Luta, as well as partners from Guam. However, it was disappointing and disheartening to see the Delegate deliver closing remarks that focused on finding blame instead of finding solutions for the economic challenges that the CNMI is facing.
The forum highlighted the promising potential of the new “Far From Ordinary” campaign from the Marianas Visitors Authority, featured practical initiatives to diversify the economy, and recognized concerted efforts from the CNMI to collaborate more effectively with federal partners. However, each of these key aspects of the forum were discredited by the closing remarks. Despite some positive signs in tourism, including increased arrivals from Japan, the Delegate focused on the inadequacy of current arrival rates. While ideas for economic diversification included light manufacturing, digital currencies, and remote back-office and trading, the Delegate dismissed economic diversification as insufficient compared to the heyday of casino-based tourism before Super Typhoon Yutu.
What was most concerning was criticism leveled against the federal government. Governor David Apatang briefed attendees about the commendable strides he, his administration, and private sector leaders made in a recent visit to Washington DC. He spoke about how they were able to engage in constructive dialogue with federal officials through the 902 consultation process provided for under the Covenant. Those conversations with the administration and the Department of Homeland Security are important steps toward rebuilding our economy and ensuring that the federal government understands the realities facing our islands. However, despite the progress of these conversations, the Delegate’s closing remarks undercut their progress by blaming the federal government for the CNMI’s economic challenges.
In the past two months alone, 34 Republican members of Congress and three Republican senators circulated letters in Washington portraying the CNMI as a national security risk tied to birth tourism and Chinese influence — and calling for the elimination of visa waiver programs that support our tourism economy. These letters came from members of the same political party as our current Delegate. If the CNMI truly had strong representation in Washington, those narratives would have been challenged early, corrected forcefully, and prevented from gaining traction in the first place. Instead, harmful and inaccurate portrayals of our islands are circulating through Congress with little visible pushback. That is not a failure of the federal government; that is a failure of congressional advocacy.
The closing remarks were also a failure to recognize the good, hard work of everyone in our community doing their best to improve our economy. Rather than lamenting the current state we’re in, we should commend the Chamber, presenters at the Economic Forum, and the entire CNMI for taking positive, constructive, and sustainable steps towards reviving tourism, diversifying our economy, and improving federal relations.
As Delegate, instead of finding blame, I will find solutions. Instead of focusing on what’s going wrong, I will build upon what’s going right. And instead of putting down our efforts, our partners, and our people, I will lift us all up with respect for all and hope for a prosperous economy for everyone. That’s what I’m fighting for: fighting for our economy, fighting for our people, fighting for us.
Galvin Deleon Guerrero
Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NMI News Service or its staff. All assertions are the sole responsibility of the writer.
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