Rating government performance

A young local scholar asked via email if there’s a watchdog group guarding against corruption and accountability in local government. Yes, there’s the constitutionally established Office of the Public Auditor. It does internal audits on any and all alleged misappropriation of public funds. It has done a superb job but its role has been dwarfed by heavy workload from citizens who have sought scrutiny of various offices and actions of public officials.

He related that the Center for Public Integrity recently released a report of the 10 most corrupt states in the country. It uses a 14-point system, including Overall Grade, public access to information, legislative accountability; political financing; and ethics enforcement agencies.

The State of Georgia has the worst levels of corruption risk and lack of accountability of any state in the country. Its biggest problem is the absence of a strong enforcement agency. While it has provisions to prevent certain kinds of corruption in campaign finance and lobbying, the state is full of unaddressed loopholes and lax enforcement. “About 2,000 Georgia officials, including one in five sitting legislators, have failed to pay penalties for filing their disclosures late, or not at all.

“Surprisingly, most of the states that received high marks have big governments with long histories of corruption and political machinery. Connecticut and California fit this description. New Jersey, where it seems former and current officials are indicted every year on ethics charges, received the highest grade in the country.

“Despite its colorful political past and present, New Jersey received a perfect score in areas such as lobbying disclosure and internal auditing. According to the report, the reason states with historical problems with corruption now have high accountability scores is precisely because of their former offenses. Those past problems led to strict enforcement measures that have kept politicians honest and information readily available,” according to a report of the Center for Public Integrity. Now, how do you rate both the executive and legislative branches of the local government? Is the deepening economic disaster under Republican charge its lasting legacy?

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[B]MVA study merits review[/B]

There are valid and legitimate concerns raised in the recent study on tourism prepared by a private firm. A legislator related in an interview that there’s no “new material” nor were there input from the community. It was explained that the latter would subsequently be undertaken.

I recall studies during the old TTG days that prompted an Interior official to declare, “The nice thing about studies is that they perpetuate more studies.” An interesting point to take into consideration. But shouldn’t this study be a component of an overall socio-economic plan? Ooops! Sorry, I forgot there’s no such creature around to tinker with. And so the NMI dances every which way imaginable as erratic current throws it in helter-skelter fashion.

For nearly 50 years, tourism has never formally allowed the assimilation of our cultural traditions into the most appropriate industry. Dances and music have displayed the essence of Polynesia and hardly about these isles and its people. We also have veered off from a market where our children could be taught their indigenous music and dances so in turn they learn what’s theirs and still make some money for incidental needs. This aspect only requires studying how the Polynesian Cultural Center in Honolulu has included students from all over the Pacific to do nightly performances for visitors.

The annual Festival of Arts and cultural events in our schools are good places to scout for local talents. MVA, in concert with local talents, could converge and help improve music and dance performances of the islands for hire at the various hotels here. There are two groups: Chamorro and Carolinian. Both could benefit from the help of a choreographer to pin down local arts for the glamour industry. Interesting how we’ve moved from Carolinian chants and stick dances to Awaodori dances. Is this a cultural dance of some sort?

Finally, the study should be a component of a larger plan that maps out guidelines for developmental purposes. Like signs along the road, it shows direction and unless we have a fully charted map, most everything we undertake is ad hoc (Plan By) rather than the more thoughtful process that permits key players to (Plan For) for the future. Just food for thought to ensure that we don’t perpetuate the current confused and disoriented state of affairs.

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Attracting investments

As I peep around the country to figure out why investments gravitate to places like Virginia, Texas, and Tennessee, among other states, all three share three things in common: low taxes, low regulations, and the right to work for all able-bodied applicants.

Have we priced ourselves out? Or just how well versed is the CNMI of its taxes and other relevant policies that have scared investors from making these isles their permanent home? Would there ever be a resurgence in investments, replicating the ’80s and ’90s or is this basically history too?

For one thing, Japan no longer has the “reconstruction fund” earmarked to rebuild the country after the war. It is also beset with another set of reconstruction after the heavy earthquake, tsunami, and fatal leak of its nuclear power plants in Fukushima and other areas in March last year.

As dizzying as the task may be in trying to reinvent the wheel on investment, the CNMI must try to understand current policies that are altogether regressive. It includes revising an arcane tax system, reduction in its utility costs, land policy, and other policies that stifle rather than spur investments. Upon critical review and repeal of stifling policies, key players must collectively prepare a realistic economic framework to use as guideline or road map. If we don’t do our homework, wealth and jobs creation would be gone once more.

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[I]‘Nai mababa i Tinian Dynasty, sumaunau i tiuhu gi selebrasion i mas modetnu na hotel giya Marianas. Mamaisen hafa na’aña i hotel, masañgane na “Tinian Dynasty”. Ilegña, “Debi u matulaika ya u mafana’an ‘Dalai ‘ste’.” Ai na grasia guihe na haane.  Magahet na i lobby na patte i mas dañkulu gi todu hotel guine giya Pasifiku.[/I]