Disintegration of the GOP

The exponential increase in the number of people running independently over traditional parties is an historic new. It’s a tale that speaks volumes of the loss of trust in the traditional party system.

The local GOP (Republican) is split four ways while Democrats far less severely. The latter has worked on rebuilding itself. The former simply disintegrated recently.

There used to be the Independent Republicans—folks who bolted the GOP last year when the Covenant group joined the GOP. The latter didn’t quite enter the GOP pasture. It stood at the fence, turned around and followed others out the door, disgruntled. It’s another significant drain in base support.

It (Independent Republicans) had no trust in the former governor it impeached without blinking. It was furious at the lack of transparency that it equally ignored in the casino issue. It became strange bedfellows with the GOP on the casino issue. Interesting twist of events, huh?

Two other key Republicans bolted the party, separately pulling out more of the GOP base supporters. So it’s a four-way disintegration where the chickens of GOP disunity would come home to roost before sailing permanently into the sunset.

One gubernatorial independent tandem has worked the villages since two years ago. Its message has resonated superbly well with voters all over the archipelago. It’s a silent though powerful storm that would take its victory lap come Wednesday morning.

You would think that the disintegration of the GOP would be a boon for Democrats. But it (Democrats) has a long way to go to regain the strength it used to enjoy some three decades ago.

Republicans have followed suit and it would be years before it could mend differences (if at all) to attempt rebuilding foundational unity. It’s gone since the ill-fated marriage with disgruntled Covenant loyalists and the departure of former independent GOP.

Why the boom in the number of independent candidates? This was triggered by the realization that the old party system has lost its fervor working for “we the people.” No longer are they “public servants” but self-proclaimed “masters” as to trash the sentiments and interest of the people they represent on the hill. This isn’t representative democracy.

While Democrats have started reinventing itself, the GOP has perfected its newfound toy of complete disintegration or disunity. The GOP may be in self-denial in the loss of its political base but the impending trip to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4, should bear this fact out.

On land leases in NMI

The term “stability” seems the key word in the “rain and fire dance” to extend land leases to 99 years. Sounds like a perfect straw, but there’s a lot wrong with it. It definitely requires reasoned analysis beyond the usual myopia.

The exodus of investments from the NMI in recent past had nothing to do with the terms and conditions of land leases. It’s hip political excuses for fear of probing the real reality behind the economic mess at home. We opted to walk the path of ignorance, only to nail ourselves to our own cross. It’s one sterling performance meriting some strange award from the heavens.

The departure of major investors became a wildebeest—follow the leader to the gate—where key players quickly decided to think with their luggage. They headed to jetways and left. They took all their money that drained the NMI of more than $7 billion that used to be recycled locally.

The survival of a business is based largely on how well it’s propped to move about from day one that it hits the ground running. Decline in the general atmosphere of investment here has contributed to everything basically coming to a screeching halt. The drop in major businesses that took to the jetways has nothing to do with the terms and conditions of land leases.

Therefore, it doesn’t hold that longer land leases would trigger re-investment, business expansion or survival here. It’s simply an excuse without foundation.

The investment landscape is heavily ruined so how do you kick-start it when most businesses have put on shutters and gone elsewhere to explore business-friendly venues? We sit by the roadside quizzing why the exodus. Wasn’t it triggered by forging all the wrong policies wrapped in arrogance?

Personally, land leases should be limited to 25 years based on the terms of bank loans. It should be a business relationship determined by both the landowner and business entity. In brief, if the business thrives then both sides win. But if it folds, a 100-year lease isn’t going to serve as a scaffold of fiscal salvation.

Misunderstood landownership

Large exogenous—capital from without—investment portfolios have been presented to the NMI, most of which require huge parcel of public land and billions of dollars to emplace basic infrastructure needs.

Marpi, Puntan Diablo and Matua Bay on Tinian and Garapan Lagoon are examples where investors have expressed interests for investment purposes. Good plans that fail due diligence, again!

Caveat: Public land, no matter where it is situated, belongs to the “entire indigenous people” of these isles. It doesn’t belong to just a certain community or the “we few” loud activists. Is legislative disposition the final answer?

Therefore, the review of the proposed use of any public land can’t be limited to the voice of the loudest bunch. There has to be full and extensive public review on all three inhabited islands to secure the sentiments of the indigenous people. This must be understood by one and all!

There are fundamental issues warranting a more reasoned review process. It includes whether the planned investment (employing the prevailing foreign-investment paradigm) would benefit the indigenous people on a long-term basis. If so, can investors and policymakers explain with greater detail and clarity how such investment would benefit us beyond dirt-cheap land leases?