Why am I writing about the Northern Marianas? 

It could appear very odd to you that a former Honolulu mayor will be authoring a column in one of your major dailies. It begs a legitimate question: What and how much do I know about the Chamorro and Carolinian people and culture? Allow me to give you a snapshot of my background. 

My first introduction to the CNMI was when I was working for former Hawaii governor George Ariyoshi as a special assistant with a specific focus on Pacific Island affairs. Ariyoshi to his credit wanted very much for Hawaii to bond with its neighbors in the Pacific, in particular the U.S. Flag jurisdictions. He believed that Hawaii had much to share and to learn from such a relationship. The buzzwords were “regional cooperation”, “cultural sensitivity,” and to borrow a phrase that the venerable Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Fijian Prime Minister coined, “the Pacific Way.” Thus he and Governors Carlos Camacho of the CNMI, Guam’s Paul Calvo, and Peter Coleman of American Samoa became the founding fathers of a new regional organization called the Pacific Basin Development Council, or PBDC.

Mufi Hannemann

As Ariyoshi’s lead staffer to PBDC, I obviously knew a lot about Hawaii, a fair amount about American Samoa given my cultural lineage, and was somewhat familiar with Guam. My family had lived in Guam from ’48 to ’53 and my father Gustav and uncle Bill Beaver were part of the management team that the Jones family had put together to manage their growing business operations in Guam. As for me personally, I had not been born yet while my family resided in Guam (but as I am inclined to say, had they stayed a few more months I would have been the tallest “Chamorro” ever born in Agana). My introduction with Guam stemmed from my experience in playing for American Samoa’s silver medalist basketball team in the 5th South Pacific Games that the Territory hosted in 1975. Except for our loss to Guam for the gold medal, I had a wonderful time soaking up the culture, acquiring a taste for new food, eating at what we were told was the largest McDonald’s in the world at that time and making new friends—some of whom I still keep in contact with. I vowed as I left to return to the East Coast for college after having such wonderful time that I would return someday to Micronesia.

Since 1975 I have indeed returned on several occasions to this part of the Pacific and my sojourns have also taken me to the FSM, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. Working with the PBDC provided me with an in-depth look at the Commonwealth through the eyes and work of the four original founding fathers/governors who enjoyed a healthy respect for each other and had an active agenda both in the region and in Washington, D.C., which kept their lead staffers busy. Hawaii Governor John Waihee, who succeeded Ariyoshi, whose Cabinet I served in as the State Director of International Affairs and Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, was also very keen on forging close ties with his Pacific island neighbors. It was during Waihee’s (Hawaii’s first native Hawaiian chief executive) time that we developed a close relationship with Gov. Pedro Tenorio and Guam Gov. Joseph Ada.

I built upon my PBDC experience in my next three government responsibilities: as a special assistant in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Territorial and International Affairs in the Carter administration, as U.S. Representative to the South Pacific Commission through the Department of State under President Bill Clinton (both federal assignments brought me to Saipan and Guam on several occasions) and as mayor of Honolulu from 2004 to 2010. The latter responsibility brought me into frequent contact with the growing Micronesian community who have relocated to Hawaii either as professional students or residents of the 50th State. From a private sector context, I also have three experiences that have enhanced my understanding of CNMI and this part of the Pacific region—as an executive with C. Brewer and Company, an agribusiness firm that was once Hawaii’s oldest business; as president and CEO of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, the state’s largest tourism organization; and as the principal of MFH Enterprises, a professional consulting firm that I founded. In these private capacities, I have conducted business and commerce, been invited by the Commonwealth’s Department of Commerce and the Marianas Visitor Authority to deliver presentations on tourism and the economy and, together with Tan Holdings COO and president Jerry Tan, have started a new leadership development program for young professionals called the Pacific Century Fellows, which recently unveiled its second class of Fellows from this Marianas Chapter ( I will discuss this exciting new program in greater detail in a future column). Lastly, during the past couple of years, I have participated and been immersed in numerous meetings and initiatives regarding CNMI, as a result of my frequent visits to Saipan. I have also attended and enjoyed my fair share of social, sports, cultural, and religious activities and events and, as a foodie guy, have patronized quite a few of your restaurants from Garapan to Susupe. 

Through it all I have met all kinds of interesting and diverse personalities that have resulted in meaningful and substantive relationships. I have evolved into a goodwill ambassador for Saipan, as Gov. Eloy Inos, Congressman Kilili Sablan, Rep. Angel Demapan, and businessmen Jerry Tan, David Sablan and Dennis Yoshimoto, my former classmate at Iolani School in Honolulu, can attest to because I am always touting and promoting NMI in my work and travels elsewhere. Needless to say, I have really developed quite an affinity for the region, especially for the people and the culture. I can sense that my acceptance level in the community has also risen some as I am referred to more and more as uncle rather than automatically being called mayor.

Therefore this serves as the basis by which I accepted the Saipan Tribune’s kind invitation to write a column periodically. I intend to offer my views and perspectives of the Marianas region and share a thought or two on an idea that may be thought provoking or of some benefit to the community. As someone who has developed a profound admiration for these islands, I hope to contribute in my own small way to making the Commonwealth a better place to live, work, visit, and play.

Finally, with Memorial Day and Military Appreciation Month, which occurs in the month of May still fresh in my mind, permit me to do a shoutout of gratitude to all our armed services personnel in the Marianas region—active, retired and especially those who we refer to as our fallen heroes. May we never forget this one indisputable fact: Without the sacrifices and service to our nation by these special men and women, we would not be able to enjoy the freedom and liberties that we have today as Americans.

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Mufi Hannemann is a Harvard-educated former mayor of Honolulu. He is the principal of MFH Enterprises and is the chair and founder of the Pacific Century Fellows program.