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‘We’re just doing our job’
We live in a world where we constantly search for the littlest of faults in everything. It’s the hamartia of humanity. But it is deeply saddening how we talk about altruism, especially this holiday season, whilst looking for ways to one up each other.
Moving closer to the issue here on island, I know many people do not agree on the passing of the casino bill. It is evident in the several articles and opinion published in the media. But what’s done is done and the least we can do is turn it to our advantage. Whether we like it or not Best Sunshine has had and will continue to attract tourists from all over the world to visit our little paradise, bringing a boom not only to our tourism industry, but the job market as well.
I am neither a politician nor an activist, I am simply voicing out my opinion out of frustration from the many backlash that has been thrown their way. What happened the other night, Christmas Day, was the last straw. I came in with a group of friends to check out the casino. We were a group of nurses, teachers, and accountants. Out of our uniforms, we were seen as kids trying to sneak into a “21-and-over-place.” We got ID’d at the entrance like everyone else. What came as a surprise was how four of my friends were trailed by security personnel who said their establishment has been reported for letting underage people in and they simply wanted to prove that they in fact checked our ID’s. They had to make a copy of each one as proof. We understood that they were just doing their job. Later that night, I found out it was not the players nor the bystanders, nor the casino employees who reported the incident. Unsurprisingly, it was the commissioners who work for the government. People who are “just doing their job” as well. And what job is it they do exactly, you ask? It’s their job to protect the islands from big companies like Best Sunshine. It’s their job to work from the inside and search for loopholes just to prove a point—that business is not welcome here.
Rai Tabunda
San Roque, Saipan
