Striking a balance for the growth of our economy

Have you ever left a public meeting here on Saipan glad that you attended? It’s not often. But last week on the 29th of December I left a meeting and I was not only glad that I attended, but I was proud. It was a Zoning Board meeting convened to consider the operation of three UTV and ATV companies at Ladder Beach, Mt. Topochau, and Sadog Tasi. Potentially a volatile topic. But everyone who wanted was given an opportunity to speak…and they did so calmly and without interruption. There were calm heads everywhere. There were opposing points of view but not the emotional interruptions that often accompany such meetings. The board, along with the chairman, handled the meeting respectably and professionally.

We here in the CNMI don’t have an ancient history of tourism as you might find in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. We are in the early, infant stages of developing our tourism industry. If we want to grow our economy, we need to open ourselves to the new efforts that will continually be introduced here to aid our economy, our tourism industry. We are not born into a culture of tourism but need to work to accommodate its developing forms. Snorkeling expanded to submarine tours. Maybe the next investor or company will introduce acrylic driving chambers or one-person, paddle-powered submarines traveling routes just as the ATVs do. ATVs will be joined by Quadskis that run on land and quickly transition into hi-speed water vehicles capable of 45mph. One day you’ll be able to jump off one of our cliffs and land gently 400 feet below. Or descend into the depths of our islands.

So, naturally, as new tourist business models come to our islands, they’re not initially going to be regulated. Maybe the way to regulate is to issue conditional licenses, then monitor their conduct in light of general guidelines given. Fortunately, we can draw from the mainland in learning to regulate these new businesses in order for all to win…the new companies, our tourists, and all of us who call the CNMI our home. We must not take tourism lightly nor hold it at a distance. We must take it seriously and draw it close, not hold it at a distance. And we have a second, new industry—casinos. For Saipan, that means BSI for the next 30 years minimum. And for Tinian and Rota, there will likely be multiple gaming companies. If we are to maximize the benefits that stem from these two industries—tourism and gaming—then I feel we need to be accommodating, not just cautious.

A bit more than three hours by air is a country with over a billion people, China. They are now our chief source for tourists. At the same time, we of the Marianas are Americans and represent the small but important perimeter defense in the mid-Pacific. And we need all our country’s available assets for protection. The teeming masses of people in Hong Kong with money to spend long to come to the USA’s Guam and the CNMI to get away and make a new life. And they mirror the millions and millions of Chinese wanting to do the same. I’d like the barriers to their entry here removed or greatly diminished, striking a balance between caution and having doors that are wide open. We will be needing these outsiders to help us along the way…people to fill job positions and to open needed businesses. I’d like to see those outsiders pay for the chance to live and work here for as long as they want with the money from fees deposited directly into a CNMI trust fund. And as we reach saturation, we would increase the fees to slow the flow. At the same time, let their sponsors or employers deal with the matters of labor and immigration, scrutinizing and monitoring but making the process to enter Guam and the CNMI much easier. I don’t want these people to have to fight to get into the CNMI/Guam. And we need to consider upgrading our local educational system to more adequately prepare our children for productive and fruitful lives on our islands.

This is one man’s opinion. I hope these thoughts will contribute to the Torres administration as they seek to further develop our economy. Thank you for considering my thoughts.

Jack Atalig
Garapan Heights, Saipan