Voter discontentment

Why is there such discontentment and distrust in government? The answer is obvious and voters won’t have any second thoughts revealing their true sentiments this year. Yep! It’s the trashing of the public interest while waltzing with rich partners that has cemented total distrust in public officials.

Coincidently, the dangerous relationship mirrors exactly the disconnect nationwide between the average citizen who’re tired of being stampeded by their elected representatives who instantly slide into corporate partnership that offer them comfortable future after leaving office. Trump’s meteoritic rise attests to the large following he’s pulled from both establishment parties.

These are the folks who promise brighter tomorrows but started singing a different tune upon officially taking their oath of office. The interest of “we the people” was trashed in favor of their new boss who’s turned them into lapdogs in both chambers and the administration.

Middle Finger: Furthermore, voters from both sides of the Pacific Divide have ably raised a huge flag via their fat middle fingers declaring, “No Mas.” Ooops! “It’s our turn!” Yes siree! Enough promises riddled with staples of negligence and demagoguery!

Perplexing the promises made on issues by our so-called representatives. Yet they now are struggling to recall if they said what they said or thought they said. How convenient the shift in paradigm! Eh, our IQ is still above average lai!

A good example what happens to an island community where there’s too much of a good thing is in the Republic of Belau. Local businesses have been displaced when the Chinese came in even with their bus system. Small Palauan businesses are now outside of Koror. Would they survive competition from sophisticated financing and business operations?

This is exactly the path the blurred eyed so-called representatives have opted for “we the people” with such arrogance that they end up ignoring who placed them in office. Well, we may not have the money but sufficiently equipped with the power of the pencil to oust them from office this November. It has come down to “now or never” in our collective effort to retain the traditional heritage of the indigenous people.

Development: It may sound politically correct to ring the alarm bell on development specifically how much does the NMI needs. Realistically though the issue is left floating in air exacerbated by the lack of a fully thought-out plan how this administration addresses rebuilding a devastated and heavily stagnated economy.

The billions of dollars we’ve seen published are still in the planning stages waiting in the wings. There’s Best Sunshine’s “integrated resort” that must have disintegrated given the muted voices of the firm what the plan entails from A-Z. Would the plan follow emplacement of basic infrastructure in remote places? Does the NMI have the CIP funds for this purpose and hasn’t it already started dipping into CIP money to pay its $30-plus million in utility debts?

Would Chinese investment boldly descend or wouldn’t escalating regional tension with the U.S. turn their plans into a contingency until further notice?

While I’m pro-growth given the heavy revenue losses we’ve seen here since the shutter of the apparel industry and exodus of Nippon investments, the issue still merits thorough review to ensure they fall within what we could afford via CIP funds and paced growth.

The loss: The NMI’s loss is about $7 billion. Without proper infrastructural emplacement nothing moves. Sure, a half-cocked politician could assert we could have capitalism if we feed the poor. It’s the complete opposite in that we need fresh investments (capital) first to provide jobs where people could be employed and live decently with their families meeting basic needs.

Recalled some 8-10 years ago when our people simply upped and left home for greener pasture elsewhere because they were jobless and couldn’t pay for the first family home. More than 3,000 families did this forcibly given the wraths of the lack of job opportunities. Those who took loans to build office space and businesses had to endure foreclosures when business took a nosedive. It was hard all the way around. I also came close to losing the only family home.

If we stay closer to home and critically address and resolve issues responsibly it could trigger the beginning of rebuilding a long stagnated economy as difficult as it may be. It’s our responsibility to do so.

KUMHO deal: There’s the glaring example of the KUMHO (Laulau Bay) deal where the indigenous people were screwed royally, too. Top brass granted KUMHO some $26 million in Qualifying Certificate (tax break) in addition to dirt cheap land lease that was appraised as though raw land. DPL paid for basically all other expenses that should have been shouldered by the firm.

Shortly thereafter KUMHO sold the development and left. What did we get out of this deal as permanent landowners of the property? None! I call the decision fecal leadership where our interest was prostituted by top guns o the hill! It’s a case of glaring and humiliating ineptitude!

It is for this reason that I’ve advocated revisiting the QC Law to ensure that we don’t end up as servile bystanders on investments that should be founded on the basis of lasting partnership.

For all we know BSI’s IR plan (provided it is right-sized) may be good for the island. Nonetheless, we still need to see its breadth or size so it stays within our prism of paced growth! Saipan is an island and I’d like to keep it that way rather than see it change into a metropolis that effectively emasculates our people of their traditional heritage.

Be it BSI, Alter City. and others proposing huge projects here it’s good to know the deal in terms of size, QC deal so we compare it versus investments to see if it’s worth it. The elected elite must buckle down to real time home planning for the entire nine yards requires the participation of all sectors of the community.