The rocky path to prosperity

This week I wish to share some of my thoughts about how we can improve in the hope that you will also think about this very important matter. Remember all I am trying to do is to get us to think through our problems. I don’t profess to know the answers, but collectively we do. Then when we muster up the courage and will, we can solve them.

Unless we change our attitudes about ourselves and our community, we will continue to slide down until utter bankruptcy both morally and economically. No, this is not a doomsday predication because the rest of America and Europe is suffering the same as we. We must learn from their mistakes and mend our ways.

This week I just finished reading a very exciting book. It is entitled: The Price of Civilization by Jeffrey D. Sachs who is one of the world’s leading scholars and economic advisers to governments and international organizations around the world. Here is a quote from the author that captures his theme in the book:

“At the root of America’s economic crisis lies a moral crisis: the decline of civic virtue among America’s political and economic elite. A society of markets, laws, and elections is not enough if the rich and powerful fail to behave with respect, honesty and compassion toward the rest of society and toward the world. America has squandered its civic virtue along the way. Without restoring an ethos of social responsibility, there can be no meaningful and sustained economic recovery.”

Mr. Sachs concludes that the one sure way out of this morose situation is:

“We need to be ready to pay the price of civilization through multiple acts of good citizenship: bearing our fair share of taxes, educating ourselves deeply about society’s needs, acting as vigilant stewards for future generations and remembering that compassion is the glue that holds society together.”

By now we are thinking how does this affect our little world of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas? The United States is facing serious challenges which also affect us here deeply. Both in the U.S. and in the CNMI, the list of recent government failures is long and growing. We can feel this pain in the reduction of grants and funding for various projects given to us by the United States.

Our nonresident labor laws are a nightmare and are causing chaos both to employees and employers. We are fast using up any money previously saved in the MPLT account. We are a whisper away from bankruptcy in the Retirement Fund. The Commonwealth hospital is unable to pay its vendors and salaries to its staff. Government employees receive barely 32 hours a week of work time. So it goes on and on. We are actually bankrupt. And the slide downhill keeps getting worse with no relief in sight.

The big question is can we pull ourselves back to prosperity? We can if we are willing to pay the price. Let’s look at the price we will have to pay.

Mr. Sachs proposes that the federal government adopt “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Governments.” I strongly suggest that the CNMI government consider adopting them also. After reading them, what do we the citizens think? Can we apply them to our situation or not? Will these steps help us? Let’s decide and then take action.

1. Set Clear Goals and Benchmarks:

Have we set clear goals? If so what are they? If not, why haven’t we set them? How can we go on a journey without a roadmap? We must define our economic goals. Along with goal setting we must use benchmarks which show how we compare with other countries. All great leaders set goals. A classic model for setting clearly defined goals was former President John F. Kennedy. It might be wise for some of our leaders to study his insightful ways.

2 Mobilize Expertise:

Our problems have become more complex than ever before. They involve not only local matters pertaining to us, but also international. Some have to with visas, foreign investors, land ownership, foreign laborers, military intervention, electricity generation and distribution, safe and ample water supply, proper use of land, health problems, financing of projects, relations with the United States, and many others.

How many of our leaders are versed in depth on any of the above subjects? We need both local and outside experts in the various fields to study and advise us. Why aren’t we requesting this assistance from the United States instead of only begging for more money without plans and goals to strive towards? Are we too proud to request help in solving our problems?

3. Make Multiyear Plans

Even when we make plans they tend to be for only one year at a time. For example, we make annual budgets goals, and leave the following years to generate their own goals. One of the major reasons governments fail to plan more than one year at a time is because of the constant reelection of politicians every two years. Plans take time to implement and evolve. They must be adaptive over time, and be open to a wide range of participants from business, government agencies, and society in general.

4. Be mindful of the future:

We cannot peer into the distant future, but we can still train ourselves and orient our political system to be mindful of the future. We must use our resources wisely so that future generations will have some to use also. We must be mindful of all our doings as to how they will affect the future. Are we doing this now?

5. End the Corporatocracy:

This point considers reducing the influence between government and private enterprises. In the U.S. most of politics is controlled by huge campaign contributions which influence who will be elected and what policies will be adopted by the government.

Do we remember the $6,700,000.00 paid by our government several years ago to Jack Abramoff from 1995 to 2001? It is this kind of cancer that destroys ethical government by the people and for the people. The dollar reigns supreme. Is this buying of government favors still exist in the CNMI? Can we think of ways to curb this practice in the CNMI?

6. Restore Public Management:

We need educated managers to head the various agencies, not political payoffs. How many of our appointees are trained and educated to head the agencies they are selected to head? We need trained professional managers, not political appointees, and they should be senior civil service appointments. We must stop favoring incompetent appointees. But do you think this will ever happen here?

7. Decentralize:

The CNMI is no longer just made up of Chamorro and Carolinians.

We have citizens of various countries residing here. There are many Americans, Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, Palaun’s, and other nationalities. Are we learning to live together without racism? Do we realize all the benefits we gain from such diversity?

Mr. Sachs suggests that the above seven roads to prosperity are the price we and the American people will have to pay to regain our prosperity coupled with ethics and compassion for one another. These points create a holistic approach to restoring the greatness we once enjoyed.

In closing, we need government, but it must be more competent and honest. Economic reform and political reform must go hand in hand. Some of our citizens will smile and call the above suggestions nonsense because they are too impossible to achieve. What is the alternative? More sliding downhill? Can we at least try some of the above suggestions?

Who can provide the political base for cleaning up our government? All of us should look towards the group with the biggest stake: young people! Consider the power that lies in the hands of our youth from eighteen to thirty-five! These young warriors are still fresh and untainted. Their future rests on their shoulders. Because we have destroyed their future, they must rebuild it. And I truly believe they can and will! Let’s give them the opportunity. They cannot do worse than we have.

Oh, yes, don’t forget to SMILE. Let’s put a spark in each other’s heart. A giant SMILE will do it! Have a great week!