Consequence of neglect

At Issue: The consequence of neglect that eventually descends on the people we have pledged to help.

Our View: It isn’t “business as usual” any longer and leadership must forcibly shift gear to proactivity.

We heard strange rumblings underneath the “good times” in paradise since five years ago. We took it for granted that the Asian Flu isn’t going to descend on these isles. Like a grasshopper, we sported superficial confidence against a receding “good times” ever comfortable to go picnicking while our house was on fire.

What happens when the attitude of “business as usual” predominates?

Every year of treating issues with our usual “mañana” attitude translates into three years of delay in missed opportunities to get our house in order. Multiply that by five and we get the figure 30! That’s how far back we have placed these isles in missed opportunities to make positive differences in the livelihood of our people. Perhaps provincial politics or mañana ought to be blamed for all these missed opportunities and delays?

While the Asian Flu, federalization agenda and protectionist laws take their toll, we learned a bit too late that we never had an economic plan to guide us through these trying times. This neglect further exacerbates the plummet in revenue generation given that we never gave ourselves the opportunity to “plan for” eventualities.
We embraced the more comfortable “plan by” paradigm to our detriment.

The bullish though positive economic and other reforms contained in proposals approved by the House of Representatives have met stiff opposition by entrenched legislators. This attitude further sinks the very essence of time in the gradual revival of a very sick local economy. Mañana leaves nothing behind for the Northern
Marianas Community looking for some solace, except to benefit the overblown ego of entrenched politicians.

This neglect translates into further hardship while our people pine for help, any help to get them through these hard times. This negativity in attitude is the culprit that needs major overhaul. We hope the entire equation of local leadership can come to terms with the dire need to consider positive policies to revive wealth and jobs creation right here in paradise. We seriously doubt that you wish to leave behind a legacy of hopelessness and abject poverty for our children. Si Yuus Maase`!