Democrats seek one-year limit on guest workers • Party wants housing, transportation provisions for gov’t employees scrapped

The Democratic Party unveiled yesterday its platform which declares, among other things, its goal to push for further limit on the stay of nonresident workers in the CNMI, and to scrap the housing and transportation provisions for government employees.

The Democratic Party has 10 candidates running for positions in the House of Representatives. The party’s 18-page platform contains several issues including preservation of local culture, government structure, CNMI-federal relations, taxation, education, health care, labor and immigration.

If elected, the Democratic candidates said they would lodge a measure that would further limit the stay of guest workers from three years to one year

“The Democratic Party believes and supports the requirement of having nonresident workers so that they may help in the development of the CNMI,” the Democrats’ platform stated. “However, nonresident workers are only guests in the CNMI and that their stay is limited to a term of their permit, which is only one year.”

Amid opposition from the business sector which relies heavily on Asian workers, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio signed into law earlier this year the controversial measure that imposes a three-year a limit on the stay of guest workers in the CNMI.

The government hoped the measure would encourage employers to hire local residents, and reduce dependence on foreign labor.

The enactment of this measure was the CNMI’s reponse to the federal government’s concern about the continued influx of foreign workers into the Commonwealth, and the local government’s inability to monitor the presence of aliens within its jurisdiction.

The Democrats intend to repeal a law that allows nonresident workers to transfer from one company to another. They would also not allow nonresidents to stay longer than one week after the expiration of their permits.

“Transfer at the expiration of the permit shall be allowed only after the original employer is reimbursed for the costs of bringing in the nonresident worker,” according to the party’s platform.

The Democratic Party also wants to limit the government’s involvement in foreign workers’ affairs to processing of permit application, ensuring compliance to terms and condition of employment, and ensuring the repatriation of the workers with expired permits.

Also included in the party’s platform is a promise to streamline the government bureaucracy, and to reduce the benefits of working in the public sector.

“The government should not be in the business of housing its employees,” the platform said. “Like housing, the government should and must reduce its fleet of vehicles.”

The democrats said only the chief executive and the presiding officers of the legislature should be granted housing and transportation provisions.