KUMOI APPEALS TO MURKOWSKI: ‘Don’t pass takeover bill’

The vice chair of the Senate Federal and Foreign Relations Committee yesterday made a last-minute appeal to U.S. senators not to approve the immigration takeover bill, saying this should not be implemented on a tiny island with little economic opportunities.

Taking away local control on the island’s immigration, minimum wage and special trade advantages is tantamount to an economic disaster that will deprive islanders benefits enjoyed by Americans in the mainland, according to Sen. Ramon S. Guerrero.

In a letter to Sen. Frank H. Murkowski (R-Alaska), chair of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee who sponsored S. 1052, the Saipan senator said that while achieving the quality of life similar to the mainland is still far behind, a federal takeover is not the right course to do so.

“[A] federal takeover of the CNMI’s immigration — a massive change of rules in the middle of the game — will break industries, both large and small,” said Mr. Guerrero.

“It will be a catastrophe for the islands… where the standard of living will plunge back 20 years or more. U.S. Congress should not place the same restrictions and limits the growth of tiny, isolated islands as it would a powerful country of 250 million people nearly half a world away,” he added.

The letter, dated Feb. 7, is among the attempts by island leaders to block passage of S. 1052 which is now under consideration in the Senate. (See related story on Page 1)

Amid the continuous economic difficulties confronting the CNMI, Mr. Guerrero warned stripping CNMI the powers that have helped propel its development in the past years could further erode its capability to attract new investments and establish other industries.

For instance, even if all 5,000 locals employed in the government will be hired by businesses, this will never be enough to fill the 25,000 jobs held by alien workers in the private sector, according to his letter.

Citing the recent federally-funded economic study on the CNMI, the senator said its findings underscored the need to maintain the status quo to ensure a modest growth for the island.

“We’ve heard that a goal of this [Senate] Committee is to promote economic development in the insular areas. To this end, we urge… to not act on ‘takeover legislation’ at this time,” said Mr. Guerrero.

Pitching close relations between the CNMI and Washington to address labor and immigration problems here, he pointed out this would provide the business community, the Commonwealth government “the time, and potential investors the confidence, to bring new and diversified economic opportunities to the Marianas.”