Saipan mayor lobbies for support vs takeover

Saipan Mayor Jose C. Sablan has asked Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, to support the CNMI in its effort to block Washington’s continuous attempt to federalize labor and immigration.

As a member of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Mr. Sablan appealed to Mr. Webb and all the members of the organization to submit a position paper to President Clinton and U.S. Congressional leaders “supporting the Commonwealth’s desire to maintain their dignity and self-reliance.”

He said the position letter must address the importance of allowing the CNMI to continue to have control over its local immigration and labor affairs as stipulated in the Covenant.

Mr. Sablan hopes to attend the conference scheduled on June 9-13, 2000 to be held in Seattle, Washington.

Saying a federal takeover will result in the collapse of the island’s economy, Mr. Sablan said it will also put an end to any semblance of self-government.

Some members of the U.S. Congress have been vocal in supporting the CNMI’s cause as they believe that such move would be very disastrous to the economic integrity of the Commonwealth.

Mr. Sablan emphasized that the Clinton administration, specifically the Department of the Interior, has launched an orchestrated campaign to destroy the CNMI with its accusations of human rights and labor abuses that have long been dealt with and resolved.

“It is appalling, and frightening to learn that the highest office of our nation would play a role in embellishing trumped-up human rights violations in an attempt to propitiate certain interest groups and union organizations,” he said. Washington has focused its attacks on garment manufacturers, the most viable industry and a big source of the CNMI’s revenue.

Likewise, a number of U.S. congressmen have joined the Clinton administration in “CNMI-bashing” in hopes of appeasing powerful unions and lobbyists that have relations with garment manufacturers in the U.S.

In addition, some of the most reputable publications in the U.S. mainland have joined the attacks on the Northern Marianas as they have gone all out to indict the CNMI with alleged human rights violations, he said.

The CNMI has been able to maintain its self-reliance due to its two major industries — garment and tourism –– as it receives the least amount of federal financial aid when compared to each of the 50 states and the four territories.

Without the revenue from the garment industry, Mr. Sablan said about 50 percent of the CNMI people would now be indigents and must rely on federal welfare assistance in order to survive.