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Former lawmaker calls for resumption of 902 talks
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Posted on Mar 09 2001
Just when everybody thought the issue on federal takeover was dead, former Senator Herman R. De Leon Guerrero wrote to the US Congress urging the resumption of Covenant Section 902 talks.
In his letter to Senate Majority Leader Senator Trent Lott, Mr. Guerrero urged the US Congress to give Section 902 of the Covenant a chance to address ripples brought about by what some US lawmakers decry as unfair labor practices and over reliance on nonresident workers by the Commonwealth.
Mr. Guerrero also argued that the economic woes besetting the CNMI is not only due to the Asian economic contagion that hit the region four years ago but also because of a continued effort in Washington to legislate policies detrimental to the CNMI economy.
He accused the US Congress of “creating a confused business climate” for investments in the CNMI. Mr. Guerrero further noted that without the resumption of 902 talks to address the questions on minimum wage and other issues that continue to damage the relations between the US and CNMI, members of congress will never understand the plight of the CNMI.
“The increase in the minimum wage as it applies to the US mainland may be justified but not in the CNMI. Many businesses here have filed for bankruptcy and/or have permanently closed down… without the resumption of the 902 talks… congress will never understand our situation and that is sad and regrettable,” Mr. Guerrero added.
He contended that one way of addressing the rift between the US Congress and CNMI governments, is by assigning a non-voting delegate to Washington, DC.
“It will be grossly unfair if the members of the US Congress choose not to give Section 902 of the covenant a chance to work and instead, elect and continue to enjoy attacking the CNMI in congress without the presence of the CNMI to represent and defend itself,” Mr. Guerrero asserted.
Covenant Section 902 provides the framework wherein problems in the bilateral relations between the US and CNMI government can be ironed out. It was suspended a year ago after then President Clinton’s special representative to the talks Edward B. Cohen resigned after being dismayed on what he calls as “failure of the process.”
