Open letters to President Bush: Part 2

Hafa Adai President Bush:

Greetings from the Northern Marianas Islands. It is an honor to be writing to you about an issue so important to me personally and my community here in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. As you know, our local economy has suffered along with the global economy of late. As a former director of Commerce for the CNMI government, as well as former two times president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce and a current business owner on Saipan, I am very concerned about the long term economic future of our beautiful islands out here in the Micronesia/Pacific Region.

The garment industry, long an important part of economy, will soon completely vanish. Our economy has been and will continue to revolve around the tourist industry. While tourism has a great potential here, the visitor industry is very competitive and many destinations are competing for tourism dollars. The CNMI needs to set itself apart from other tourist destinations in Micronesia and throughout the Pacific.

We now have an opportunity to support a project that will benefit our tourist industry, the proposed Mariana Trench Marine Monument, in the wasters around the northern three Mariana islands of Uracus, Maug, and Asuncion. This is a remote area that provides little or no economic benefit to us right now, but if federal money is available for protecting, promoting and managing this area as a spectacular park, it would be a very important asset for our community, the nation, and the world. It will draw favorable international attention to the CNMI, which will help tourism and boost our economy. Papahanaumokuakea is already generating positive returns for the people of Hawaii. A Mariana Trench Monument can do the same for us.

Now is the time for the CNMI to be recognized and to move to advance its economic outlook. I believe it’s a good idea for our economy, our future, our environment, our nation and, in the bigger scheme of things, our home we call Planet Earth that I ask you to create the monument.

Finally, you will be leaving the office real soon. You’ve accomplished so much throughout your term as President of the United States of America and it will be fitting and a legacy of your Presidency to contribute in a small way toward helping the people of the world preserve whatever little is left of the unique natural environment that exists around the world. Creating the monument will cement your place in history and at the same time assist our community here in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands preserve the three islands’ natural environment for generations to come.

Si yuus maase, thank you, and God bless America!