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Mutual respect
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Posted on Oct 23 2008
Respect for your elders, respect for the law, respect for our people has always been the teaching my parents wanted me to adhere to. I try to follow this teaching as the basis of everything that I do. This past Monday, at Fiesta Resort & Spa, many of our locals witnessed an awesome moment in history. James Connaughton, chairman of the Council for Environmental Quality, an office of the White House, was one of the highest ranking members of the federal administration to visit our islands in nearly 20 years.
Mr. Connaughton, thank you for visiting our islands and thank you for taking the time to talk to our elected leaders and for speaking one-on-one with our people. I ask our people to consider this gesture as a chance to help heal the CNMI’s relationship with the federal government after heated controversies over minimum wage and immigration laws.
Mr. Connaughton, your invitation to our people to engage in open dialogue about our interests and listen to our concerns regarding the proposal for establishing a marine national monument brings us new hope for repairing our relationship with the federal government. It is a public acknowledgment of respect for our indigenous cultural values and traditions. I hope that based on this, we can begin to develop mutual trust and respect.
[B]Andrew Salas[/B] [I]Chalan Kanoa[/I]
