Damage control

So, we’ve had an oops and now, many are up in arms about illegal workers and illegal residents.

We all knew of their existence but because of the biggest project on Saipan, we turned a blind eye and fudged the numbers but, once the word got out of a fatal accident at the BSI hotel and casino, the fingers popped up and the blame game started. Was he a tourist? If so, who authorized him to work without proper papers? What happened to the one-on-one work-training program?

That’s why the CNMI is having a problem with the U.S. government. It’s our Department of Labor and our OSHA issue. Not immigration. Immigration is now being handled by the U.S. It’s supposed to monitor these entries. Should we blame U.S. Immigration for those who came in as tourists but are working at construction sites? Or at other places? Should we be blamed for their misdemeanors? The FBI found a whole lot of them.

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Those tourists took it upon themselves to come and work. There is a big construction project. Should the U.S. blame us for that? That’s labor. They are already in the CNMI, not trying to. As with the old story, the garment industry fiasco. Did the government create an immigration abuse? These people are already in the CNMI, working. That’s labor, not immigration. Hmm, let’s see.

Some of our leaders took part in the negotiations with IPI prior to their coming to Saipan, right? Did someone forget to mention the fact that we do not have enough U.S. citizen laborers but we, also, do not control our immigration system therefore jeopardizing billions in much needed investments? And now, we are screaming for action, sanctions, new laws, burn, burn, burn. Slow down a second. Think of the consequences of any and all actions from all parties.

Wait, did I say accident? Don’t we have government agencies responsible for checking the worksite for potential issues, hazards, and compliance issues? Can we see a record of who and when people actually inspected before and during construction and after the accident? So, what now? How about we start with owning up to our responsibilities and mistakes, then doing our jobs to ensure accidents are prevented, if at all possible? This is better than engaging in damage control ex post facto, right? In the meantime, what’s happening with the casino/hotel construction sites? Has work slowed to a crawl? And is the extension for the casino facility at the DFS building an indication that there are many problems and the grand opening is delayed indefinitely? Just checking.

All the threats being leveled at our visitors, tourists, investors and workers only serve to slow down many economic activity, almost to a standstill. Do we really understand economics, how it works, what theory would work here? I don’t think Galbraith’s theory would work here. He was fired in Palau after one year. He couldn’t come up with a single economic plan to move Palau forward.

I suppose it’s microeconomics that I’m referring to. Is this our dream? There are several of us who say that immigration and economics go hand in hand. Let people in, and our meager economy will move forward. Money for the payroll and the infrastructure and a little profit for our business establishments. But take away immigration, the wrong target and reason, and what do you say about that? We look at the U.S. government and plead? Please, America.

The problem is not immigration. It’s labor. The U.S. do want to say it’s immigration that was being abused. How do you abuse the immigration system? Leave our immigration system alone. We have microeconomics, but the U.S. took away our immigration system, so we’re limping. It’s operating at half-throttle. Common sense dictates that we do the right thing. Do you know what is the “right thing” for us? Is it the right thing for the U.S. to unilaterally introduce a bill to take away our immigration system? Does the U.S. hate us that much just because of Abramoff and Tom DeLay, and our low garment price, and our innocent clothing labels, and our minimum wage rate, and our overstaying laborers, while the mainland-made garments were quite expensive? That’s not immigration. That’s labor and economy. That’s an internal issue.

The U.S. seriously refuses to acknowledge the fact that we do have an inherent sovereignty. So said the United Nations. The U.S., and George Miller of Concord, CA., lookd for something they didn’t like here and urged the U.S. to just come up with a U.S. legislation to take immigration away because of labor-related abuses and that will solve the business competition issue. The U.S. even took a Filipina, Ms. Abad, to the mainland to appear on San Francisco television and “curse” Saipan.

I’ll continue to say that we have a solemn agreement, the Covenant between the U.S. and us, to meet and talk about our dislikes. That’s why our agreement is called “The Covenant.” It’s a solemn, honorable document we made with Ambassador Williams, and supported by the late California congressman Phil Burton, among others. Our agreements are everything that would constitute a unique partnership. Mutual understanding between two parties, on equal term. It’s a give-and-take concept. Mutuality. Equal term. That’s what it is. However, the U.S. used the labor abuses as the excuse to take our immigration system, which the U.S. and we agreed that we should keep during our negotiation. Now the U.S. reneged on its promise to let us keep immigration. I think that for the U.S., we are a “muusket.” “Ha polu hit na puro ha babarias.”

For the most part, it’s supposed to be mutual agreement. We’re just waiting for the right people to stand up and start doing just that. Sure, the U.S. can come, but we have to talk and agree if something is amiss with our relationship. The 9th Circuit says that it looks to the Covenant for guideline. But be careful what you wish for! Walk carefully.

Rudy M. Sablan
Garapan, Saipan