Debris and trash not the issue; prosperity is!

Debris and trash is not the issue and I can tell the words “debris” and “trash” are hard for many people to digest, which is understandable but prosperity is the real issue. The people who are upset over the deal really need to stop, think, look, and listen before rushing to judgment. The federal government, who are our very capable protectors by law, have made it clear they are watching this issue to make sure no hazardous materials are brought into the CNMI, so what is all the hype about? It is amazing that some people are getting all upset when there is nothing to worry about or are they just using the debris and trash to continue incubating fear in the community to stop anything from happening on Pagan for selfish reasons? We are getting sidetracked again on the issue of selling pozzolan, never mind the debris and waste because we can take advantage of the free federal protection services.

I’m sure we can trust the federal government to protect us on this issue, especially when it is very obvious that citizens are aware and calling for accountability on the safeness of the debris and waste. So we should let the feds do their job and move on to the real question of how we can capitalize on the sale of pozzolan. The investor still wants the pozzolan so regardless of what happens with the debris and trash we still have pozzolan to sell! We should have been doing our homework on pozzolan a long time ago so we could be making a deal to sell some of it. I haven’t heard one price quote on the “true value” of the pozzolan. There hasn’t been any research by the CNMI to determine the different applications for pozzolan. It is obvious we have our work cut out for us and we need to get started yesterday.

I know there are naturalist and cultural preservationist who are concerned but please consider this: At one time Saipan looked just like Pagan to a large degree but progress changed all of that so you can’t expect Pagan to remain the same forever. Secondly, Pagan will be passed on to the next owners (future society) and it is far better to pass on something that is viable and contributing to the quality of life for everyone than to leave something that is only good to look at. There is also the real fact that there is no telling what the next generation will do with Pagan and those who are complaining won’t be able to do squat because we will all be in our graves. So protect Pagan from the hazardous materials but we can’t play God with Pagan. As for the cultural preservationists, the work to preserve the culture needs to be done here on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota where the majority of locals live. The people that frequent the Northern Islands are already culturally literate.

The governor said something in the news in regards to Commissioner Mafnas that was very right about the culture in the CNMI. He said, “The people want to be told nicely” and I wish there was a nice way of saying this but sometimes the truth just can’t be sugarcoated-this is too serious and there is too much at stake. It is not my intent to insult anyone but to educate the public on the cold hard facts that are being manipulated for all the wrong reasons. The CNMI is starving and we need to get busy, especially when we are presented with good opportunities to find prosperity in jobs and revenues that will not have an adverse effect on society in the present or future.

Ambrose M. Bennett
Kagman, Saipan