RECENT news reports fully indicate that the administration is contemplating additional reduction of working hours due to substantial revenue decline. Different opinions have surfaced on how the government should make ends meet, and politicians are scrambling with publicity stunts without much public support.
Our financial condition is in a state of emergency and our government will collapse if our eloquent elected leaders do not stop their public posturing.
A substantial portion of the government’s budget goes to personnel cost so no austerity measure, even the abolishment of the municipal councils, would do any good. The basic problem of our financial woes comes down to the issue of personnel cost. The only way to realize the necessary savings is to reduce cost of personnel. Hence, a financial and management audit should immediately be conducted to cut duplication of functions, consolidate agencies or departments, among others, and then make determination to cut personnel cost. This can be done in several unpopular ways, namely:
• Institute a reduction in force
• Reduce salaries
• Reduce working hours
• Implement outsourcing of services to the private sector so government positions become private positions.
In the meantime, the administration and the Legislature should stop their public posturing and act to downsize the government. How can we talk about austerity and turn around and hire 160 new employees? How can we talk about austerity and turn around and increase the salaries of 73 employees? How can we talk about austerity and turn around and re-hire retirees as special assistants? This is an insult to all the government employees who had to take pay cuts!
Both the Legislature and the administration should start thinking about these contradictions!

ESCHNER H. CAMACHO
Sadog Tasi, Saipan