MY dear friends, much has been written about the sad state of the CNMI economy. Every day in the local papers, there is more bad news: JAL pulling out, Concorde shutting down, power bills going up, crime through the roof, and so on and so forth. It almost feels like a barrage of punches from Manny Pacquiao, relentless in their attempt to break our collective will, and force us to concede, pack up, and leave the CNMI once and for all, never to return.
Is there nothing all of us can do to change the course of the CNMI? Is there nothing in our power to avert a slow but sure deterioration of our quality of life? Is there nothing we can do so that the youth of the CNMI does not search for greener pastures in California?
I say yes, there is STILL something we CAN do. We do live in a democracy. We have a voice, and a vote, and we will not be tortured, beaten, or exiled if we speak up. Isn’t that the beauty of living in America? People can collectively do something. We are not just passive riders on a bus headed for a ravine.
We can demand from our politicians that at the very least, they thoroughly examine drastic measures that could alleviate the economic woes of the CNMI, and form a foundation for a new CNMI economy. But so far, We have not. There are no signature campaigns, no rallies, no grassroots initiatives of any size that will embolden the leadership to tackle fundamental flaws in the economy that will not be cured by hiring a new Washington lobbyist or getting a few more handouts from the feds. What we need is deep fundamental changes that will not be without some pain. But we need heavy radiation and chemotherapy to kill the cancer that is upon us. Radiation and chemo are hell to go through, but it’s either that or certain death.
It is no secret that politicians are a wily breed of people. They want to do what the people desire so that they can be re-elected and stay in office. What’s the point of being bold, if at the end of the day, it costs you your job? In the old Soviet Union, the standard operating procedure was “no action, no mistake.” After all, if you didn’t do anything, how could you end up in Siberia? Do you wonder now why the United States won the cold war? Change is necessary, its part of survival. But for those trying to implement it, its always a dangerous proposition.
Machiavelli, one of the most famous political writers in the last millennium and author of the book the Prince, wrote: “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction a new order of things.”
That said, do you still wonder why nothing is happening? Why we are still tip toeing around the edges of what needs to be done? Because the people you have elected, are not really sure you want change. They are not really certain that you would support the drastic changes in various laws needed to turn the economy around. They may think the majority of people are NOT in support of what is needed, and would rather forsake the future for fading memories of the past.
If you are committed to a change the course of where the CNMI is headed, there is really only one way: let your elected officials know you want it. Write them, stage rallies, visit them, call them, talk to them. The power to change the CNMI’s future is in YOUR hands, minds, and hearts. I am sure that with history as their judge, they will listen, as time is running out fast.

RICKY DELGADO
President & CEO
Pacific Telecom Inc.