By Zaldy Dandan
Variety Editor

SHORTLY after the governor delivered his State of the Commonwealth Address at the multi-purpose center, I asked him what his “big announcement” was. He smiled and replied, “That’s it — everything.”
The governor’s sense of humor, I now realize, is this hapless administration’s saving grace. As someone who was on the “hit list” of the previous magalahi, I appreciate the fact that the CNMI’s top leader can still be civil to his critics in these uncivil times. Politicians, like commentators, should know not only how to dish it out, but also how to take it, and to his credit, Ben Fitial, starting in the 2005 campaign, has become kinder and gentler, even to a newspaper not owned by Uncle Willie.
I raved about the governor’s to-the-point and honest State of the Commonwealth Address last year, but when a lawmaker asked me what I thought about this year’s speech, I replied that I didn’t know what to make of it as I fell asleep in my chair. Which is, I must now admit, not true. Although my eyes were already closed halfway through the address, I didn’t doze off and, from time to time, I still heard snatches of the governor’s remarks regarding interested investors, and I thought that if only these investors would stop being interested and start investing then maybe we’d finally have better times.
It wasn’t a bad speech, but it was way too long considering that it didn’t say anything new. I know that after a year in office, the governor has to disclose some good news but things are so terrible right now that the “accomplishments” he mentioned are just not good enough. To be fair though, his administration has been dealt a bad hand and I don’t know how things could have been different if another gubernatorial candidate had had the misfortune of getting elected in 2005.
This brings us to the Wash. rep.’s report and his appeal for unity. The problem I have with anyone saying that we must all “come together” is that it usually means that we must all agree with him. Now on most issues, I find myself siding with Pete A., but I also know that there are well-meaning people out there who will never agree with us and that’s fine. That’s how it is. Politics, as I’ve said before, is division. It is about partisanship, which involves bickering, which is sometimes petty. Sure, the governor should get all the “advice, help, understanding and patience” he needs, but that doesn’t mean that the other CNMI leaders should stop disagreeing with him, or with anyone for that matter. The CNMI needs to hear more opinions and more proposed solutions regarding this worsening crisis, and its leaders should face, not evade, the concerns of the people. We need more discussions of competing ideas, more honest, informed disagreement on issues. The choices before the public should be made clearer and starker. And this requires open and free discussions.
What we can all agree to do, however, is that which the governor and the Wash. rep. exhibited admirably last week: show civility and respect, even to those we don’t agree with.

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Here’s another response I got regarding my “Lala Land” editorial:
If the CNMI was a company, the CEO, the CFO, the president and the board of directors would be fired.
The CNMI finds itself bordering on insolvency. This condition can be blamed on a number of developments such as increases in fuel costs, loss of tourists, loss of income from the garment industry, etc.
One other important reason is the incompetence of government officials. The current economic condition in the CNMI demands that the government take steps to generate income it desperately needs. Government officials were elected to govern and be proactive in correcting problems that plague the people that elected them. The government cannot sit back and hope for the Wizard of Oz to solve the problems, or go hat in hand to the federal government begging again.
The Legislature should consider establishing an excess profit tax on any company operating in the CNMI or increase the tax rate on larger corporations operating in the CNMI. I would look to the oil companies in this regard. I cannot understand the thinking of the management of oil companies. When people are struggling to buy food for their families, oil companies raise gas prices. I would like to look at their financial records.
The government should consider increasing land rental or lease rates on any corporation using government land. Renegotiate any contracts with organizations performing services for the CNMI. Negotiate with all the hotels on Saipan to provide incentives, perhaps one night free lodgings, negotiate with all the golf courses for free or reduced prices for golf rounds or cart use. These incentives could be offered through travel agents. Any participants in this program would receive a tax credit.
I am in error. I did see the government take a proactive part in the economic health of the CNMI. It was when the governor stopped the marketing of the pozzolan on Pagan Island. As I recall from news articles, Sablan’s mining permit was canceled, the Legislature voted to reinstate the permit, they sent the bill to the governor and he vetoed the bill. Had the governor not vetoed the bill, Sablan would have started operations in January 2006. There would now be hundreds of thousands of dollars pouring in monthly to the government’s treasury and additional thousands by virtue of equipment import taxes. More people would be working and paying taxes, retailers would be selling their goods and paying taxes, it goes on and on.
The CNMI representative in Washington, D.C. should be beating down the doors of the U.S. Congress to get the military to promote greater use of Tinian as opposed to all military increases going to Guam.
The federal government is not bashful about dictating minimum wages and immigration policies to the people of the CNMI but provide little compassion when it comes to helping us in this critical time.

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