Ambrose M. Bennett
THE TRUTH of the matter is the perception of the Governor’s statement to “pivot away from China” seems to have been totally misinterpreted, as it’s just a poli-trick! The assertion that the Governor and those who appreciate his pivot of dedicating our resources away from China are “against Chinese Tourists,” are so far from the truth they must be in the Andromeda Galaxy seeing time lapses of the CNMI. I want to make it perfectly CLEAR, as I’m sure it is safe to say that virtually “NO ONE is against Chinese Tourists coming to the CNMI.” But WE (the CNMI) shouldn’t be putting “all our bets on China” figuratively given the fact WE cannot and will never be able to predict what the Chinese Government will do, as everything can change in the blink-of-an-eye for TRUE! The Governor made a “SAFE & SOUND” call, and I don’t see the Governor nor anyone trying to prevent Chinese Tourists from coming — just political talk (poli-tricking) against the Governor and no ideas offered on what else WE can do beyond China. Yet, WE the People have two entire industries (Cannabis Tourism & Hemp Industry) that have yet to be fully functioning and one is even costing us money. I don’t see the China supporters doing any supporting and promoting of these two potential NEW Revenues for the CNMI. PROPONENTs & OPPONENTs of China need to read my last opinion Op ed on the Casino Commission, which is something everyone needs to read about our own self-destruction and our future that is definitely beyond China’s influence alone that WE can control — for TRUE! WE must and can do a much better job of controlling our fate!
Heck, the newspaper even joined the misinterpretation of “the pivot away from China” with a front-page article by Delegate Candidate King-Hinds implying “it’s mind-boggling about people being against Chinese Tourists,” when that is NOT the case!!! The TRUTH of the matter is, WE (the CNMI) are welcoming Chinese Tourists, but it is also an imperative fact that WE need to be looking PAST China that is also consensus GIVEN. FYI Delegate Candidate, WE the People are just waiting see the results of the efforts to allow Chinese Tourists. But in the meantime, WE need to end all this fuss over China that has clearly become a “political football” when no one is against Chinese Tourists, just against our over dependency on China or any single source for Tourists. WE should be promoting our Cannabis Tourism to everyone in our Region & even the world. The CNMI is the only place where recreational use is legal, which is what I thought WE were going to exploit when I helped to create the Law. Heck, people are moving here from Guam just because Cannabis is legal for recreational use here. WE have an industry that is still new, especially for our Region but it also has a “World Appeal” that’s not being promoted. But I hope this will help to clarify and put an end to the China Poli-tricking so we can move on addressing things like the Casino & Garapan that WE can control, as WE can’t control what’s going to happen in China. I pray they get it, as not putting money in China does not mean WE’RE against Chinese.
Furthermore, the Governor has even supported the Chinese Tourists effort and now that Hong Kong Airlines has returned its in the hands of the Port Authority, Tour Agents, citizens of China and the Government of China, end of argument! But each time we take a step towards China we end up taking more steps backwards first it was the lost of the Japanese Tourist market & Tony Romas and this time it is the loss of the Hyatt and Asiana Airlines. Yes, it’s true that the People of China and their Government are different, but it is also common knowledge throughout the world that the Chinese Government can be “extremely heavy-handed” with their geopolitics, which I’m sure was a compelling factor for the Governor’s statement, especially when the Chinese government stated, “it was not allowing their citizens to come to the CNMI to gamble.” Some people are acting like they didn’t even hear this all-important announcement – HELLER!
“The Demise of the CNMI” is NOT the fault of Governor Palacios, as it was former Governor Ralph who brought-down the CNMI and the court cases (Local & Federal RICO) against him prove it, if they can ever be prosecuted. It is also no secret that Ralph squandered nearly two-billion dollars that could have rebuild our entire economy, but it was wasted and even “given-away with BOOST.” It is going to take TIME to overcome our shortcomings which is WHY the focus should be on WHAT can be done NOW beyond China that is really a dead-issue now, given WE have done all that can be done. Heck, WE couldn’t even get a simple Earhart Monument built under Ralph that WE know can attract tourists, so stop the China talk and start talking about and doing things that WE can do beyond China’s tourists, which is the TRUE task at hand FOR our Commonwealth. One People, One Direction.
Ambrose M. Bennett is an Economist who minored in Sociology, a Political Scientist, a retired teacher & former CNMI Board of Education Member, a James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & lifetime Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
