According to Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr., “the administration is not against the idea…provided government expenses are kept to a minimum in this connection. We have always welcomed a frank discussion of economic concerns and this is precisely why the governor supported the widest possible distribution of the [Government Accountability Office] report and the more recent Conway-McPhee report on the impact of federalization. The governor has always been willing to work closely with members of the Legislature on economic issues, including [the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.] even though at least a few [lawmakers] have not always been so eager to embrace close cooperation with the administration. We continue to persist and remain engaged for the benefit of our commonwealth.”
Congressional Delegate-elect Gregorio C. Sablan, in a separate interview, said he is encouraging the community “to come together and take action on the problems facing our people and our economy. If that requires holding an economic summit, then, yes, I support an economic summit.”
He added, “I would hope that the outcome of an economic summit would be a broad agreement and a plan of action on what to do at the local level to 1) make the commonwealth less reliant on imported sources of energy, 2) put more local people into private sector jobs, particularly in the tourism industry, 3) retire the government’s debt to the retirement system, and 4) complete and maintain the basic infrastructure needed for economic growth.”
Sablan said he could then take those specific plans to the U.S. Congress “and look for ways for the federal government to assist in carrying them out.”
Senate President Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, said the timing for an economic summit is “perfect.”
“I think we should also invite investors to participate — we want to show them what we can do to facilitate their business entry to the CNMI,” he said.
Speaker Arnold I. Palacios, R-Saipan, said the CNMI “needs to do it — have this summit and talk about where we are, where we want to go and what actions to take so we can get there.”
The key to the summit’s success, however, is “follow-up,” he added.
“We need to act not just talk,” he said.
Two freshmen lawmakers are also supporting the summit — Reps. Ed T. Salas, R-Saipan, and Tina Sablan, Ind.-Saipan.
“We need to do something and we need to do it now,” Salas said. “Let’s stop all these petty arguments and let’s get down to business.”
The idea behind the summit, according to Representative Sablan, “is to produce a plan, set priorities and act on them.”
“It’s not difficult to figure out where we’re at,” Salas said. “But we need to know where we want to be in the following years.”
Salas said the federal government wants to help the CNMI, “but we need to have a plan first so the feds will know how to help us.”
He added, “No more politics. Any idea is a good idea. We’ll brainstorm, write everything down and come up with a plan. We’ve to come together as one community”
Representative Sablan envisions “frank, open talks and with the public allowed to comment.”
“We’ll invite all elected officials, the administration officials, the feds — and we need a facilitator,” she added. “We can hold the summit as early as [this] week.”
According to Salas, “We need results after two days — every minute we don’t act we sink deeper into the ground.”
