Del Benson
WE are in a dark period for the CNMI. Without investment we are dying. We all have friends and family who are either without a job or have left the island. How many more families will leave for greener pastures. How many vacant hotels do we have along our beautiful beaches? How many cars for sale on the side of the road? People are struggling, and we need to come together more than ever before.
The CNMI has only two sides for economic growth. The sides are Government spending and tourism. If you look around the island at all the businesses they are either directly or indirectly supporting on of these two industries. The problem is now our tourism is down and continuing on the path. That means all the businesses supporting tourism are struggling. On the other side, is there a government vendor the isn’t owed money? Some for years. We have focused too much on too little, and it is time to diversify. We need to take a portfolio approach to economic development.
What does this mean? We scratch lotto tickets hoping for a big score for our economy. Thinking it will solve all our problems. That worked with the Japanese and Chinese bubbles in the past for short periods, but hasn’t been sustainable. It is time we to take a portfolio approach. We have lots of smart capable people in our business community with good ideas. We need to put aside our disagreements and focus on building a better CNMI for everyone. We can all fight and lose, or come together, and build a better future.
I’m asking our leaders to please engage with the business community, and let’s have productive discussions about how to move forward. Let’s come together and help support the business community during this difficult time.
DEL BENSON
Saipan, CNMI
