He also clarified that supporting the lawsuit “does not make us a front of the Fitial administration.”
“Our group was established to protect our self-government and indigenous rights, and to formulate comprehensive educational programs to enable the indigenous people to understand their role in government pursuant to the Covenant and the Constitution,” he said.
Rasa was reacting to Taotao Tano president Gregorio Cruz’s claim that the former speaker’s group is supporting a “misguided fight against the federal government.”
Rasa said they support the lawsuit “because we are dealing with the violation of the rights of indigenous self-government guaranteed under the Covenant,” which is the U.S. law that made the islands part of America.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that the indigenous population obtains gainful employment and receive the necessary training and education,” he said, adding that the labor provisions of the federalization law, U.S. P.L. 110-229, violate the Covenant.
The labor provisions, he added, delegated authority to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in determining the issuance of the labor force requirement for any economic activity in the commonwealth.
Rasa said the federal government will control CNMI labor when the federalization law is implemented next year.
“When you control labor you control the economy,” he said. “When you hostage the economy, self-government withers away by natural operation.”
But Rasa said they respect the opinion of Cruz and Taotao Tano.
“We do not issue press statements to discredit certain individuals and organizations with different opinions,” he said.
