GOP misses the mark


Arnold I. Palacios

By Arnold I. Palacios

It’s rather disingenuous for GOP President Diego Benavente to be lecturing about tourism, as he did in a press release this week – especially when the biggest exodus of Japanese hotels, airlines, and other investments happened on his watch, when he was Lt. Governor (2002 – 2006).

Let me remind Mr. Benavente that nearly every hotel in the CNMI has changed hands at least once. As the former Lt. Governor surely remembers, when Japan Airlines pulled out of the CNMI during his administration, Nikko Hotel and La Fiesta Mall went with them. Nikko became Palms, and years later, Palms became Kensington, now owned by E-land.

There are many other examples of hotels changing hands in the CNMI, including Coral Ocean Point from Suwaso to E-land; Pacific Islands Club from Ken Corp to E-Land; Hafa Adai Hotel to Grandvrio; Intercontinental Hotel to Dai Ichi to Fiesta to Crowne Plaza; Laolao Bay Golf and Resort has also seen in its ownership.

Hyatt Regency Saipan was also previously owned and sold by Continental Airlines, and current owner Saipan Portopia Corp will either assign its lease to another investor very soon or the Department of Public Lands will put the property out for bid. When the hotel reopens with a new owner and management, there will be new jobs to fill, because nearly all of Hyatt’s former employees were quickly picked up by other establishments.

Lots of hotels change hands. That is the nature of the business, and it’s not the end of the world when it happens.

As for the CNMI Republican Party’s position that “CNMI needs tourists from China” and “we do not have the luxury of selecting other markets for travelers to the CNMI” – I suggest they take a look at the national Republican Party position on China and the letter that 32 Republican Members of Congress recently wrote urging the Biden administration to apply B1/B2 visa requirements for Chinese nationals entering the CNMI.

“It is imperative we deter Chinese Communist Party aggression, espionage, and transnational repression,” these U.S. Republican lawmakers wrote.

Perhaps the CNMI Republicans missed the memo – or chose to ignore it.

CNMI Republicans may have also missed the headlines for the past thirty years, or perhaps it’s political amnesia that prompts them to describe the garment and gaming industries as “industries that supported our economy” – the two industries that tainted the CNMI’s reputation more than any other, and associated our islands with human trafficking, labor exploitation, and immigration violations.

Let me also remind Mr. Benavente that the CNMI lost critical tools for economic development and triggered federal intervention because of rampant abuses in the garment and gaming industries. If the CNMI Republican Party wants to take credit for that – have at it. But I won’t hold my breath for any actual solutions from the same people who have done so much damage to both our government and economy over the years with bad policies and the plundering of public funds.

To the people of the Commonwealth: yes, we are facing difficult times; there is no question about that. Our current challenges were years in the making, and there will be no quick or easy fixes. Had the CNMI GOP not squandered all the funds provide to us by the federal government in the last three years, things would be a lot easier for all of us today.

I have always said that tourists from mainland China are welcome to visit our islands, but they should be vetted and our borders must remain secure – and for that, we need help from our federal partners.

In the meantime, and out of necessity, we must–and are working to–shift our focus and resources to more secure and reliable markets with allied nations.

As governor I am committed to do everything in my power to stabilize our fiscal condition, ensure our security, continue to deliver essential services, and execute plans for long-term improvements in infrastructure, education, and economic development. And I will be transparent about our progress – as well as our struggles – every step of the way.

May God bless the people of the Northern Marianas.

_____

Arnold I. Palacios is the governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands


2 Comments

  • Sakman Mario

      07/11/2024 at 6:56 AM

    Keep their feet to the fire until justice prevails, Governor Palacios. It was our money, the taxpayers’ hard earned money that the previous unholy administration squandered. Hold everyone responsible, top down, for this grand theft accountable for every penny. No slap on the wrist, but long-term incarceration. How dare they do this to our Marianas.

  • Russ Mason

      07/11/2024 at 7:17 PM

    “..and execute plans for long-term improvements….And I will be transparent about our progess.”

    I wonder what plans the Gov. has in mind. I don’t believe he has any, because that requires a vision of What Could Be.

    His letter is the standard, shop-worn, politico-speak we have endured through every administration. Not a single plan for anything worthwhile, including Contingency Plans. (“What are they?”)

    As the Texans say, “All hat, no cattle.”

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