They weren’t BOOSTed.
They didn’t receive Torres-era favors and subsidies.
They didn’t have the luxury of a sole source cash agreement.
In fact, the Commonwealth Ports Authority under chairwoman Kim Hinds made doing business all the more difficult for them.
Despite it all, Star Marianas remains operating in the Mariana Islands.
They didn’t run away.
2 Comments
Mabel Doge Luhan
03/31/2023 at 10:45 PM
In the CNMI we tend to see business decisions in terms of personal relationships: respetu yan amista. Everyone thinks that getting more flights or lower gas prices or “investors” is just a matter of sitting down and talking with the chief in charge, or passing a law. But in the big world, businesses operate on profit, and Star Marianas is here because it’s profitable, not because they ‘re our friends. Don’t imbue their business decision with a moral weighting, unless you’re also ready to thank all the generous poker shops, drug dealers, and mafia lenders who are so kind as to stay and do business in the CNMI.
Russ Mason
04/01/2023 at 10:04 AM
A bow and a hat-tip to Star Marianas! Fantastic!