COHEN SAYS HE IS A FRIEND OF THE CNMI

PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

COHEN SAYS HE IS A FRIEND OF THE CNMI

By David B. Cohen

Special to the Saipan Tribune

SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, Dec. 19) - People who are close to me know that I’ve been hoping to return to California for quite some time. One of the reasons I stayed this long was to help guide Federal policy in a manner that would provide hope and fairness to the people of the CNMI during this very difficult period. I have a great deal of affection for the CNMI and I care about its people. It is a unique community that is facing unique challenges.

When people feel insecure, economically or otherwise, they may sometimes manifest that insecurity through behaviors such as scapegoating, bigotry, false pride, denial, bitterness, hypersensitivity and an inability to empathize with others. While a few people may have become susceptible to some of this during these difficult times, that is not the true face of the CNMI. That is certainly not the face that the CNMI should be presenting to the world at this point in its history. The real CNMI is a beautiful, diverse island community that inspires great loyalty among locals and new arrivals alike. That is the CNMI that I have repeatedly fought for in Washington, D.C.

My proudest day in this job was when I first urged Congress, on behalf of the Bush Administration, to grant the CNMI representation in the U.S. House of Representatives. I pointed out to Congress that young men and women from Saipan, Tinian and Rota were fighting and dying so that the people of Iraq and Afghanistan could enjoy rights that these brave soldiers did not enjoy at home. My happiest day in this job was last week when Congress passed a bill that would grant the people of the CNMI the representation that they deserve.

I realize that the Delegate bill was attached to legislation that some strongly oppose, legislation that would federalize the CNMI’s immigration system as permitted and contemplated under the Covenant. I respect the fact that people in the community have a variety of opinions on federalization. However, after spending nine days of intensive fact-finding on Saipan early this year, speaking in private to hundreds of people from almost every different community, I became convinced that the center of gravity of public opinion in the CNMI and the center of gravity of fairness is reflected in the pro-federalization policies that we have advanced. I also perceived a generational shift, with older generations defining "locals" by race and ethnicity and younger people often thinking of "locals" as the multiracial, multiethnic group of friends that they grew up with. Although I respect those who may disagree with me, I believe in my heart that the policies that we have advanced are in the best interests of the people of the CNMI and in the best interests of the United States of America. And I also believe that the majority of the people of the CNMI, including the majority of "locals" (as the older generation would define it), agrees with me-whether or not they would admit it in public.

I hope that the ties of mutual respect that bind this community together will remain intact, notwithstanding the efforts of a vocal minority to pit people against one another. The CNMI has a large population of guest workers, and in any "guest/host" relationship, the guest must respect the host and host must respect the guest. The guest workers must respect the deep, reverential ties that Pacific Islanders have to their land, their islands and their culture. The host must respect the tremendous contributions that invited guest workers have made to this community and the ties that they have been encouraged to forge here. The guests should not be discarded like used tissue, or forced into perpetual subservience by artificially restricting their options. The wisest in the community recognize that all of the people of the CNMI are in the same boat, and that empowering the guest workers is the surest way to empower the locals. (For those of you who are able to stay awake through the nine-part video of my presentation to Taotao Tano that they have put on YouTube, you can see me explain this concept in excruciating detail.)

Now that H.R. 3079 has passed the House and will likely pass the Senate before I finally walk out the door, I feel that it’s safe for me to return to California. (I apologize to those who wish that I would have returned to California a long time ago.) I feel safe because Secretary Dirk Kempthorne has a good feel for what is going on in the CNMI, having spoken personally to a wide range of people that included Chamorros, Carolinians, business owners, guest workers, social workers and even victims of human trafficking. I feel safe because OIA Director Nik Pula has a deep understanding of these issues and is determined to push forward with the policies that we have developed together. He will be just like me, only better (or worse, depending on your perspective).

I have always been optimistic that the CNMI will eventually have a strong and prosperous future. Its path to that future will sometimes be painful, but it will be well worth taking. No matter what, I will always be a friend of the CNMI and I will always do whatever I can to help its people achieve the bright future that they deserve.

David B. Cohen is the outgoing deputy assistant secretary for Insular Affairs at the Department of the Interior.

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