IN 2010, members of the 17th Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature unanimously passed a joint House resolution in support of the creation of a Marianas Island Legislature Association. The resolution recognized the opportunities that the anticipated military buildup and the inclusion of China and Russia in the visa waiver program would have for both Guam and the CNMI, and that it was in the best public interest that the Legislatures from the two island entities work cooperatively for their mutual interests, concerns and benefits with the United States.

In April of this year, I introduced Resolution 375-31 that recognized and agrees with the desires of the CNMI Legislature and further called for the establishment of a Marianas Island Cooperative Initiative. The Initiative would be established to explore areas of joint economic development and mutual benefit between Guam and the CNMI.

In keeping with the standing rules of the Legislature, a public hearing was announced and held to receive public testimony in relation to the resolution. While no official testimonies were received, informal conversations suggested that the Initiative was something worth pursuing.

This past Monday, I flew up to Saipan to meet with CNMI Gov. Benigno Fitial and members of the CNMI Legislature to discuss the resolution. While en route to Capitol Hill, I couldn't help but notice the many vacant and abandoned buildings that not too long ago were business centers, shops and restaurants. Telltale signs of a struggling economy. The state of the CNMI economy was further evident as I arrived at the building where the Governor's Office is. Where one would expect the parking lot to be filled with cars, I was able to accurately count the number of vehicles parked there at first glance and had no problems finding a parking space close to the building.

I was humbled that Gov. Fitial, Speaker "Eli" Cabrera, Sens. Juan Ayuyu and Frank Cruz, and Representative Joseph Palacios made time to meet with me. And as a result of the meetings, I am encouraged with the excitement and interest expressed by the leaders of the prospects and opportunities that the establishment of this relationship could spur.

The CNMI leaders spoke of the many missed opportunities the two island entities could have benefitted from if we had been working collaboratively, and in some cases, not working against each other. While it was acknowledged that for a few decades after World War II there existed animosity between the two communities which strained earlier attempts at working together, it was a common belief the wounds were healing and that there is maturity in recognizing we can be more successful working together, than we would ever be in competition with each other.

While my resolution only calls for the establishment of a formal cooperative agreement between the two Legislatures, it is my belief, and the sentiment shared by everyone I’ve spoken to, that the tenets of the agreement must be embraced by the executive branch and our congressional representatives as well.

Our islands are too close together and our communities so intertwined that what occurs on Guam has an effect in the CNMI and vice versa. I earlier wrote of my observation as I was driving to my meetings in Saipan. If we don’t seize the opportunity to learn from the experiences that has caused their downturn, and not recognize that if we work together, we can strengthen our economy and help to rebuild theirs, we’ll have nobody to blame but ourselves.