We have to respect the CNMI law!

We hope that some Filipino here in the CNMI will have the chance to see and read this blog. We have noticed that the situation in the CNMI is getting worse because of what other Filipino groups are doing. We don't support this Filipino group who's only interest is in getting US Citizenship or access to the US just because they worked here for years. We, as a Friends of the Mariana Islands (FMI), are really concerned that those guest workers have lost sight of why they came to Saipan and now are looking only to leave Saipan, but not to go to their homes. We too have worked on Saipan for years and recognize that there are problems and almost certainly abuse, but the answer to those individual situations is individual actions as we already all have the same rights (but not privilege) as US Citizens. We believe the proper action is to fix the problems locally through legal processes available to us here rather than praying that the US will take action. What if the CNMI passed a local law sending all of us home who had been here for year or more, they could do that before the US pass any law! Indeed we still can't be sure any US law will be passed, or any law granting us access to the US will be passed. Some groups have made the problems into all of us vs. all of them. We will never have the respect of all the local people but the way demonstrations and counter demonstration are happening we risk most of us ending up with no respect for us and perhaps even hate developing between most people on both sides. Imagine then how life would be if the US does not allow us to move to the US, we would be trapped in an Island of hate. Even if we are allowed to leave for the US we might find these last months or years here on saipan to have exposed our children to a hateful environment where they even learn that their parents hate and are hated by other people. I wish I know the solution to the problem here but I don't. I do know that we and our children may suffer emotionally if the problems here are resolved in hate, fear and a lack of respect of groups of people (and not just of individuals who deserve to lost respect because of their treatment or abuse of other individuals).

We thank you PEOPLE OF THE CNMI!