May 8th, 2010

Remarks of the Honorable Anthony M Babauta
Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Areas
At the 86th Gala of the Guam Chamber of Commerce

May 8, 2010

Ladies and gentlemen, Chamber Chairman David John Governor Camacho, First Lady, Members of Guam Chamber

Allow me to start off by saying that it is a real honor to be here, joining in your celebration of the Guam Chamber of Commerce's 86th year of being an active and important organization to this island. On April 19, I left Washington DC for this region, and have since visited the Republic of Palau, Guam, the Northern Marianas, and most recently the Republic of the Marshall Islands. So in the past two weeks, my staff and I have done close to thirty thousand miles, and spent nearly sixty hours in the air – the last 8-on the island hopper was especially painful, especially when you are riding in coach the whole way. I'm sure that all of you can empathize…Oh wait, I am sorry, this is the Chamber, you all don't ride coach.

As corporate executives and business owners, many of you understand the importance of having capable staff – without them, success can be elusive – with me are two very important members of my staff – Ms. Kristen Oleyte and Ms. Rebecca Zepeda.

Ms. Oleyte joined me directly from US Senator Daniel Akaka's office in Washington DC where she served as his legislative assistant for the past five years. Kristen will be primarily engaged on the policies and solutions needed for Guam's civilian community during the military build-up. Senator Akaka is one of our region's most distinguished leaders and one of Guam's best allies – Kristen has been a big part of that and she is a welcome addition to my staff and for the work we are doing for Guam.

Two years ago, as the Insular Affairs House Subcommittee Staff Director, I hired a young woman who was clearly smarter than her years and has since proven she also has political street smarts. I didn't want to leave such a valuable asset behind once I moved to Interior and so I took Ms. Zepeda with me – in addition to her smarts, the bonus is that her look is so universal for the Pacific and so no one can figure out if she's Marshallese, Pohnpeian, Palauan, or Fijian – and I won't give it away.

I would encourage everyone that if you find a minute to say hello and grab their business cards – these young women are my key advisors and Guam will be their second home in the years to come – or is it your first home Rebecca? Umatac, right?

Before going any further, I wanted to handle some fairly serious business, if I may. Are the GTA and IT& E folks here this evening? I want to make sure they are not sitting together and servers, let's please make sure they BOTH receive equal meal servings – I endorse BOTH of them having equal shares of rice and meat. I don't want either side getting preferred treatment. I don't want these guys going at it in tomorrow's paper at the expense of the Gala celebrations. We are all on equal footing, we are all friends, and no one is trying to rip anyone off by giving one table more bread than the other.

In the interest of full disclosure however, I have been invited to an IT&E dinner for tomorrow night. I have run it by Kristen and Rebecca and they have been speaking to some of IT&E's leadership. I have heard since, there may be a future announcement which expands their marketing campaign to include IT&E GUYS – so based on that I think Kristen and Rebecca have recommended for me to stop by.

My remarks this evening will be brief. When I was invited to attend the 86th Anniversary of the Guam Chamber of Commerce, it struck me how far this organization has come and how long it has been. As I look across the room this evening, I cannot help but notice the diversity of this organization. You know, in its infancy, this Chamber was likely comprised of a handful of interests which made up the island's extremely small economy. Everyone here is well aware of the rich history of Guam's families which include the Calvos, Bordallos, Camachos, and Martinezs. It was the prominence of business acumen of these families' forefathers, mixed in with some haoles, which was the Guam Chamber of Commerce. Eighty six years later, we have the same families, many different haoles, but most importantly diversity reflecting Guam's growing community and underscoring how these new players on our economic scene care just as deeply about where and how this island community is developing. And if that weren't enough, you know change has come when a Babauta from Agat is asked to drop by a Chamber event, in a tux, to make a quick speech.

You know most entrepreneurs, whether they have made it, are about to make it or just haven't quite gotten there, love to hear stories about real life successes, where everyday people turned an idea into a business and grew it into a million-dollar enterprise. These stories become even more riveting when the protagonist is someone in the likes of Horatio Alger, Bill Gates, Lucy Montinola, ???? the list goes on.

We are a Cinderella, rags to riches, loving society; we love to hear that the seemingly impossible dreams can and do come true, even in the unlikeliest of circumstances. Most of all, we love the stories of millionaires who just "stumble" upon great and innovative ideas and go uphill from there.

Well those of you who know me, know that I graduated with a degree in communications and my professional career has been that of a public servant. Somewhere along the line, I missed the memo that it is in business and investing where the money and good life can be had. For now, I'll settle with having you all as my friends and the occasional invitation to the fancy golf courses, the wine tastings, or the DFS elite customers lounge behind the perfume counter – had I known that five grand in spending meant you could have the coldest glass of TANG on island, I would've asked for a tour much earlier – you'd think Jim Beighley could get someone to squeeze an orange after you drop that much cash on a Louie bag. I'm no businessman, but if you're offering something "orange" and "refreshing" – a little bit of pulp means you put some thought into it.

Nonetheless, since I cannot offer up a recipe for entrepreneurial success, given my limited experience in the field, I figured I would deliver a message on what I knew best, and that is in the field of policy-making.

For me, a good and effective policy is guided by a focused set of basic principles and objectives that maximizes the largest amount of good, for the largest amount of people. For the purposes of this evening, my policy is making the military build-up work. The narrowness of scope is making the military build-up work for Guam or in Governor Camacho's case, Guahan. Allow me to be frank; we all know the build up is on the horizon. Very soon there will be a lot of individuals, mainlanders and Alaskan natives alike all making their way to the island and they want to do business. All of this is a given, and while many of you aren't vocalizing it just yet, I know many folks in this room are quite ecstatic and ready to seize the opportunities that are forthcoming.

So for tonight's purposes and in the upcoming months, as the build-up nears, the build-up should reflect a moment of opportunity, an opportunity not just to enhance our own pockets but to make sure the people of Guam nor the business community is left behind.

With the impending build-up, we have an opportunity be ahead of history. If our past is one marred by history happening before us and to us, with most of our response being reactive, in 2010, Guam should be on a turnaround on how we manage our image and control our destiny.

I often wonder why capitalism is so amazingly efficient at some things but yet so inefficient at others? Why does it allow for innovation in certain realms and minimal progress and improvement in others? My friends, the build-up is Guam's opportunity to rectify some, not all, of the errors of our past. We have before us an optimal opportunity to utilize our business savvy to respond to more human needs, forge a more human, balanced, conscientious Guam economy that serves not just the traditional families of the past but extends and confers opportunities and possibilities throughout our island, to more, lesser-known family names. It is about sustainability for the future.

I am told business majors, as they jockey for power in their formative years are trained to build a single, right business plan and execute it. This evening, as we celebrate this Chamber's past successes, our objective should be to execute a single plan for Guam's future, where our economy becomes more socially-oriented, responding more directly to our societal needs. Competition may propel our actions, caring must be what ultimately drives us. Caring for Guam first and forging a long-term vision that ensures the welfare of our people, our island and the rest of Micronesia.

Just this week, my office joined by the Department of Commerce, released the very first federal GDP data estimates ever conducted in the insular areas. The GDP and economic growth statistics for Guam in particular were notably encouraging. The report cited Guam's economy being worth about $4 billion dollars with a steady growing GDP, of about 1.8 percent per year. These are quite promising results given the dire economic times the rest of our nation is facing. This is our opportunity to develop our island, expand our tourism industry, ensure our Chamorro culture is promoted and preserved, all while increasing the amount of money that flows onto our shores for further developing our infrastructure and improving and fortifying the very institutions that will secure a brighter future for our children.

Whether you are a proponent of the build-up or not, our island is fast changing but it remains within our grasp to ensure that the investments that are made today do not simply increase profits in the short-term but solidify and strengthen our future in the long-term.

We have an opportunity to be at the forefront of progress not just for our island but for the greater Pacific. Tonight, I ask that we embrace the concept of economic sustainability to find the right, fitting investments that will enhance and fortify our island community, the lives of other Micronesians and our posture in the Pacific.

I was once told that businessmen and women are strictly self-interested and guided by their next move and next big venture. Tonight, my compassionate and enlightened friends, let us embark on a new business venture where the steaks are high but the returns are priceless. Together, let us be that success story that future investors will look to and marvel at. Let us build our own Guam, on our terms, for OUR people.