2011 Inaugural Address By The Honorable Sebastian L. Anefal ...

Despite these many external forces that placed enormous strain on our financialresources and our ability to provide needed public services to our people, Ibelieve that we are entering the first year of my second term much preparedeconomically than when we entered my first term. We have exercisedexpenditure restraint; we are pursuing revenue expansion measures; we continueto invest heavily in our infrastructure; we have began to put in place theframework for environmental protection and management; and we continue togive priority consideration to health and education initiatives. Through theseactions, we have laid the foundation for sustainable growth, but the path webegan constructing four years ago is far from being done and countless moreinitiatives need to be put in place.We know what still needs to be done. We have the people and we have thedetermination. And I believe that if we work extra hard together for the next fouryears, we can give the next Governor, and the next Legislature, a real chance tomove Yap much closer to our ultimate goal of real sustainable economic growthand toward greater economic independence. There is a price to pay to grow, andcommitment is the price. As leaders, I firmly believe we see more than otherssee, farther than others see, and before others see when and if we make thecommitment to doing so.In 2007, I began saying that Yap was at a crossroads and we could build strongfoundations for our future despite thundering global crises. In 2008, I mentionedthat there were dynamic potentials for future growth. In 2009, I told the Cabinet9