Dear Editor,
Let me start with the consensus. “Parliament has to convene meetings to determine who is a St. Maartener before the very next elections.” I have been getting reactions from a whole lot of people especially those who have lived on St. Maarten for years and have children born here as well as the French side.
The majority of them have similar stories. They are treated like foreigners when they go back home, especially if they have a Dutch passport. In their country, which they left and came to St. Maarten to make money and send back home to help their families and help build up, they are treated like strangers. If I am not mistaken one of the problems of the Caricom countries is migration between the member countries.
By now we know that no matter which government you support, if things are good in the country it is good for everyone. The same goes for the contrary – if things are bad in the country it is usually bad for everyone, which brings me to the question what would be the difference between a Member of Parliament who did not get re-elected and a person who lost his job.
My answer to that is the reason for the difference in compensation. I will always be against that policy, because none and I will repeat none of those Members of Parliament could prove to me that they have worked the equivalent of 40 hours per week during their tenure as a Member of Parliament; contrary to the average 12 hours a day of the average workman.
Government should know that that one per cent story is hogwash. If we are contemplating independence, we definitely have to determine who is a St. Maartener. I would suggest that voters especially start demanding from government to begin the process now. Yes, before elections because we are sick and tired of election promises which are never complied with and we are also not accepting the fall of the different governments as a reason for non-compliance.
There are several models as we know, and government should invite all who desire to submit their model of “who is a St. Maartener” before June 15, 2016, in order to get the process in an acceptable advance stage or completed before the elections.
I hope that that bloggers and twitters would jump on the band wagon and decide not to vote for anyone if nothing is done to determine “who is a St. Maartener.” This is vital for the future of especially the young people of St. Maarten.
Beware I am not talking about independence that is going to take a while; I am talking about government determining who is a St. Maartener in order for “the St. Maartener” to be counted in his country, starting with the labour department doing the right thing when it comes to salaries for locals as opposed to those who accept less than the minimum wage. When foreigners, who have lived here for years and have acquired a Dutch passport, want for the St. Maarten people to take back St. Maarten I also think it is time.
Russell A. Simmons
